Adapting for the Screen
How to turn novels into scripts and vice versa.
If you are reading this, you probably have a book, comic, short story, or even, a poem that you would like to adapt for a screenplay. Whether the script is for the screen or stage, adapting stories for multiple platforms is an incredible way to broaden your reach as a storyteller. Writing a story is a creative feat worth pursuing. Once you have an idea for a story, the next step is figuring out how to tell your story in the best way possible.
I started writing with a passion for telling imaginative stories while being enthusiastic about photography from a very young age. The moment I figured out how to film with a camera, I wrote short stories to be filmed. As I got older, I began to write short stories, novels, and scripts. It didn’t take very long to realize just how difficult it can be to write with the limitations of what is producible on a filmmaking standpoint.
During my last year of college as a film and television production major, I took a screenwriting class to learn about how to adapt for the screen. Not only did it inspire many amazing scripts, but it also taught me a lot and gave me more writing skills. I’m currently taking one of my original novels and writing a screenplay of it! Adaptation is an amazing way to tell stories in various ways while broadening story structure and advancing the creative process.
How to adapt your novel for the screen
Plan
Figure out what mediums you are working with. Are you planning to adapt a novel, comic, poem, or another type of writing? For the sake of this example, I’m using a novel to be adapted into a script. I personally took my own novel, which I own the rights to, to turn into a full feature-length screenplay.
Get the rights
Make sure you own the rights to adapt! If you are adapting your novel, that is the easiest way to go. If you plan on adapting another novel that is not public domain, reach out to the author and make sure you get their permission. If your script is for non-commercial purposes, or a school project, it shouldn’t be too complicated to get permission. Most authors love the idea of turning their books into a movie or television show! Just make sure another screenwriter, filmmaker, or studio already owns the rights.
Find the essentials
Map out the story. There are many details written into books that may not fit the budget or access a film would have. Focus on the story through the characters and their emotions. I like writing an outline of the plot from the book and then translating over everything that fits into the restrictions of filmmaking. What can and cannot be produced? For the book details that have to be left out, what can be added in its place to keep the narrative together? Since I was using my own novel as the primary source, I really had to cut and re-arrange the story in a way that was more visually entertaining. My characters got better depth and the descriptions became more detailed.
Chapter by chapter, scene by scene
After outlining, write the story. Keep your scenes as simplified and to the point as possible. Add visuals! Novel writing is very detailed but for films, those details have to be seen visually. (Show, don’t tell!) Get actors to read it out loud. This is a great time to discover what works and what does not. Once you have a script together, speak to filmmakers and fans of the original book for their opinions. Feedback is amazing!
Also, you should watch and read everything! I believe that it’s better to read the book/comic/original text before watching the film/television adaptation.
Once I got an edited, full-lengthed screenplay, I was able to package it with additional materials like the original novel, the storyworld bible, ideal production details and previous work to then present onto distributors, directors, and producers. Of course, having a screenplay in itself is a major accomplishment and definitely one worth achieving!
I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors.
