By Lisa Montalto
Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes
~ Robert Altman (American filmmaker and screenwriter)~
Did you know that your favorite films were adapted from novels, such as JAWS by Peter Benchley, The Shining by Stephen King, and The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris? You’ll often hear the book is better than the movie, but you know you love seeing those characters you love come to life on the big screen.
No matter how many times you envisioned that shark in the book, it never looked like it did the first time it jumped out at you. And what’s great about adaptations is that the screenwriter can take poetic license and remove or add things to the story.
In the book version of The Shining , Jack Halloran burns to death in the hotel, in the movie he freezes to death. In the novel In JAWS , the character of Chief Brody is ill-tempered and violent compared to the lovable character on the big screen.
In Fight Club (the novel), the narrator meets Tyler Durden at a nude beach, and in the movie, they meet on a plane. In this article, we will understand how your favorite novels come live on screen.
Adapting Novels into Screenplay
When it comes to adapting a novel, it’s vital to note that scripts are structured differently from books. That’s why Stephen King didn’t adapt The Shining himself. There’s formatting and dialogue, plot structure and character development, and a lot more that goes into the scriptwriting process.
Hollywood and Bollywood are always hungry to find original material that they can turn into motion pictures. If you have a book that would make a great movie, an adaptation will add a whole new income stream for you.
Sometimes you can bypass adapting it yourself if a studio or production company offers you an option or wants to buy it outright. This is not the standard, but this happens. Most of the time, it’s up to you to adapt your book and try to option or sell the screenplay.
Did you know?
The fear of running out of something to read is called Abibliophobia.
The best place to start is by outlining your book and then studying script structure. Most screenwriters use Final Draft or Celtx to format their screenplays. It’s necessary to note that not all books make good movies.
Some pages consist of so much material that it becomes difficult to translate it into the film. Always consider plotlines and scenes, when reviewing your book. The more time you spend structuring your outline, the easier the adapting will be.
Screenplays use different story-telling techniques than in a book. In a script you don’t know what a character is thinking, it must be shown through actions and dialogue. And you don’t want the dialogue to sound like a monologue of thoughts.
There’s a fine line between the two. One way around that is to use narration throughout the movie, such as in Fight Club or Casino, to give you insight into what a character is thinking. The film Shawshank Redemption is another great example of this.
Ghostwriter Role in Screenplay
If you’re an author who is thinking about adapting your story, you might want to consider hiring a professional to do it. Even though you may be a professional writer, if you’ve never written a screenplay, it can be like starting as a novice.
Most authors believe they must adapt their books themselves to maintain writing credit, but this is where a ghostwriter comes in. They work behind the scenes and adapt your book, giving you full credit for the screenplay. Those who specialize as a script doctor are of high value in the services they can provide.
Whenever possible, you always want to choose a ghostwriter who specializes in your genre and style. As they say, you don’t go to a steakhouse and order lobster.
Discovering a reputable ghostwriter who specializes in adaptations will take some research. You need to check references and writing samples. A phone call is a great way to learn more and to see if you jibe together. An easier way is to use a ghostwriting services company , such as Ghostwriters Central, Inc.
Ghostwriters Central fully vets all ghostwriters and screenwriters. They will recommend the best writer for your project. Some specialize in specific genres and styles, and they will match you with the writer who will write your book-to-film adaptation in a manner that might well sell to a studio or production company.
Final thoughts
Overall, there are many movies adapted from novels that succeeded on a great scale. The publishing industry benefitted as well from adaptations based on their novels, and it has been becoming a trend that will only be going to grow in the future.
