I'm getting ready to start writing down my own adaptation of Paradise Lost by John Milton (on November 1st, All Saints Day, feels appropriate enough. I can be like that artistically speaking). It's going to be two stand alone scripts and the seed has been there since the start of college seven years ago. When I was one or two days away from finishing my second feature back in April, I was already in the process of thinking and very slowly developing another idea I had, but then I remembered about wanting to do Milton and decided I needed a break from making whole stories up from scratch. 6 months of personal creative process later, I'm feeling anxious. I've written numerous shorts and two features. I've been through and overcome all the negative things one experiences while in the process of writing, especially of course doubting yourself. But it never ceases to amaze me how much I still feel the same old things each time before starting. Have I learned nothing from past experiences? I mean I do feel really good instinctively about how I want to do my adaptation, but still feel nervous and daunted at the same time. Frustrating.
Screenwriting : Gearing Up To Write My Next Features (Feel Anxious) by Christopher Binder
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"The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better." - Stephen King. A good creative work should challenge the artist, and every challenge will take new courage to face. Just keep writing and remember why you wanted to in the first place, and eventually you'll get there. Cheers, and happy writing!
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There was a big to-do a while back when a Paradise Lost adaptation was in pre-production, which was eventually halted. I remember reading an article later about it...one of the writers was talking about pitch meetings at studios for the project...and one of the studio execs who evidently wasn't familiar with the poem said in the middle of the pitch, "wait a minute....you mean God is God?" Hilarious stuff.....good luck with your project, Chris. It surely is a massive undertaking, and I can understand your anxieties. To quote from the great poem itself: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” And if you get so fortunate and not only complete the project, but get a big studio to let you produce and direct it....please please please cast Margot Robbie as Eve!
Bill Costantini LOL! Yeah I def remember back in 2012 reading about Legendary canceling Bradly Cooper's version of it. And to be honest, Cooper would have been a pretty fascinating choice to play the big baddie. I am merely writing this adaptation for myself, but at the same time, I will be making it as cinematic as I possibly know how to. Who knows, maybe it will turn out to be the appropriate big screen version we all didn't know we were waiting for.