Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Did you ever wonder how easy or hard it would be to make a movie from your book? What do you think the budget would have to be to do it right? How long do you think it might take? When you were writing your book did you ever think of the movie that might be adapted from your book one day? What do you think would be different or what do you think the movie maker would have to change about your story to make the movie work? Do you want a movie that is exactly the same as your book? What do you think the rating might be? How involved do you want to be with the movie maker in the making of the movie adapted from your book? Does the idea of making a movie from your book even appeal to you or would you rather have a TV or Cable series like GAME OF THRONES? Do you imagine a grand spectacle like the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, or something more down to Earth like LORD OF THE FLIES?

I have thought about it turning into a movie. Budget-Pshh I have no idea. I would assume 3 months to make maybe longer. I would love to be involved with casting because the characters are so important to me. I made them and I am still developing them as we speak in part 2 of my book. I would love for this to be a big deal but right now I am happy that its laid out in a book and hopefully it keeps growing with love and support.

I'm actually in the middle of doing it right now with filming due to commence in July of this year! Trust me, it's hard.

The initial idea was to remain faithful to the novel but following meetings just last night, it appears the plot of my script is going to be very different from the book. Primarily because it actually adds to the all important cinematic aspect.

Indeed, of all the things I've had to do, I'd say leaving the book alone has proved to be the hardest!

Lucky Dougie! You go!

Jennifer wrote: "Lucky Dougie! You go!"

Thank you Jennifer. It's proving to be quite an exciting ride!

Hot cowboys in a movie? Bring it on!!! ;)

I'm not interested in producing it myself, but I'm completely willing to talk if someone wants to buy the rights.

I would see my novel the After/Life as a movie that could be filmed on a very limited budget and on a tight time frame. As most of the book takes place in an enclosed space, it would make it that much easier to do the filming but the director would have to pass the sense of claustrophobia and the pressing environment in which the new society is being built. The movie would be rated PG-13 as most of the violence can be toned down and the core of the story is not the violence, it is about staying human. The actors would be profoundly important, especially the lead or I should say the leads as the novel covers almost twenty two years of the protagonist's life and it would be important to have a different actor playing Nad in different stages of his life with the last actor also being ready to carry on the role into the future installments of the series. Another profoundly important character is Suzannah, the love interest and basically the moving force behind some of the key events in the novel. The importance of the character is that she would not have that much screen time but has to make a suitable impression, an impression of a woman for whom our hero should be ready for anything - a post apocalyptic femme fatale in a way.

When I write, I see the story as a movie. I visualize camera angles and special effects. I watch the actors bring the characters to life. In an action sequence, I can feel my heart rate increase as I write it. I can hear the explosions, feel the rush of air, and feel the low rumble of a passing mothership.

A few of my readers have said that they had a "movie" experience when reading the book. They said they would love to see it on the screen. I'm humbled by the suggestion.

It won't happen, of course. Writing a book is a solitary act. Making a movie is a collaborative, cooperative effort. As an author, I know where the story is going. I know the characters intimately. Making a movie is like storytelling by committee. Not everyone has a common understanding of the story or the characters. Everyone involved puts their own spin on it.

I have seriously considered writing a screenplay from my book "Solitary Desire" - has anyone had experience in using the software to do this and/or some advice before investing money/time/energy in doing this? Merci.

I haven't really thought about making a movie from my book, but since most of the settings are rather earth like, I wouldn't imagine it would be too difficult. With the way CGI is going these days, I expect even the couple of space scenes wouldn't be too difficult.

Much as I'd like to say that I'd love it to be exactly like the book, I know movies are different, and things would have to be changed to turn a good book into a good movie. So long as the book stayed true to the characters and the general story, I'd be happy.

When I write, I imagine the way my characters would be in movies:

The character Red from my upcoming novel Puppets - I envisioned James Purefoy playing his part while writing the dialogue because of his brilliant acting in "The Following."

I imagined Liam Hemsworth as The Puppeteer/Sal Atrosphocy/Rob and his brother Chris Hemsworth as Lars Atrosphocy.

I imagined White to be played by Nicole Kidman, because she is amazing at playing the parts of ruthless characters.

For Elloner, I would imagine the part played by someone like Christian Bale.

Finally, for Jordy, I would want an unknown actor... someone with potential.

That's it for the main characters, but for the side characters, I had cast (in my head):

Scarlett - Emma Stone
Prof. Black - Harrison Ford
Parson Plum - Matt Smith

Shadow Rebel Leader - Jim Sturgess
The Rebel's Lover - Halle Berry

I've written a screenplay for my novel, Cigarette, and it's out doing the rounds. Heard some news, neither good or bad, which is great in itself suppose. It's exciting but it's a waiting game too, and I'm trying not to get carried away with any of it.

Jason: How long did it take you to write the screenplay and what software did you use to do it? Thanks for sharing any information - I am considering doing it also. Best of luck to you!