Interview with Wicked and Wicked: For Good Co-Writer and Executive Producer Dana Fox

In this wide-ranging interview, Dana Fox discusses collaboration, the challenges and joys of adapting from source material, and creating emotional authenticity and thematic depth. 

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SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY: Ep. 539 – From Lawyer To Writer with Vincent Scarsella

Vincent Scarsella talks about his latest produced movie, topics include how aspects of his life feed into his writing, and more.

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Studio Executives are Failing Film Lovers

Making merger deals seems more important than celebrating the history of the cinematic experience and the community it creates.

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Dead Man’s Wire Review

When the System Screws You, Take It to Live TV with a Shotgun

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Tell Me about Yourself, but Make It Scary

If it scares you, chances are it just might scare us, too.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash not only visually and narratively immerses us in the world of Pandora again, it fully services the fans expectations.

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The Secret Agent Review

A Memory That Refuses To Stay Quiet

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Sirāt Review

Hypnotic Descent Into Noise, Sand, and Moral Confusion

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Writing a Family Friendly Script Bundle

Eight OnDemand webinars that provide instruction and advice for screenwriters interested in crafting a screenplay for the whole family to enjoy.

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The post Adapting Wicked From Stage to Screen (From Script) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Adapt a Novel Into a Screenplay)

So, you can imagine my excitement when a book I devoured is turned into an upcoming film or TV show. When a book we loved is interpreted on screen, it reminds us of how individual our experiences are with stories. How a director or screenwriter approaches a story may be different than how I see it in my own mind, but that doesn’t bother me—in fact, I find it encouraging. I’m also not of the mind that an adaptation must (or even should) be a carbon copy of the work off of which it is based—nor do I always think the book is better than the movie. Sometimes, a book I felt tepid about works so well on screen that my relationship with the story evolves for the better. Don’t dismiss film and television and their storytelling strengths.

That being said, I think the best chance you have of enjoying both a book and its adaptation is to read first and with plenty of time before you see the adaptation. Here are six upcoming film and TV series adaptations I’m looking foward to.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

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Format: Film
Coming: September 12, 2025
Synopsis: In a dystopian near-future, America has fallen on hard times. Sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as the Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour day and night, without ever stopping. The winner gets “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—forever
Why I’m Seated:The Long Walk was the first book by Stephen King I ever read. I was a sophomore in high school, and its casual cruelty terrified me and kept me turning the page—and would become a precursor for my love of political and dystopian storytelling.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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Format: Film
Coming: November 7, 2025 to Netflix
Synopsis: Mary Shelley’s timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror
Why I’m Seated: There have been several iterations of Frankenstein over the years to varying degrees of success, but if there’s one contemporary filmmaker who is tailor-made for the job, it’s Guillermo del Toro. His love for monsters is no match for Victor Frankenstein. My only grievance thus far is that it’s on Netflix—I hope I have the chance to see this on the big screen, but time will tell.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

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Format: Netflix Miniseries
Coming: TBD (Currently in production)
Synopsis: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live with their five daughters. Jane, the eldest daughter, falls in love with Charles Bingley, a rich bachelor who moves into a house nearby with his two sisters and friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy is attracted to the second daughter, Elizabeth, but she finds him arrogant and self-centered. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, she refuses. But perhaps there is more to Darcy than meets the eye.
Why I’m Seated: Listen, I know. Do we need another adaptation of Jane Austen’s most-beloved novel? Probably not. Is Jane Austen one of my favorite authors of all time, therefore rendering me incapable of objectivity in this matter? A thousand times yes. The 1995 miniseries and the 2005 film adaptation are on continuous rotation in my house, and I would be very surprised if the new adaptation will mean as much to me as those two already do—no matter, I’ll be tuning in to find out to hear, yet again, Mr. Darcy confess his ardent love for Elizabeth Bennet.

