Adaptable Me

May 2nd is seven days away. It is a Monday. It is also the deadline for the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab! This deadline is a mere two days after Script Frenzy ends… coincidence? I have Sundance on the brain because Scriptwriter Friend, who's been writing a script of my novel, girlchild, is working on his application for Sundance now! It's a long shot, but if it weren't for long shots, I wouldn't be here, how about you? If you're thinking about applying, the May 2nd deadline is a postmarked-by deadline! All you've got to lose is the $35 application fee and a stamp. Okay, plus the paper and envelope, but seriously, what better way to celebrate a successful Frenzy?

Scriptwriter Friend has made girlchild his own, going so far as to move one of the story's main characters to the back seat in his script! It might sound strange, but this is fine with me. Scriptwriter Friend is also a reader and readers do what they will. As a reader, that's what I do. I don't wonder if I'm "getting it right"—that doesn't sound like fun at all! Stories should come alive in particular, even peculiar, ways. Like the journal in this picture says, words do have a life of their own and good for them. (My friend Deedles made this awesome journal after girlchild was sold—it was even prettier then but has been tortured in use.) Scriptwriter Friend believed in girlchild when it was just a twinkling of font in my eye but even if he hadn't, I love the idea of him taking his perception of my novel and running with it. I can't wait to see what it becomes.

What I'm wondering is how many of you are adapting a novel or story this Frenzy and how it feels to make it your own? Are you concerned about "staying true" to the original? Is your vision your top priority? Have you found a nice middle ground? If you're adapting your own work, like Nancy is, do you find the original characters or plot shifting? I'd love to hear how it's going!