Posts tagged "fall into winter"

The Journey of Turning a Screenplay into a Novel Continues with Help from Authors on Twitter

The Journey of Turning a Screenplay into a Novel Continues with Help from Authors on Twitter

I have received tremendously helpful and practical advice from novel writers using the social media of Twitter. Writing a novel has something I have wanted to do for a long time.

In life some of things we want to do seem to get away from us as time goes by. My feeble excuse for not writing a novel has been I did not know the format.

I think it was fear of the unknown that has screwed with my mind and kept me from saying what the hell and going for it.

My writing comfort zone is short fiction, screenplays and copywriting. Novel writing has been a passion I had not pursued until this year. There was not big bang or earth shattering revelation I experienced.

Like other aspiring novelists and publish book authors I have talked to it kind of just felt like the right time to take action and write a novel.

The story idea for the novel is being taken directly from a screenplay I had written titled “Crazy Love Story” that fell out of film production twice after being green lighted to shoot.

There are so many indie movie producers out there can to relate to a project falling out production. It sucks flat out.

Here I was with a completed screenplay that wasn’t going to be produced. It’s friggin exhausting mentally to pitch to film investors over and over.

Good friend Tim “Timbo” Beachum is a real motivational type of guy. He reads books with positive messages and spreads those around to his friends and family. He’s turned that love for life into speaking gigs to motivate people.

He threw something my way he had read or heard about turning a negative into a positive. To me that was taking on the journey of turning the “Crazy Love Story” screenplay into a novel.

I don’t know all the genres of novels yet, but I would call the novel I’m working on contemporary fiction. I’m working off the finished screenplay and movie synopsis for “Crazy Love Story.”

Original Movie Synopsis for “Crazy Love Story”

Mike Luna earns his living in the brutal game of underground street fights. He’s bankrolled by his criminal brother Benny.

Mike is unbeaten in the game of street fighting and is hungry to break into the MMA. Benny introduces Mike to a connected fight manager with ties to a Russian mobster that operates in North Hollywood, California.

Success comes quickly for Mike after he signs a deal with his new Russian mobster backed fight manager. With his star on the rise he falls hard for ambitious and sexy Japanese fight publicist Kiyoko.

They marry within weeks igniting a toxic relationship. Mike’s fighting career starts to cool. He’s dropped by his fight promoter, money gets tight and Mike starts working odd jobs in construction.

Not satisfied with their new life away from the action his wife Kiyoko gets caught up in the fast lane pushing the limits of his love. Mike knows he has one fight left in him. He just doesn’t know who the opponent is. (© Slice of Americana Films 2012)

The screenplay and movie were going to have some fight scenes, but the toxic love story was going to dominate what was shown on camera.

It wasn’t going to be a fight movie with a love story, but more a hard-hitting love story with some fighting in it.

The novel will be different than the screenplay because the film’s shooting script was written with a strict movie budget in mind. There were creative elements we could not afford to shoot.

Now that “Crazy Love Story” is being adapted into a novel the story can open up with things I wanted to put into the story, but couldn’t because of movie budget restrictions.

Novel writing has already humbled me greatly. I was struggling with the format and stuck in the mud. Three authors from Twitter helped me get out of the mud and write.

George Pappas (@GPWriter) writer, a raconteur, author of erotica fiction novels “Monogamy Sucks”, “Dear Hef” and “Indulgence.”

Everett Powers (@EvPowers) author of “The Mighty T” and “Canals.”

Both of these published novel writers shared with me to not sweat the format so much. The novel formatting would come later.

The first thing to do is get a raw rough draft of your story done first. Let words hit the page and then go back to edit and format.

I learned from Eden Baylee (@edenbaylee) author of literary erotica and bestselling novel, “Fall Into Winter” by reading some of her work on her blog.

I was having trouble how to write dialogue in a novel format and saw how smooth Eden did it, so decided to follow her example.

I have a long way to go to finish my first novel. I am hoping that some of things I’ve learned writing, directing and producing movies will help my journey as an aspiring novelist.

I can say I am having a great deal of creative satisfaction working on a novel. It feels good to be able to write a story without movie budget in mind.

I’m going to be honest it’s not all puppies dogs and ice cream. It’s tough creative work where you’re alone with your own thoughts for hours on end. There are times writer’s block kicks in or what you’re writing is crap. Fight through it!

If you’re an aspiring novelist who has never written one it’s great to be able to use social media to connect with novelists that are open to sharing a couple of novel writing tips with you.

I’m in the dark about novel writing software and if it is helpful. I know I can’t a screenplay without using Final Draft. But the few novel writers I do know mostly write using WORD.

But going back to what authors George Pappas and Everett Powers told me. Get your story down first then worry about the ins and outs of formatting and editing. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE TO BLACK