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

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Format: Film
Coming: TBD (Currently in production)
Synopsis: Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor’s warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love
Why I’m Seated: And while we’re on the topic: Recently there’s been a debate over Austen’s Sense and Sensibility in the literary world as not her strongest, and maybe not even the strongest of its time. I disagree. Sense and Sensibility is my favorite of Austen’s books (and was my first of hers to read, and I believe whichever Austen is your first will always be your favorite, even if it’s not technically her best). It’s politically and economically complicated, and it houses her funniest cast of characters. Emma Thompson’s 1995 adaptation is one of my favorite films of all time, and I’ve never dipped my toe into any other version for that reason—but, I’ve decided that I will break my own rules and tune in when the time comes.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

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Format: Film
Coming: December 12, 2025
Synopsis: England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.
Why I’m Seated: Hamnet is, in my view, one of the best books of the 2020s, and one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a masterclass on historical fiction, of combining what we know with what we invent. The trailer for the adaptation was recently released, and if first impressions are anything, then director Chloé Zhao (who also wrote the screenplay alongside O’Farrell) captured the beauty of the language perfectly. This is my most anticipated movie of 2025.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Format: Film
Coming: November 20, 2026
Synopsis: As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight … and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Why I’m Seated: I just can’t quit the Hunger Games series. Suzanne’s sparse and emotional writing style is so effective, you simply can’t look away from the horrors. And Sunrise does something that I think is difficult to pull off: I felt somewhat middling about the previous Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but after reading Sunrise, so much came into focus for me with Ballad that it almost instantly changed my relationship with that book. And so far, the adaptations of these novels have been so spot-on, I hope they’re able to continue the victor-streak. (See what I did there?)

The post Based on the Book: 6 Upcoming Book Adaptations appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Write Lovable Assholes.)

But while they might be fake, they’re absolutely necessary for the work where they appear. If you don’t buy that a single by The Wonders could play on the radio after The Beatles, then the entire foundation of That Thing You Do! crumbles.

When I sat down to write my book Bad Reputation, I faced a dilemma. The premise I had sold to my editor was this: A Hollywood himbo hopes his role on a historical romance series will jump-start his career when he finds himself falling for the show’s new intimacy coordinator.

It sounds good. But if I was going to explore the filming of a fake show, then I had to map out its characters and the plot, as well as the characters and plot of my book. How on earth did I even approach that task?

The first romance novel I encountered that attempted to do this was Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s Again. The female protagonist, Jenny, is the head writer of a Regency-era soap opera called My Lady’s Chamber. She’s dating one of the actors, though their relationship is on the rocks, when Alec joins the cast as the new villain. Jenny and Alec have an immediate spark, but the book takes its time, showing us how they develop their friendship before their romance. Interspersed throughout are snippets of the show’s scripts, and these comment on the main plot in wonderfully indirect ways. The world-building is utterly convincing.

That is also the case for Kennedy Ryan’s Reel. Broadway understudy Neevah is looking for her big break when she’s cast in a biopic about Harlem Renaissance figure Dessi Blue. During filming, Neevah falls for Canon, the movie’s dreamboat director. In reader discussion materials on her website, Ryan writes that she based Blue on real-life performers such as “Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, and Adelaide Hall.” Indeed, when I started reading Reel, I ran to YouTube to watch some clips of Blue. Upon discovering that the singer was fictional and Ryan had invented her, I was in awe of Ryan’s achievement.

Fake media can also add hilarity. My friend Olivia Dade created not simply a television show—Gods of the Gates, inspired by Virgil’s Aeneid—but also movies and fan fiction for her Spoiler Alert series. Her invented media fills out her characters’ resumes and their hard drives and A03 accounts. Oh yes, the series contains dozens of short fanfics, and amazingly, the writing in those is different from Dade’s own narration. It’s hard enough to develop a recognizable authorial voice for yourself, but Dade accomplishes that multiple times in each of the series’ three entries. The mind boggles.

So how was I going to do it? First, I had to figure out what exactly my invented media needed to do inside the structure of Bad Reputation. Because so much of my book’s plot revolved around filming, I wasn’t going to be able to get away with broad strokes. And indeed, what I learned from Seidel, Ryan, and Dade was that I didn’t have to keep things vague, and in fact, if I was detailed, my invented show might be more believable to the reader.

Now you can certainly create a fictional version of something that the reader will recognize. For example, in the Winner Bakes All series, Alexis Hall’s characters appear on Bake Expectations, a competition cooking show that shares some elements with The Great British Bake Off. The interplay between the invented Bake Expectations and the real GBBO was delicious fun for me as a reader. I just about fell off my couch when a character baked a phallic-shaped bread.

In this vein, I knew readers would compare the show within my book to Outlander and Bridgerton, both of which are adaptations. So I decided that my show should be inspired by a classic novel, though I wanted to utilize something in the public domain.

