BookCon Part 4 - Making a Book into a Film

There are several measures of success that each writer dreams of happening.  One, of course, is to complete writing a manuscript.  Then there’s getting an agent, publisher and/or self-publishing.  Afterwards is having the book become a bestseller.  Following that is having the book made into a movie.
 
While it’s rare that all these steps happen for most writers, I think it’s interesting to take a peek into the process.  That’s why the final panel I attended at BookCon was “Transforming a Bestseller onto the Silver Screen: The Book to Film Experience.”
 
[When I take notes at an event, I write it out longhand in a notebook, and I must say I'm not always the fastest transcriber around.  I paraphrased the questions/answers that I didn’t manage to write down verbatim, but I tried to stick as closely as possible to what was asked/answered. All questions were asked by the moderator, MJ Franklin, with the exception of the audience questions at the end.]

---

MJ Franklin (moderator), Stephen Chbosky, R.J. Palacio, Nicola Yoon, Lauren Oliver.

R. J. Palacio

The moderator started out with a question to break the ice.
 
Question: What is your guilty pleasure movie?
 
Stephen - The Room.
 
R.J. – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
 
Nicola – Harold and Kumar.
 
Lauren – Dazed and Confused, Love Actually and The Princess Bride.
 
Question: What was your first thought when you heard the news your book was going to be made into a movie?
 
Lauren – “Online shopping!”
 
Nicola – She didn’t believe it at first.  “Then I bought a bottle of champagne.”
 
R.J. – “It was like watching your kid take their first step.”  It’s not one step, it’s a lot of little steps, in the process from book to movie.
 
Question: What happens AFTER you hear your book’s going to be made into a movie?
 
It takes years – one author said 4 years, one said 7+.
 
Question: What’s happening in that 7 years?
 
Lauren – “Well, that’s how long it takes people in Hollywood to read a book.”  [Big laugh from audience.]
 
Lauren – “Once it starts going, it can go really, really fast.”
 
Stephen – “It really is a small miracle [that films get made].  …  There really is no rhyme or reason.  …  It helps to have a fan base.”  More books get made into movies than original screenplays.
 
Nicola – The head of MGM’s daughter loved her book and wanted it to be a movie, so he said, “Okay.”
 
Question: Stephen, you’ve been on all sides of the table.  Do you sleep?  What was it like directing Wonder [R.J. Palacio’s book] and working directly with the author?
 
Stephen – “No” on the sleep question.  He has a 2-year-old and 4-year-old, so he doesn’t sleep at all.  [Got a laugh from the audience.]  As to directing, he worked very closely with Raquel on Wonder.  He asked her help and opinion a lot.
 
Lauren – “So many writers are shut out [by directors].  …  Creative writing is like romance.  …  You’ve got to pick your partner carefully.”
 
Stephen – “The really smart directors – the best directors – it’s not true.”  They don’t shut out the writers.
 
Question: When changing mediums from book to movie – what new opportunities do you see in it?
 
R.J. – “I love the idea of telling a story with as many audial and visual senses as possible.”
 
Question: Does it make you approach writing your next book differently?
 
Nicola – “The thing about writing your second book when your first book is doing well is that you hear everything that they [the readers] love about it and also everything they hate about it – because they will tell you.”
 
Question: What do readers need to know about book/screen differences?
 
Lauren – Scenes are filmed around location, not as a linear story, so filming jumps around in the story.
 
Stephen – Quoted, “Art is a great lie that tells the truth.”
 
Question: What about Easter eggs – what secrets do you put in your movies?
 
​Nicola – She and her family have a cameo in her movie.  It’s 3 seconds in the movie, but it took 45 minutes to film.  It was filmed with a drone and every time, her daughter would point at the drone.  She would tell her daughter, “Honey, don’t point.”  And then the next time the drone flew by – out went the hand.
 
R.J. – Her son is in her movie.
 
Stephen – Lots.  For example, his wife is also a writer, and he had the main character reading her book.

---

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

Question: Because your story is a personal thing to you, how do you know screenwriters won’t ruin it?
 
R.J. – “Blind faith.”
 
Lauren/Nicola – They need to love it as much as you do.
 
Question: How long do you revise before it’s ready?
 
Stephen – “My advice to all young writers … you can recognize great writing before you can do it.”  He asked the questioner how old he was – the man answered, “19.”  Stephen advised that there are 4 steps to being a writer.

1. Write down every idea.
2. Register with the Writers Guild of America East.
3. Share your ideas with 5-10 people who want you to succeed.  No frenemies!
4. Listen.  “Taste is not the same thing as talent.”

 
Question: Do you ever have to step back and not have as much control over your work?
 
Lauren – When you get a letter from your editor, you go through it.  “You have to learn as a writer how to listen, but only to the right people.”  Every time, she goes through the 5 stages of grief.  Rage is a long one for her.  [Got a laugh from the audience.]  It teaches you how to push yourself as a writer because it’s stuff you don’t know how to do.
 
Question: Does seeing a movie make you reenvision your original vision of the book?
 
Nicola – “It’s [a movie is] a new piece of art.”
 
Question: How do you stay objective and how do you stay organized?
 
Stephen – “There is no organization.  It’s just how you apply time.”
 
Nicola – “Writing is a muscle.”  You have to exercise it.
 
Lauren – “Anything you want to do is just work, plus time.”
 
And that was everything I saw at BookCon!  I learned a lot and was lucky enough to attend some really great panels.  Hopefully, some of what these authors have said will be inspiring to others, too.