--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are vast differences between…" description: "\"There are vast differences between scripts and stories, of course. Few fiction writers would want to give up the opportunity to explore how the minds o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/les-standiford-41302_backgrounds_there-are-vast-differences-between-scrip_2676162.png" --- # There are vast differences between scripts and stories, of… ![“There are vast differences between scripts and stories, of course. Few fiction writers would want to give up the opportunity to explore how the minds of their characters work, or to set aside the opportunity to provide necessary background exposition in a succinct fashion.” quote by Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/les-standiford-41302_backgrounds_there-are-vast-differences-between-scrip_2676162.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/les-standiford-41302_backgrounds_there-are-vast-differences-between-scrip_2676162.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/les-standiford-41302_backgrounds_there-are-vast-differences-between-scrip_2676162.png) > “There are vast differences between scripts and stories, of course. Few fiction writers would want to give up the opportunity to explore how the minds of their characters work, or to set aside the opportunity to provide necessary background exposition in a succinct fashion.” [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers balance detailed background with narrative flow, often sacrificing depth for brevity. **In simple terms:** Writers must choose between detail and pacing. Key Takeaway Prioritize story flow while keeping essential context. Themes storytelling writing balance exposition Mood analytical thoughtful Type instructional creative When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - editing - teaching writing Key Concepts narrative structure character psychology Questions to Reflect On - When should you trim background details? - How does exposition affect pacing? A Different Perspective Over‑explaining can stall a story and lose reader interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backgrounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backgrounds/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-work-538913/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts/) [Scripts Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts-stories-2542320/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writers Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I am on the lookout for smart scripts and stories where my role has weightage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithvik-dhanjani/i-am-on-the-lookout-for-smart-scripts-and-stories-where-my-role-has/) [Rithvik Dhanjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithvik-dhanjani/) > [I think a fairly common behavior among fiction writers is that they want to help. They're generally charitable people. They're interested in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/i-think-a-fairly-common-behavior-among-fiction-writers-is-that-they/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [And while dollars have little to do with it, the fiction writer should be asking the same question any capable film producer would ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/and-while-dollars-have-little-to-do-with-it-the-fiction-writer-should/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [Much to my surprise, there's a sense for people in the cable industry that fiction writers might actually be good at script writing. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-specktor/much-to-my-surprise-there-s-a-sense-for-people-in-the-cable-industry/) [Matthew Specktor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-specktor/) > [That's the great thing about a series: you're driving to work, and you have an idea for a story for your characters, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/that-s-the-great-thing-about-a-series-you-re-driving-to-work-and-you/) [James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/) > [I love working with male actors, and I think there's a tendency to write really interesting characters that would work solely alongside men where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/i-love-working-with-male-actors-and-i-think-there-s-a-tendency-to/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [I do need to find inner tranquillity and get into a "zone" before I switch on the computer to work on a story. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/i-do-need-to-find-inner-tranquillity-and-get-into-a-zone-before-i/) [Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/) > [I'm really enjoying myself. The things that they've allowed me to do, and the different characters that I get to work with, it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-durance/i-m-really-enjoying-myself-the-things-that-they-ve-allowed-me-to-do/) [Erica Durance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-durance/) > [Sometimes, I have themes that interest me or that touch on larger issues but, really, I'm just trying to figure out the plot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/sometimes-i-have-themes-that-interest-me-or-that-touch-on-larger/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [You start to fall in love with characters as you work with them, and anytime that you care about your characters and you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/you-start-to-fall-in-love-with-characters-as-you-work-with-them-and/) [Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/) > [Characters work really well when they're reflective of the times that they're operating in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-azzarello/characters-work-really-well-when-they-re-reflective-of-the-times-that/) [Brian Azzarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-azzarello/) > [In that daily effort in which intelligence and passion mingle and delight each other, the absurd man discovers a discipline that will make up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-that-daily-effort-in-which-intelligence-and-passion-mingle-and/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [ Melissa \[ Rosenberg\] really has mastered coming from character. Everything radiates from the characters in this work. You don't feel like anything's imposed. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-espenson/melissa-rosenberg-really-has-mastered-coming-from-character/) [Jane Espenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-espenson/) > [The way I write is really like putting one foot in front of the other. I really let the characters do most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/the-way-i-write-is-really-like-putting-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Men and women are both humans, so, for me, that makes my characters and the work that I do human stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/men-and-women-are-both-humans-so-for-me-that-makes-my-characters-and/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) ## More by Les Standiford > [“It’s like you’ve been in a terrible accident and had your arm amputated,” she told him. “After a while, the pain goes away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/it-s-like-you-ve-been-in-a-terrible-accident-and-had-your-arm/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“Society.” John Forster, who would one day become Dickens’s great friend, adviser, editor, and first biographer, wrote in the Examiner that Dickens had excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/society-john-forster-who-would-one-day-become-dickens-s-great-friend/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [Maybe it's because we as writers are alone so often, are so attuned to listening to the run of our own thoughts, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/maybe-it-s-because-we-as-writers-are-alone-so-often-are-so-attuned-to/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [And while dollars have little to do with it, the fiction writer should be asking the same question any capable film producer would ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/and-while-dollars-have-little-to-do-with-it-the-fiction-writer-should/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [Never open your story with a character thinking, I advise my students. As a further precaution, don’t put a character in a room alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/never-open-your-story-with-a-character-thinking-i-advise-my-students/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“That's easy," Russell said. "Because everybody else in this here place is crooked as a dog's hind leg. ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/that-s-easy-russell-said-because-everybody-else-in-this-here-place-is/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“Permanent construction of the sort Flagler was referring to would not come cheaply, however. Early in 1910, Flagler wrote to John Carrere, designer of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/permanent-construction-of-the-sort-flagler-was-referring-to-would-not/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“The more a man learns, Dickens said, “the better, gentler, kinder man he must become. When he knows how much great minds have suffered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/the-more-a-man-learns-dickens-said-the-better-gentler-kinder-man-he/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“Daniel Maclise (whose 1839 oil of Dickens hangs today at the National Portrait Gallery).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/daniel-maclise-whose-1839-oil-of-dickens-hangs-today-at-the-national/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) [Explore all 10 Les Standiford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) ## More Backgrounds quotes > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [I bring my classical training - some of it, but not all of it - and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-battle/i-bring-my-classical-training-some-of-it-but-not-all-of-it-and-also/) [Kathleen Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-battle/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) [Billy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-taylor/) > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-come-from-a-theater-background-so-i-always-like-to-dissect-the/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [For me, I try to look at a person's swagger and a little background on them if I already haven't liked them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bivins/for-me-i-try-to-look-at-a-person-s-swagger-and-a-little-background-on/) [Michael Bivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bivins/) [Browse all 1,648 Backgrounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backgrounds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are vast differences between scripts and stories, of course. 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