I recently read a script that was adapted from a play by the playwright and, boy, did the script read like a play. And this is a problem. Because a play should read like a play, a script like a script, a book like a book.
It is very important as a writer for you to understand what medium you are writing in. Every medium has its own rules, formats and styles. And just because you are a successful playwright does not mean that you can simply switch mediums without fully understanding that new medium.
A script should have a lot of action and move quickly. Remember, unless you are Woody Allen, most people don’t want to watch two people talking the whole time.
In a play, you can have a lot more character dialogue. In a book, you have the room to really delve into the characters’ backstories that you might not be able to include in a movie script or in a play. If it is a TV script, you need act breaks that leave a cliffhanger at each act break (commercial breaks).
Always know what medium you are writing and who your audience is.
And, if you are successful in one area but not in another, you might want to think about someone else adapting your work. Not only will someone else’s expertise help adapt your work to the best possible version, but, also, sometimes it is helpful to let someone else expand on your ideas and see what else that person can come up with.
For example, we represent several authors who would be happy to let screenwriters adapt their books because these authors know that a skilled screenwriter will make the best version possible of the adapted book.
In short, know your own medium well and be willing to say yes to having someone else adapt your work in a different medium. Who knows? Someone else’s adaption of your work might just be the key to getting that adaptation written and produced.
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