I'm Having Trouble Adapting


As has been previously established on this very blog, I have not been terribly successful at Script Frenzy in the past. I am hoping to break that streak this year. I figured what I needed was a strong outline, since that definitely works for me in the noveling realm, but I lack the lead time that I usually need to create one of my in-depth outlines.

The solution, it would seem, is obvious: adapt one of my existing novels into a screenplay. I've got ten to choose from, after all (actually, that's a lie—I'm fairly sure my first NaNoWriMo novel is lost to the ages, as it was written on an old computer that's no longer around, and I wasn't very organized about my digital files back then), and what's a better, more thorough outline than a near-complete novel? The only thing lacking is an ending; of all my novels, only one has what you could legitimately call an end. Still, that's fairly easily solved once I get to that point.

The next question, then, is which one to adapt. Do I choose the most complete story, which is also the most structured of my novels, but has a slightly confusing alternating point-of-view? The most cinematic story, with an easily-written logline and the most obvious mass appeal? Do I pick the one with the richest setting, to take advantage of the visual medium, or do I go for the one with the main character I like the best?[[MORE]]

So far, the only useful piece of information I've gleaned from flipping through past novels is that apparently, I'm the Star Trek movies of noveling: only my even-numbered novels are good. Help me out, readers. I wrote up some quick loglines for all the possibilities; which one should I write this April?


The 24 hours surrounding a wedding stir up old memories for the four people involved. (This is my 2005 novel, and the most complete of all of them. Each chapter is an hour of the 24-hour period, and it shifts perspectives between the bride, the groom, the maid of honour, and the best man each chapter. This structure was really, really great for novel writing—each chapter was just over 2000 words, and then bam, done!—but I'm not sure it's as conducive to a script.)
Four best friends cope with their impending 30th birthdays, in very different ways. (This is my 2007 novel, and it feels like the most movie-esque of my novels, although it also has the shifting perspective that might be harder to do in a screenplay.)
After a lifetime of doing what's expected of her, Cassie plunges into unfamiliar turf, with unexpected consequences. (That's a terrible logline for my actually not-bad 2010 novel. This one is harder to sum up, which probably means it wouldn't be easy to distill into screenplay format.) 
Banished to the suburbs by her father's marriage, Matilda struggles to find her identity again after an injury leaves her on the stage instead of the track. (This is last year's novel, and my first YA novel. I like the main character in this one a lot.) 

What say you? Which of these do you think would be most film-friendly, both in terms of what you'd want to see and what you think would be easiest to adapt?


(Image courtesy of Flickr user lucianvenutian.)

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Published on March 21, 2012 10:14
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