For all the authors here, have you ever thought about dabbling in screenwriting? I found this great article that lists the pros and cons of transitioning to screenwriting. I would love to hear your thoughts as well! http://www.filmmaking.net/blog/show_article.asp?id=259
On Writing : Authors Becoming Screenwriters by Amanda Toney
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Wouldn't mind a stab at it
What would be more appealing to you: Writing a screenplay from scratch or adapting your current book into a screenplay?
probably adapting current book
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I did some scriptwriting and wrote the book side by side (at one point). I liked that because the book stays my story, while the script did some morphing on its way to almost getting produced.
I've never written a screen play. I guess I'd need to look at some to start. But I think the book would make a great movie.
I've adapted older, out of print novels into stage plays. I love doing this & these plays are easy to get produced. First place to start: making sure the Estate is OK with your project OR the rights are clear.
Because my screenwriting process is somewhat involved, I often bounce between my short stories and the corresponding script.
Easy when the source material is mine
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Back when I first tried screenwriting, the conventional wisdom was that you shouldn't try to do both. Pick one and stick with it. But I found script/novel writing very compatible and fun. I will admit to getting the itch now and again. Right now just focusing on novels, but I miss the scripts.
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Three years ago I didn't even know what a screenplay looked like, because as an author I never thought to cross over. It wasn't until I came up with an idea for a novel that just felt like it needed to be seen on the big screen. My literary agent said the story wasn't plausible, like A Nightmare on Elm Street is everyday happenings, so I said goodbye to my agent and taught myself the format. Now, three years later, I've started my own business adapting novels into screenplays. It's awesome. Also, that screenplay my agent said wasn't plausible, has now been an official finalist in over ten film festivals. Never let someone tell you that your imagination should have limits!
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Totally agree. More than half my novels wouldn't have happened if I hadn't ignored advice from my then-agent. lol
So very odd that they would want to discourage us from writing something new and exciting. Their loss!
They are definitely 2 different art forms, though the principles of story and plot apply the same to both. My editor is always correcting my screenwriting style in my novel pages and I know I do the same for screenwriters so one really has to be able to switch hats effectively. Personally, I find that screenplays make a great outline for a novel.
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I am an author and I feel personally that writing screenplays would be a skill worth developing. Getting every scene to move the screenplay forward.
I think I will probably need to invest in some training
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My path was to go the opposite way: take an existing public-domain story, hammer out a well-structured, minimalist screenplay, then flesh it out into a proper novel(la). My strength in both crafts is growing immensely, and screenplay and novel both benefit as each is revised! Plus the same basic story has twice the market potential ($£€).