Adapting a screenplay

[egproductions]

I might get booed because I don't spend much time in the this part of the forum but I am looking for some quick tips that might come to mind before I start adapting a novel to a screenplay. I'm not even sure which one yet, however, I do know that I will likely use one of my great aunts books (she was a famous writer in Hungary and her work is still famous over there).

I want to stay as true to the story as possible but still write it well for the screen. What is the consensus...is adapting a screenplay easier or harder than writing one from scratch?

 

[Batutta]

It depends on the book, really. If it is a book that is heavy on interior monologue and short on incident you might have a difficult time of adapting it. Charlie Kaufman had that problem adapting The Orchid Thief and realized there was more drama in him trying to adapt it, resulting in Adaptation. The biggest sin is in trying to be TOO faithful. Just try and find the movie in the material and stay true to the spirit of its story, rather than being a slave to it. Also, book dialogue and movie dialogue are different. Novels have the benefit of hearing characters thoughts, so the dialogue, if you transpose it directly to a screenplay, might not fully indicate the subtext of the scene.