hello from sunny san diego

[WriteNow]

Hey shawnr-

You got the blessing and the curse of having a novel to work off of. You've got the double blessing and curse of it being your own.

Just remember- most books are hacked to bits in order to make screenplays out of them. It's just the way it is, nothing you can do about it. You can't film a book.

Just for fun, take the favorite chapter of your book- and get rid of it. Leave it out of the screenplay/treatment. Sucks, doesn't it? But does it work? Is the plot flowing still? My guess is it's probably flowing faster.

The thing with books is the best parts are often inconsequential to the plot. And when you've only got room for half of the story to begin with, those little extras have to go.

For example- in The Aviator Martin Scorcese didn't have time to set up Howard Hughes fragile mental state that would lead to a nervous breakdown. So instead of detailing his numerous doctor visits, therapy sessions, drug abuse, and various signs of stress he just gave him one notable characteristic- repeating his words over and over- that made it clear he was descending into madness. What could have taken pages and pages was accomplished with a few short lines.

Something to keep in mind. But hey, there are no rules, just guidelines. In the end- if it works, it works.