Plenty of times, writers come up with
an idea for a novel that could translate visually to film. The good news is
that if you want to see your manuscript converted into a screenplay, there are
two different routes that would make an adaptation possible.
Most books that get released by a major
publisher or are repped by an established agency get passed to an agent who
tries to drum up interest in film/TV rights for a project. This makes total
sense. A writer creates a good story, so the obvious goal is to sell it through
every means possible — be that print books, e-books, foreign rights
translations, serial excerpts, audio books, and, yes, movies/TV. If your new
book-to-film agent
(usually brought onboard by your book agent) can generate adaptation interest
from producers, your work gets bought/optioned by Hollywood, and you’re off and
running. This exact thing happened to my humor book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. Sony optioned the book and hired a
screenwriter to adapt the work.
But what if you want to see your work
adapted into a screenplay, but are either indie-publishing it or the work
hasn’t sold yet? The obvious option is to—
ADAPT
IT YOURSELF: 7 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
You can always just take matters into
your own hands and compose the script yourself on spec. But the truth is that
writing a screenplay is a completely different monster than tackling a novel or
memoir. If your finished product doesn’t fit the usual mold of what a
screenplay should look like, then a producer or agent won’t even consider it, and
your time was wasted. So with that in mind, I wanted to lay out several
simple-yet-important tips on how to write a script for any persons considering
adapting their own book into a screenplay. Keeping in mind there is still much more to learn beyond this post,
here are 7 basic pieces of advice to get you started if the concept of
scriptwriting is new to you.
1.
Watch your length.
Just as books have typical word count
ranges, screenplays have length requirements, too — and the recommended length
for a beginner’s screenplay is 90-109 pages. Since each page represents one
minute of screentime, that sets up your movie to be 90-109 minutes. Most
writers go wrong in this arena by trending long.
2.
Screenplays thrive on minimalism.
Always be thinking about how to cut, cut, cut. Screenplays rely on
brevity. When characters have to say something, the best value you can provide
is getting your point across in as few words of dialogue as possible. When you
have to describe a scene or explain that a helicopter explodes, the quicker you
can properly convey such information, the better you are. Give us information
and dialogue in short, quick bursts. A lot of your novel will end up on the
cutting room floor throughout the adaptation — and that’s OK. Plenty of a
novel/memoir content does not translate well visually to the screen, so cutting
out sections or characters or subplots actually will improve your final script.
(If you’re not good at killing your darlings, perhaps screenwriting is not the
best arena for you.)
And speaking of minimalism, it’s your
job to write, not direct. That means you should never include any camera
notes such as “Dolly in” or “Close up.” Avoid these directorial cues on every
page.
3.
Structure is valued (perhaps even to a fault), so read guides on plot &
story.
In the book writing world, you have
some areas where a formula is present and expected — such as what a reader
comes to expect out of a romance novel or a mystery. And on the other hand,
you’ve got literary fiction, where there is no thing as formula. Anything goes.
New screenwriters need to know that
generally, Hollywood is much more former
than latter. They oftentimes look for
a recognizable structure, beats in the right places, an action sequence every X
number of pages, an inciting incident around 12 minutes in, and so on and
forth. If you want to get serious, here are trusted plot/story guides that many
screenwriters swear by:
4.
Invest in some good screenwriting software.
Everyone’s used to writing in Word, so
it’s not uncommon to balk at the thought of spending $200 or more on
screenwriting software such as Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter. But professional
software is the best and only way for your script to look great and have
perfect formatting. Buy it, and take some time to learn the basics of using it
correctly.
5.
Read lots of scripts! (And watch lots of movies, too!)
See how a great story looks on the page
before it gets translated to the screen. For example, if you don’t know how to
format a flashback in your script, find other successful screenplays that did
dealt with similar things and study how those writers handled it.
