On Writing : The books are done, now the screenplay by Wayne Turmel

Don't do anything until books start to sell big time...if not, new idea, scratch on, this time for film...anything else is a waste of time...

It can be a good exercise in how to adapt novels to the screen, Wayne Turmel. As a selling or pitching point the novels themselves won't be helpful without a built in audience.

I agree with Ty Strange ... definitely a good way to learn the art of adaptation, though my own personal preference would be to practice adapting someone else's novel if it's your first go at adaptation.

Interesting preference, Jonathan Jordan.What are some of the advantages in adapting another's work as a training exercise?

There are definitely differences. I wrote novel first, then scripts. Biggest thing is you only want to write the action and vital parts. Show, don't tell. With novels, you describe everything to set up that story, but scripts, you show the action. Ex: TELLING/novel: Jamie went to the store to talk to Bobby. She hasn't seen him for two years since they broke up. She asked him how he was doing. He said he got married and now has a son. Jamie is saddened and leaves quickly. SHOWING. Jamie went to the store to talk to Bobby. Jamie orders a latte and notices the ring on his finger. Behind him is a picture of him, a woman and baby. Jamie- Bobby, how you been? Bobby - doing well, how about you? Jamie nods, grabs latte and leaves quickly. Bobby - bye Jamie he whispers. Bobby greets the next couple but glances out the window.

They are both visual but different. In the second one, we can feel the emotion better with she sees the picture and ring, rather than him telling her. Hopes this helps.

Regina Wills is right, you're writing actions and need to show a character's emotions through their actions, i.e. are they skittish, clumsy, etc. It's still good to include directions and descriptors that set the mood at the beginning of a scene, but no more than a line or two.

Regina Wills wrote a good example. It will get more difficult when a lot of the story is in the mind of the character. Then you may have to change the story a lot to play out all the thoughts. This is tricky when the character has a lot of memories, then you have to watch out for too many flashbacks (where the viewer might lose track of the story).

Great point, Jai Cullen. It's much easier to be objective and critical of someone else's work than your own; a way to hone such skills before applying them to your own work.

Hi Wayne Turmel - so great that you've written six novels! Super impressive! I recommend this Stage 32 webinar on how to adapt books into film or TV shows. Here's a link so you can check it out: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-to-Adapt-a-Novel-Into-a-Film-or-Series

I've heard so many people talk about this over the years - adapting a novel to a screenplay or adapting a screenplay to a novel. The reality is, they are two very different genres of writing. The needs of one do not match the needs of the other. It can be done, of course, but there is a reason why so few novelists end up with the screenwriting credit on their own work. It's similar to why hard-core fans of a novel seldom like the screen adaptation. I mean, Stephen King didn't like Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. But Kubrick did a brilliant job (a point I can defend if need be). King's novel is great and Kubrick's screenplay is great, but their individual processes and objectives are different. It's like writing a song about a lasagna recipe. You can write the song, but it won't translate into an edible lasagna.

Most of the best writers I know write a screenplay when a screenplay is the best medium for telling the particular story they want to tell and they write a novel when the novel form is a better medium.

If you haven't been paid by a production company to adapt your novel into a screenplay, then don't waste your time. Move on to your next story and write what best suits that story.

If you have been hired to adapt your own novel, then I have tips for that. So, let me know and I'll share those with you.

Congrats for completing your novels. As most have said, the adaptation of books to screenplay are very different. I recently adapted a book into a screenplay, and it took me a while and I worked with several people to get it where I wanted the story to be. I had also adapted my own books into screenplays and now I realize where my mistakes were. I will go back to my adapting my books next year. What I learned in the process is that a book can cover years and multiple characters, in screenplays you have to focus on a few characters and extract main part of the story from the book to focus on. Others could have different opinions.

Funny enough, I'm currently nearing the end of adapting a screenplay I wrote to a novel. I've yet to try the reverse.