Adaptations

It’s a dream of many authors to see their novels brought to life on the big screen, but writing screenplays is very different from writing books. Numerous nuances and formatting of a script can create a learning curve for writers who have only written in a traditional Word format.

When writing a scene in a book there is plenty of leeway with the amount of detail that can be used throughout a chapter and from chapter to chapter. When writing for the screen detail is limited instead of dialogue. A script is a lot more show than tell.

Another difference between a book and a screenplay is the limited space. A book can be 150 pages to 400 pages and beyond, whereas a screenplay is typically limited to no more than two hours with the sweet spot being ninety minutes, which usually works out to about 90 pages. Because of these limitations, the writer must use that space strategically.

Adapting a book to a screenplay requires a special skill set for which you might want to hire a professional or service company. Adapting stories has been around since the beginning of film and television, with the availability of many great literary works throughout history. Adaptations are tricky because they can give you more freedom in one way but limit you in another. We already talked about the limitation of space, but another limitation is being able to show what the character is thinking or their back story as depicted in the book. This is the reason why some moviegoers prefer the book over the movie.

Take the movie JAWS for example. It was adapted from Peter Benchley’s novel and is a perfect example of an adaptation done extremely well. It was able to show the fear that Chief Brody felt as a non-swimmer forced to confront a giant killer shark in the middle of the ocean. There were many parts of the book that were left out or changed, but this film is regarded as being the first blockbuster in film history.

So how do you adapt a book? You can try it yourself, but if you want to have a professional product, it’s best to hire a skilled writer who specializes in adaptations. Many authors try to go it alone because they want sole writing credit, but there’s a way to have your cake and eat it too.

Hire a ghostwriter. Or more specifically, a ghostwriter who specializes in writing screenplays.

That person will adapt your story, rewriting it for the screen so that it fits all the criteria of what is expected in the industry. A ghostwriter is in essence an invisible professional who works behind the scenes while not taking writing credit, unless you offer it.

The owner of Pronto Screenwriting Services is Michael McKown, and he heads up a team of exceptional screenwriters and script doctors. These writers are under contract because they possess exceptional skills and the mandatory client-service attitude.

You and the writer will have direct access to each other without the hassle of dealing with so-called freelancer websites where all communications must go through the freelancer website. That is no way to work with a writer!