After years of writing novels and poetry, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to film.
Not because I’ve stopped loving the page, but because some stories seem to demand actors, faces, silence, gesture—and the strange alchemy that happens when a private story becomes a shared visual experience.
I’m a Brown University grad currently adapting my award-winning literary novel for the screen, and have just completed an original feature screenplay -- both of them female-led, character-driven family dramas about women confronting grief, power, and the complicated legacies of family.
It’s been an exhilarating shift: mastering a new form while discovering that many of the things I care about most as a novelist—psychology, voice, family dynamics, emotional ambiguity, and complicated women—are still very much at the center.
I’m particularly interested in connecting with producers and development executives who are drawn to psychologically rich, actor-forward, character-driven film.
After a lifetime of writing literary fiction and poetry, I’m thoroughly enjoying this new turn!
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Hi, Kim Triedman. Welcome to the community. It's great to meet you. Congratulations on your success as a novelist and poet! Congratulations on graduating from Brown University and finishing your feature screenplay! Your novel and screenplay sound interesting.
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Welcome to the community, Kim! Congrats on all your success! Your screenplay sounds intriguing!
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Welcome Kim Triedman ! I hope you'll join us at our upcoming webcasts in the Writers' Room. Sign up for a Free Month of the Writers’ Room: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip
Here’s a great post that will help you navigate Stage 32: https://www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-p...
Here’s a walkthrough Video: https://www.stage32.com/help?category=how-to-navigate-stage&parent=341676
Be sure to stop by the screenwriting lounge and get to know some of your fellow scribes: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting
Free Month of the Writers' Room: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip
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It’s great to meet you, Kim Triedman, welcome to Stage 32! My name is Ashley Smith, and I’m the Head of Community here at Stage 32. So glad you jumped into IYW to introduce yourself!
Your writing about the pull toward film is genuinely beautiful, especially the observation that “some stories seem to demand actors, faces, silence, gesture, and the strange alchemy that happens when a private story becomes a shared visual experience.” That’s such a precise articulation of why writers move between mediums, and it suggests you understand instinctively what makes film different from prose. Writers who make this transition with that kind of clarity tend to bring the best of both worlds to the page. Congratulations on completing the original feature AND actively adapting your novel too! That’s a real double commitment, and the fact that you’re mastering the new form while continuing to honor what you care about most (psychology, voice, family dynamics, emotional ambiguity) shows you understand that craft transitions aren’t about abandoning your voice, they’re about learning new ways to express it. That’s genuinely wise.
A few resources to add to what Laura already shared:
- Be active in the Producing and Authoring Lounges too! In addition to the Screenwriting Lounge Laura mentioned, the Producing Lounge is going to be so valuable for you given your specific goal of connecting with producers and development executives. And the Authoring Lounge will connect you with fellow novelists and poets who understand your literary foundation, which could be genuinely helpful as you continue navigating both the adaptation and your continued literary work. You can find them here: https://www.stage32.com/lounge
- Reach out to our Success Team at Success@Stage32.com to tell them about your novel adaptation, your completed original feature, and your specific goals for connecting with producers and development executives. Given your position (award-winning novelist with active screen adaptation work and a completed original feature, actively seeking psychologically rich producer partnerships), our Success Team is genuinely your strongest first step. They can help connect you with Stage 32 Executives whose expertise aligns with character-driven material and help you strategize the strongest path forward for both projects.
- Register for our next FREE Community Open House on Wednesday, September 23rd at 12pm PT. It’s a wonderful way to get a full overview of everything Stage 32 has to offer and direct access to me to ask any questions about how to make the most of your experience here. Even if you can’t attend live, registering guarantees you the full recording: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-september-2026-comm...
Welcome again, Kim! Rooting for you and the complicated women you’re bringing to the screen.
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Great to have you in the S32 Club Kim Triedman! I have a similar experience of getting into scrceenwriting after a sci-fi novel I tried to write simply didn't go anywhere.
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Adapting your own novel must be an interesting challenge, especially deciding what can be shown rather than explained. Was there anything you thought was essential on the page that you ultimately found the screenplay worked better without?
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Welcome, and it's wonderful to see an award winning novelist and poet moving into screenwriting, because the skills you've developed in psychology and voice will serve you well in a medium that demands those elements be shown rather than told. What's the most surprising thing you've learned about adapting your own novel for the screen that you didn't anticipate?
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Thanks for the comments. Adapting has been a challenge, but in really exciting ways. After years of writing the novel, I know the writing like the back of my hand, I have a good sense of both where I am in the narrative arc at any given point and what specific bits of writing I know absolutely must go into the script. As to your questions, Zoltan and Samantha, the answer is yes! I'm amazed at how much of the backstory can just be stripped away. By focusing on the present-tense through-line and the story engine/time frame, I'm then able to cherry-pick from the backstory and slide bits in other ways, often very efficiently. It' s been a good formula for me, at least so far. Still working through it!
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Ashley Renée Smith Thank you so much for the warm welcome. The screenwriting started very organically, as have all the other creative ventures over the years. And yes - it's just another way to follow the same creative instincts and inclinations I find myself following in other formats. Same voice, different rules. What I love about screenwriting is that it combines both my love of language and my strong visual sense, which has long been part of my life as a mixed-media artist. I couldn't be happier.
You're welcome, Kim Triedman. What's the logline for your screenplay?
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Hey @Kim great to hear from you! What're you working on right now that's got you really excited?
I really enjoyed reading this. Your transition from novels and poetry into film sounds exciting, especially with such a strong focus on character and emotional depth. Wishing you lots of success with both screenplays!