As many know, there are many different styles of writing. Still, many people don't know how different each style is and the approach a writer has to take to create a poem, a short story, or a screenplay. There are similarities and differences, but writing is writing; it's all about conveying what you choose. The similarities in all three are straightforward. There needs to be a detailed setting, emotional climb or fall, and a clear ending or a cliffhanger. I know those three similarities seem very cliché, but there needs to be a solid foundation in every writing style. The difference is where they stand out. Personally as a writer, each one has easy parts and complex parts. Every writer has strengths and weaknesses in writing. To write a poem, you need to think of a structure such as the type of poem, rhyme scheme, stanzas, detail without too much detail, characterization in a short limit, and a strong emotional pull with the reader. To write a short story, characterized in a short amount of time, a strong setting that doesn't shift places a lot, solid minor characters, a solid plot with obstacles but not too many obstacles, and finally, it needs an ending that captures the readers' feelings. A screenplay is a whole different ball game because of all the layers it involves. To write a screenplay, you must write every word for every character, no matter how major or minor. You must also include all setting changes, gestures, and relationship ties. It would be best to use a lot of dialogue, backstory, and narration, with plenty of obstacles for characters to overcome. Those obstacles must be good enough to create a solid character arch. The hardest part about a screenplay is filling in the gaps in the middle. I know I have a beginning and an end in my head for me. I can write it out with no problem, but to fill in the gaps and create relationships, emotional scenes, characters to love and hate, and not make it something that is expected. Go to Hallmark cooperation to write a screenplay and already know the outcome. Writing, in general, is not easy. It requires a lot of patience no matter what you do, but if you have a foundation, a plan, and modules created, then the rest will fall into place.
~Mateo Lozano