I remembered Walter Scott’s Waverley novels, one of which I had read many years ago. I picked five books from his series and wrote a two- to three-sentence pitch for each season of Waverley, my brand-new invented show. I then selected the book I wanted to focus on in Bad Reputation—I went with The Heart of Midlothian—and I broke it into a nine-episode season. I went so far as to develop several paragraphs of description for each episode.

This level of detail was necessary because I wanted to argue that on-screen steamy scenes can be an important component of characterization and plot. In other words, the characters in Bad Reputation firmly believe that sex on screen can be a vital and cinematic subject. In order to convince the reader of that, I had to understand how and why those steamy scenes were in the script for Waverley.

Needless to say, in doing so, I added some events that aren’t in Scott’s original book. But as I made adaptational choices, I considered how today’s movie and television fashion classic novels into pieces that will be appealing to modern audiences. I ended up with an outline that felt like a passable fake show, and one that was detailed enough for Bad Reputation’s requirements.

By the time I finished writing, Waverley felt real to me. Alas, it remains only in my head (and in summary as a bonus in the back of Bad Reputation). It will have to join the ranks of so many other fake TV shows that we only wish we could binge—which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Check out Emma Barry’s Bad Reputation here:

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The post Faking It: Inventing Fictional Media for Your Novel appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Adapt a Novel Into a Screenplay.)

I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when I was 18. Illegally, because being gay in the military was against the law. A time in our history when out was not in. After my enlistment in the Marine Corps ended, I moved to Hollywood with a story I knew was compelling, but I didn’t yet know how to tell. I wanted to write; I had no idea how. I studied the television medium with the drive instilled in me by the USMC.

After a few years, I found some success writing television. But that one story remained in my luggage, taunting me to unpack it. Was it a movie, a television series, or a book? I thought long and hard about that. Since I’d only written screenplays and had no idea how to write a book, I decided to write a book. Marines are predictable, we run toward danger while eating crayons.

One question—how does one write a book? I’d only written screenplays and was self-taught. The idea of writing a whole book made me think of a plate at Thanksgiving. How could I eat all that? However, if I take small bites, soon the plate is clean. I started a blog. Small bites. Short stories of my adventures in the kitchen, traveling with my Canadian boyfriend, and my time in the Marine Corps. I parlayed the blog content into a spot at Huffington Post and got attention from Food Network. I hosted some cooking shows. I was building my author’s platform while honing my long-form narrative muscles. A book outline formed. Grabbing little bits of time to write morphed into locking myself in my office for a year. When I typed “the end” I cried.

I didn’t know what to do with my manuscript, but I knew how to Google. Soon I was on a Skype session with Jane Friedman. Her advice was invaluable. She illuminated aspects of the publishing world, eventually guiding me toward my editor, Nicole Klungle. At first, the editing process was frustrating, the darlings killed were from my real life and therefore personal. But soon we hit a rhythm. My memoir was ready to sell.

The Pink Marine sold to a traditional publisher. Time with them resulted in my having a heart attack. On book tour. Not to blow the ending, but I survived. The first thing I did was to stop eating red meat and then cancel my book contract. In true, storm the hill Marine Corps fashion, I formed my own publishing company. I also asked for and received a lot of support. I leaned on my rep at Ingram whom I’d befriended over a love of food. A brilliant friend figured out the publishing formatting. My boyfriend created my imprint’s logo in a day and designed my book’s website and cover. Within days, I was back on tour with my book, now re-released under my own imprint. This is a plot point to which I’ll circle back.

During all that drama, a Hollywood producer optioned The Pink Marine for development into a dramedy. It’s hard to write a book, hard to sell a book, and even harder to have that book sold for the screen. The way I saw it was that if I can earn the title of Marine against all odds plus more odds and then extra odds—why not my book’s title earning a sale? I’d like to tell you that my book-to-screen adaptation was smooth sailing. I’d also like to tell you that I still wolf down In-N-Out, but no book-to-screen adaptation is easy, and none are identical.

What is common to all authors is our vital fight for agency in both the business and creative aspects of the adaptation. The studio will offer you the author’s standard 2.5% of modified gross receipts; ask for more. They’ll offer you a fee for each episode; ask for more. Honey, if they offer you a bagel with everything, ask for more. Once the business deal was locked down, the studio hired a showrunner, the person who adapts your book into what the studio wants. I had to trust him to not only honor my story but also create a captivating series. Trust him to honor the most precious parts of my story. FYI, darlings can get killed twice.