Plus, once you start reading a bunch of
movie scripts, you’ll learn all about screenwriting in other ways, noting
simple things such as how “cluttered” pages—where there are big blocks of action
text and dialogue text—are difficult to get through, whereas pages with short
bursts of dialogue and sparse narrative create pleasing “white space” on the
page. You’ll start to notice proven ways of introducing characters effectively,
getting a point across quickly, or creating tension right before something bad
happens. Learn by reading — simple as
that. This is probably the most important thing you can do before writing your
screenplay, but also the tip you’re most likely to skip. Why? Because doing
this right—truly researching and reverse-engineering hundreds of stories to
immerse yourself in the craft (i.e., reading scripts and studying movies) will
take months. Most people do not want to put in such time. Those that do will
love these websites:
(Hi, everyone. Chuck here chiming in for a second.
I wanted to say I am now taking clients as a freelance editor. So if
your query or synopsis needs some love, please check out my editing services.
Thanks!)
6.
Think visually.
Screenwriting is the epitome of “show,
don’t tell,” because, unless you have a voiceover narration, you will never be
inside a character’s head. Dialogue is your key tool, and you will use that and
simple action beats to flesh out characters and conflict. Always have your
characters doing something, not
thinking something or rehashing what we already know.
7.
Once you’re ready, register the script and consider your options.
The first thing you need to do when
your script is complete is to register it with the Writer’s Guild of America for a small
price. Following that, there are several options for attracting attention to
your script. (I’m assuming you lack a slew of contacts and friends in the
business who can guide you or pass your script around.) Possible next steps
include the following:
- Enter your script in a contest.
The biggest contests that cost a lot of money and attract thousands of
entrants (such as the Nicholl Fellowship) are watched
closely by agents and producers alike. There are so many entries that even
if your writing were to place in the top 25, it would still be an
accomplishment that garners attention.
- Cold query people who work with
new writers. Simply send your work out. The usual tools are the same as in
the literary world: a one-page query, a one-page synopsis, and a logline.
The tricky thing here is that a lot of screenplay agents don’t make their
contact info widely available like literary agents do, so research can be
difficult. You can search for contact info using the Internet or message
boards or the latest resource directory found on Amazon.
- Consider a manager instead of an agent. In Hollywood, “agents” are
top-tier people who primarily seal deals and negotiate big-time contracts.
Script “managers” act more as one would expect—finding their clients jobs,
guiding them editorially, etc. New writers without contacts would probably
be best aiming for a manager.
- Pitch production companies
directly. I’m not talking about Universal or Disney. I’m talking about
hundreds and hundreds of small production companies—some of which may
specialize in a specific type of story (zombie horror, for example) that
you’re writing. Again, finding contact information is hit & miss, but
some companies may be worth a shot in terms of cold comtacts.
- Attend a pitch fest or
conference. There are several large “pitch fest” events in the Los Angeles
area featuring lots of producers and agents. Most have a high price tag,
but top-tier do manage to gather a large collection of industry pros that
are open to working with new talent. (Disclosure: Writer’s Digest West,
our fall conference in LA, has such a pitch fest.)
- Think local. If your area has a
local filmmaking group that is looking for good material to produce, you
could pass the work on to them. There would probably be little money in
such an independent production, but a much better chance than normal of
actually seeing your writing come to life on film.
Again, recognize that this
is just a post full of first steps for those considering an adaptation of their
own novel or memoir. There is much more to learn. I myself have taken to
reading the website Script Shadow as of late as a helpful
resource. Any websites, guides or tips for amateur screenwriters you want to
share? Leave some helpful info in the comments.
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Check Out These Great Upcoming Writers Conferences:
Other columns by Chuck Sambuchino
-
What to Write in the “Bio” Section of Your Query Letter
-
Why “Keep Moving Forward” is My Best Advice For Writers Everywhere
-
Do You Need Multiple Agents if You Write in Different Genres?
-
How to Write a Novel Synopsis: 5 Tips
-
Building Your Writer Platform—How Much is Enough?
-
Getting Specific: What Literary Agents Want to Get RIGHT NOW
-
15 Questions to Ask a Literary Agent Before You Sign
-
Crafting a Novel’s Pitch: 7 Tips
-
25 Debut Authors Share Advice for Getting Published
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