I have been thinking a lot about the rhythms of television drama, and the trouble that showrunners go through when adapting written fiction to the small screen. Which, in the age of giant flat screens and wall-size projections, seems a bit quaint. However, with all of the IMAX films these days… but, I digress.
Television dramas have a rhythm that is very punchy. With written fiction, you can follow a single set of characters through an entire chapter. On television, a few characters have a moment that punches up a plot-line, then hard cut to another set of characters. Usually, you’ll come around to the original set of characters again, but sometimes you’ll only see each set once each episode. Because episodes. And sometimes, you’d only see certain characters once every few episodes, because the viewers will remember them.
It’s fascinating, if you’re a writer. Continue reading
Earlier this year, I posted an atypical political essay on 