Check out Greg Cope White’s The Pink Marine here:

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Learn more at ThePinkMarine.com…

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Once we crafted a show, we pitched the streamers, resulting in a bidding war between Apple and Netflix. Netflix was victorious. We hired the writing staff. Since I’m a screenwriter, I write on the series. As far as what the adapting process looked like, my time in the writer’s room vacillated between longshots of me throwing myself over my book to protect its precious body, and closeups of me gleefully lighting the fuse on the bomb beneath it, blowing up a story point for the good of the show. Our scripts are written, our cast is stellar, and we are in production. I love both the book and its television adaptation. I invite you to watch the series when it is released and in the same breath will always urge viewers to read my memoir on which it’s based. There are details, humor, and dramatic points that might not fit into a one-hour episode. Plus, there’s one mixed metaphor that survived my editor’s sword.

Before you think this all happened overnight, please know that I was 32 when I landed my first TV writing job, 55 when I published my memoir, 57 when I sold my first movie, 58 when I sold the next two, 60 when I sold my memoir to a studio and then to Netflix as a series, 61 when I walked into that writer’s room. I’m 63, currently on set producing.

That circle back I promised: Remember when I lived long enough to publish my book under my own imprint? The Pink Marine is a self-published book. I split the profits with (insert no one’s name).

My book-to-screen trip has been wonderful and awful and gut-punching and mind-blowing and any frustration or disappointment about the process is extinguished by the bucket of gratitude I throw at every single moment.

The post Book-to-Scream: Writing the Book and Adapting It for the Screen appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Using Magic as Metaphor in Fantasy Novels.)

These were the very first stories I was told as a child, “The Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Cinderella,” and more. I hold these stories dear to my heart, and in many ways, they’ve contributed to the fabric of the writer that I am today.

I grew up with stories of glass slippers, magical apples, enchanted mirrors, and helpers and villains lurking in the woods. I imagine too that these are the tales that many others were first told as well, and so there is an aspect of familiarity in reading a fairy tale adaptation or spotting a fairy tale device in a modern-day story.

If am reading or watching a fairy tale adaptation, or even writing one, I know if I stay on the path through the dark wood then I will be safe, that at the end of the journey all will be well. Many fairy tales grant us the promise of a happily ever after, regardless of the monsters that lurk in the world.

And so, I’ve taken great joy at adapting fairy tales, from “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” in Children of Chicago, to celebrating Aesop’s Fables in The Shoemaker’s Magician, and now with Forgotten Sisters, a retelling, in ways, of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” My fairy tales are not direct adaptations, but weave in the elements of the original story with a modern-day narrative, making connections throughout, in order to tell a wholly new story, while recognizing the spirit of the original. 

This is the fun of an adaptation. An adaptation provides us with a life vest to navigate new waters, because we know, in a sense, where we are going; we just need to remain focused on the course to get there.

Following are three things that I learned while writing adaptations.

1. Go back to the original source material 

For example, for Forgotten Sisters, I didn’t rely on the Walt Disney version of “The Little Mermaid” so many of us are familiar with. I went back to the beautiful, yet tragic, Hans Christian Andersen’s version of “The Little Mermaid.” From there, I researched even further back discovering that his version too was an adaptation of much earlier versions of the story. Knowing the story being adapted and its history is important.

2. Honor the spirit of the original work 

By honoring the spirit of the original work I mean looking to the themes and concepts of the piece you are adapting to see if there are similar themes that can be layered into your modern-day adaptation. Additionally, I believe in recognizing within my narratives the creators of the works I am adapting. For example, I will name the authors and I will also summarize the fairy tale I am adapting throughout my novel.

3. Incorporate keys of familiarization 

Throughout my novels I like to incorporate what I consider keys of familiarization. These can be visual cues, quotes, or summaries of the fairy tale I am adapting. It’s not so much as to say within the work, “This is an adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid.'” I need to show the reader how this is an adaption of “The Little Mermaid.” I do this continually throughout the narrative, showcasing elements to remind the reader that we are in a fairy tale and to highlight specifically the fairy tale I am adapting. 

Additionally, I will make connections between these cues, quotes, and summaries to the modern-day story that is unfolding, because ultimately there needs to be a connection between the tale that is being adapted to what is being written today.

And so finally, when adapting a story, ask yourself why it is that you want to adapt a particular tale. Then work through the connections between that original piece and your present-day story so that readers can easily spot how each are connected.

