Should You Write A Novel Or A Screenplay?

If you'd like to see your book in the form of a movie, would you be better off skipping the book and writing the screenplay? Movies based on books are never anywhere near as good as the books. And notice I said movies "based on books." A movie of your book will probably be a disappointment, at least to you as the writer.

Here are just a few examples of how far a movie can stray from the author's original story. And these are some of my favorite movies.

Blade Runner. This 1982 award-winning movie was loosely based on the 1968 Philip Dick novella, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." The screenplay was by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples and it focuses on a small part of the novella in which the character Rick Deckard pursues some androids. The movies omits the real essence of the story, mainly the existence of a new religion called Mercerism, in which electronic implants enable people to share the same mood, meaning they lose their sense of self. Rick Deckard adheres to this religion. The omission of Mercerism doesn't ruin the movie but it's shallow and lacking by comparison to the novella.

The Sound of Music, This 1965 Oscar-winning movie musical was adapted from the stage musical, which was adapted from a 1956 German film called "Die Trapp Familie," which was based on the 1949 book, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" by Maria von Trapp. The 1965 screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman. If you're looking for the true story of Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers, you aren't going to find it in the movie. The names of Maria and Georg von Trapp are about the only real things in the movie. The book was merely inspiration for a movie that is 99% fiction. And just in case you're interested, the true story is far better.

Out of Africa. This Oscar-winning 1984 movie was based on two books by Isak Dinesen (Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke): "Out of Africa" (1937) and "Shadows on the Grass" (1961). The screenplay was by Kurt Luedtke. Karen Blixen's account of her life in British East Africa is a true story, and the movie, again like "The Sound of Music," is a terrific tale, but it lacks many of the facts which could have enhanced or even improved the movie. The movie takes place between January 1914 and August 1931, a period of almost 18 years, and it is difficult to determine how much time has passed from one scene to the next. It lacks most of the facts about Blixen's life, and Luedtke focuses largely on an almost 100% fictional account of Blixen's relationship with Denys Finch Hatton. Very little factual information. Her letters have been published and are far more interesting and insightful.

Gone With The Wind. This was a 1939 Oscar-winning movie based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling 1936 novel. The movie is great, but the book is spectacular. As a story set during the Civil War era, its historical accuracy was relevant, but screenplay adherence to the book was pretty much absent. Again, as with "Out of Africa," the screenwriter, Sidney Howard, excerpts the relationship of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler and makes that the entire story.
Still want to write that novel and hope it gets turned into a screenplay? If you want the money, keep dreaming. But if you care about adherence to your carefully crafted story, think again.

In my next blog post, I'm going to talk about the kinds of things I have written besides books, and how they have impacted my writing.