Check out Cynthia Pelayo’s Forgotten Sisters here:

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The post 3 Things I Learned Writing Fairy Tale Adaptations appeared first on Writer's Digest.

On March 22, 23, and, 24, our 10th Annual Mystery & Thriller Virtual Conference will provide expert insights from seven award-winning and bestselling authors on the finer points of how to write within the mystery and thriller genres.

Spend the weekend learning techniques for honing your craft from seven different published authors, then (if you choose) pitch your novel via query letter to a literary agent specifically looking for material in the mystery or thriller genre. The agent will provide you with a personalized critique of your query – and maybe ask to see more. Experience the education, camaraderie, and opportunities provided by a live writing conference without ever having to leave your home!

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If you want more online education, see the full list of WDU courses here.

Listen to the Newest Episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents” Now!

In this episode, WD’s editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down for a chat with Script magazine’s editor-in-chief Sadie Dean about what makes a good adaptation, what makes a bad one, and the times when the adaptation was better than the book.

Agent One-on-One: How to Craft Query Letters & Other Submission Materials That Get Noticed Boot Camp

When your submission materials—a query letter, synopsis, manuscript, or book proposal—arrive in an agent’s inbox, they land among hundreds of others. At that point, one of two things will happen. Either the agent (or the agent’s assistant) will like the submission and request more materials, or they will reply with a rejection.

Attendees will learn how to write a dynamite query letter, tackle a one-page synopsis (for fiction) and a book proposal (for nonfiction). The instructing literary agents will also explain the importance of author platform in addition to basic etiquette in dealing with an agent and manuscript basics.

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Participate in the Final Days of the 2024 February Flash Fiction Challenge!

Write a piece of flash fiction each day of February with the February Flash Fiction Challenge, led by Managing Editor Moriah Richard. Each day, receive a prompt, example story, and write your own.

Click here for the full month of prompts.

The post Write Better Mystery and Thriller at the Mystery and Thriller Virtual Conference appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Author Advice from 2023 for a Better 2024)

Is it being 100 percent faithful to the source material? Is it making necessary updates to literary classics? Is it including the author in the adapting process? In this episode, Writer’s Digest’s editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down for a chat with Script magazine’s editor-in-chief Sadie Dean about what makes a good adaptation, what makes a bad one, and the times when the adaptation was better than the book.

From the Episode

“I saw the film (The Hours) and I loved it so much that after it was over, I drove across the street to the Barnes & Noble, and the book was on a display table right there with Mrs. Dalloway (by Virginia Woolf), and I bought them both, and it literally changed the course of my life. That’s something I didn’t think about with adaptations—it introduced me to a writer that I wasn’t familiar with before, and it made such an impact on my life.”—Amy Jones

“It’s such a different beast in the TV and film landscape, especially in what you’re allotted on the page. With a novel, you get 300 pages, 500 pages. With a screenplay, we max out at 120 pages, and there’s not a lot of text on that page. You’re only given a limited amount of time and space to really tell that story. So, as an author, you know, ‘I really wish that we could explore Jimmy’s arc here.’ Well, Jimmy’s really not that important in my version of telling this story, but we could take Jimmy’s arc and maybe put it into Sally’s arc and combine these characters. So, that’s the kind of thing you just have to be open to. I think it just makes you a better collaborator, and storyteller, too.”—Sadie Dean

“If a book that I loved gets made into a movie that is so good but so different than the book, I don’t care usually. They get to be two separate things for me that I get to enjoy. I think where people get a little bit caught in, ‘They should have never done this, it can’t be as good,’ … these are two different mediums. If [the adaptation] draws people to the book, that’s awesome. I don’t care that it’s different. It’s being adapted.”—Michael Woodson

Where to Listen

Watch the Episode on YouTube

The post How to Adapt a Novel Into a Screenplay appeared first on Writer's Digest.

SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY: Ep 512 – Adapting H.P. Lovecraft, Suitable Flesh, Re-Animator with Dennis Paoli

This week Ashley Scott Meyers talks with screenwriter Dennis Paoli about how he got his start by writing scripts for the legendary Horror Director Stuart Gordon, his most recent film Suitable Flesh, and how it sometimes takes 25 years for a script to get produced, an inspiring story reminding writers not to give up on their stories.

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UNDERSTANDING SCREENWRITING: Drafts, Smirks, and Sequels

Tom’s variety of goodies this time include The Holdovers, The Marvels, American Graffiti, and More American Graffiti.

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Subverting Expectations by Clashing Different Genres: A Conversation with Leave the World Behind Writer-Director Sam Esmail

Sam Esmail spoke with Script about how he always wanted to do a disaster film about a cyberattack and how author Rumaan Alam’s book was the perfect material to adapt. On top of talking about the adaptation process, Sam shares his process of how he tackles building and breaking tension, his collaboration with key department heads, and what emotions he wanted to evoke from the audience heightening visuals and sound.

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Eileen’s “Claustrophobic Misery”: Author Ottessa Moshfegh and Collaborators Talk Bringing Her Controlled Noir to the Screen

Co-writers Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel, and director William Oldroyd share how they brought Eileen to the screen while maintaining a sense of mystery.

Click to continue.

The post Subverting Expectations by Clashing Different Genres (From Script) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

A Kentucky native, Kara earned a degree in biology from the University of Louisville before moving to Los Angeles where she spent several years as a successful film and television actress. She acted and was directed by comedy greats such as Neal Israel on the show Clueless and Amy Sherman-Palladino on The Gilmore Girls. The interaction with Sherman-Palladino inspired her to pursue writing.

Holden enrolled in USC’s Graduate Professional Writing Program where she honed her skills in dramatic writing. There she thrived creatively under the mentorship of the late author and screenwriting teacher/guru Syd Field who served as her thesis advisor. Holden was also taught by show business greats Shelley Berman, Mel Shavelson, Steve Mazur, and Hubert Selby Jr. Before graduation, her one-act play, Take Two, won USC’s Jerome Lawrence Play Festival.

Her other projects include Carrie Pilby, starring Bel Powley, Vanessa Baer, Jason Ritter, Nathan Lane, William Moseley, and Gabriel Byrne; Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life for CBS Films, which starred Lauren Graham, Adam Pally, and Rob Riggle; the adaptation of the novel The Opposite of Love for Anne Hathaway at Fox; Zapped for The Disney Channel, which starred Zendaya; and Soul Surfer, which starred Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Anna-Sophia Robb, by Sony Pictures.

In this post, Holden shares her experience with writing the script for Clouds on Disney+, how she decided what moments of her subject’s life to include in the film, and much more!

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Name: Kara Holden
Agent: David Boxerbaum at Verve/Ryan Cunningham & Robyn Meisinger at Anonymous
Script title: Clouds
Production company: Wayfarer Studios
Release date: October 2020
Genre: Drama
Elevator pitch for the script: Clouds is based on the true story of Zach Sobiech, a 17-year-old musician who discovers how to live life to the fullest when he turns his terminal cancer diagnosis into the inspiration to go after his musical dreams and the courage to pursue the love of his life.
Previous scripts by the writer: Carrie Pilby on Netflix, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life on HULU, Meant to Be

What prompted you to write this script?

When the director Justin Baldoni told me about his friend Zach Sobiech, I had an overwhelming feeling that the world needed to know about his incredible and inspiring story, and I wanted the chance to write about such a special person.

Dead Poet’s Society was a film that really inspired me when I was young, and I have always wanted to be able to write a movie that had that “carpe diem” kind of feel, the kind of movie that makes you want to jump up and go live life to the full the moment the credits begin to roll. Clouds was my chance to make a movie like the ones that have always inspired me, and it really meant a lot to me to be able to write something that truly felt like it could make a difference in the world.

(Script Classics: Adapting to the Adaptation Process)

How long did it take to go from idea to release?

I was hired to write Clouds in May of 2017, and it was released in October of 2020. Since it was based on a true story, the core idea never really changed much during that time, but there were many drafts spent discovering which of Zach’s real-life experiences were important to include in the film and which ones didn’t serve the story for the purposes of a cinematic experience. I ended up combining some events and characters to streamline the story and highlight the theme as cleanly as possible.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the production process for this script?

There was an incredibly moving surprise scene that I got to write during the actual filming that came as a result of working with the actors and the director—we realized that Sammy and Zach got to share a lot of wonderful moments creating art together, but that Amy and Zach didn’t have anything like that.

I pitched the idea that Zach should sing something for Amy to create a dance to, to show how their love inspired them both, and when the director spoke to Fin (the actor who plays Zach) about it, Fin told him that he had actually written a song based on an unfinished melody of Zach’s. It was a full-chills moment and became a very important scene to show how much Zach and Amy loved each other.

(Take Two: How to Adapt a Book Into a Screenplay)

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this script?

I was incredibly surprised at how deeply I tapped into Zach as a character and was quite frankly incredibly humbled to have written many things that I wasn’t even aware of during writing that actually happened in his real life. For example, I wanted to be able to frame the movie from Zach’s point of view because I really wanted him to be the one to “tell” his story throughout the script, and so I came up with the idea that he would actually write a college essay that he initially felt was too hard for him to write…

When I told the director about it to make sure it was okay to fabricate such an essay to help tell the story, he contacted Zach’s mother Laura who told us with amazement that he had actually written such a college essay, and she even sent it to me to be able to use parts of it in the script. There were many such “Zach winks” throughout the writing process, and was surprised with delight every time Zach’s family and friends approved of something I’d written by saying “That is so Zach!”

I was also surprised, given the difficult and quite sad subject matter, at how much joy I found in writing the script. I certainly cried over the keyboard on many occasions—but I was amazed at how often those tears came from a true sense of joy and wonder about the fact that I got to be a part of bringing such a beautiful and inspiring story to the world.

What do you hope your audience will get out of it?

I hope the audience will take Zach’s admonition that “you don’t have to find out you’re dying to start living” to heart. I hope they’ll be inspired to be authentic about whatever pain and struggles they may be enduring knowing that vulnerability fosters connection between us, and that joy and love can and do exist even in the hardest times. Also, if it inspires anyone to read to more of Mary Oliver’s poetry and give more money to cancer research, that would be awesome.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to write the thing that scares you, or for whatever reason you feel you might not be good enough to write… because it will probably be the thing that pushes you most to grow as a writer, and it feels pretty freaking amazing to rise to the occasion after a lot of hard work.

The post Kara Holden: On Adapting a Person’s Life for the Screen appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Welcome, welcome, writers! From fiction to nonfiction, whatever your genre persuasion or writing style—whether you write for the page, the stage, or the screen—the Writer’s Digest podcast is for you.

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Doug Richardson on the show!

Doug cut his teeth writing some pretty awesome movies including Die Hard 2 and Bad Boys, before entering the world of novel writing.

His Lucky Dey books exists between the gutter and the glitter of a morally suspect landscape he calls Luckyland—a.k.a. Los Angeles. He has also adapted several of his novels into screenplays.

Now listen in as Doug and I discuss the process of taking a story from novel-form to the big screen.

This episode of the Writer’s Digest Podcast is brought to you by Writer’s Digest magazine. Do you want to write a book or get published in 2019? Writer’s Digest can help. For almost 100 years, WD has featured practical technique articles, tips and exercises on fiction, nonfiction, poetry and the business side of writing and publishing. Subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine at writersdigest.com/subscribe.

In this episode Doug shares:

• The differences between writing a screenplay vs. writing a novel.
• An inside look at the process of bringing your book to the screen.
• The ups and downs of working with actors.
• How to navigate the sticky situation of being a writer on a movie set.
• Dealing with bad notes and criticisms on your screenplay.

Listen in to hear Doug talk about all these things… and more!

Return to the WD Podcast homepage.

About Doug Richardson

Doug Richardson cut his teeth writing movies like Die Hard 2, Bad Boys, and Hostage. But scratch the surface and discover that he thinks there’s a killer inside all of us.

His Lucky Dey books exist between the gutter and the glitter of a morally suspect landscape he calls Luckyland—a.k.a. Los Angeles—the city of Doug’s birth and where he lives with his wife, two children, three big mutts, and the dead body he’s still semi-convinced is buried in his San Fernando Valley back yard.

Links and resources

• To connect with Doug check out his website at dougrichardson.com.
• Learn even more about how to adapt your book for the big screen from author Howard Kaplan in his interview on DIY MFA Radio.
• Want more insight into the differences of screenwriting and novel writing? There are some DIY MFA interviews that will help. Listen to this episode with author and screenwriter Drew Chapman for insights into writing novels vs. writing for TV and films. And for tips on how to think outside the box and use multiple forms of media to tell your story, check out this interview with author Jay Swanson.

The post The Writer’s Digest Podcast, Episode 12: Writing for the Screen and the Page with Doug Richardson appeared first on Writer's Digest.