The Screenwriter Turned Novelist

by Ernessa T. Carter

I find it particularly funny that we're talking about Hollywood this cycle, because I live in Los Angeles. A little over seven years ago, I came out here with plans to become a screenwriter. I had even spent two years getting a hard won MFA in Dramatic Writing with the intention of eventually becoming a screenwriter.

"So what happened?" you ask. Good question. Well,  have you ever really, really thought that you wanted a particular job, only to find out that your personality and work ethic isn't particularly well-suited to that job?

I don't like to network. I don't like to talk about my writing with someone who hasn't actually read my writing. I don't like to work hard on things that might never be seen by other people. I love receiving feedback -- from a few people. Feedback from a ton of people gets on my nerves. Being told what to do by the talent makes my head explode. I have a good personality, but I don't want to depend on it to get a job.

Warning flags should have gone up in my head the summer before my second year of grad school when I read two stories fairly close together in which my two favorite head writers at the time, Alan Ball and Joss Whedon told horror stories about being staffed on shows where the talent was in charge (Grace Under Fire and Roseanne respectively). I remember thinking  that I could never deal with being mistreated by "a star."

I found out later that I was right. Hollywood has a reputation for being ego driven, but I've never in my life met so many people who are okay with being tyrannized by stars, producers, directors, and other big personalities. If you are really talented, have a small ego, and are okay with being told what to do, then you should come out to Hollywood. You could make a lot of money out here.

If you are like me, someone who likes people well enough, but prefers to work alone, and really, really doesn't like to be bossed around, then maybe you should be a novel writer. So I made the switch, which wasn't particularly difficult, because before I started writing my first novel, my attempts at a screenwriting career had tapered off to entering one or two prestigious screenwriting contests every year.

I love being a novelist. I like working with a small team. And I really love not having to depend on my personality to sell my writing -- to sell books yes -- but to sell my writing itself, no. And I love, love, love being my own damn boss.

But strangely enough, working in Hollywood first made it way easier to navigate the literary world. Some writers complain about editor and agent notes. I'm just ecstatic that I'm only getting notes from two really well-qualified people. No one yells at me in the literary world. I never get in trouble with the boss. I don't have to deal with the talent if I don't want to. In many ways I am the talent, except I don't have to wear makeup, be on 24/7 or stay on a diet to keep my job. My editor will never make me take a note or ask me to go on a coffee run. My publisher can refuse to buy my next book, but they can never ever fire me. Living without the fear of getting fired is just the best. I really don't think writers appreciate that enough.

So yes, I'm am Team Novelist all day. But I'll admit that every so once in a while, I read a great book, and I can't help myself: I start turning it into a screenplay in my head. I think about how to make the novel's interior passages visual, what plot points to cut out, and who would play who. Then I remember, "Wait, Ernessa, you're not a wannabe screenwriter anymore. Stop that." I get the feeling that though I've quit screenwriting, screenwriting hasn't necessarily quit me. But we'll see.

How about you guys? Have you ever had a dream job that you really thought you wanted, but then it turned out that you weren't a good match? Sound off in the comments!

In addition to running FierceandNerdy.com, Ernessa T. Carter is the author of 32 CANDLES, which is totally worth picking up at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com

Flickr image credit: Profound Whatever 

Your honest opinion?

By Ellen Meister

In the past year, I've posted a lot of book recommendations, either in tweets, Facebook status updates or even actual reviews. Yet I've never posted a single negative critique.

So what's the deal? Do I really love every book I read?

Hell, no.

Then are my recommendations dishonest?

Absolutely not.

The fact is, I'll only go public with my opinion when I really love a book. When I read a terrible novel, I might bitch to friends about it, but I'll never post my thoughts in a public forum. Here's why:

1. The market for fiction is so tough to begin with that I'm loathe to do anything that might hurt anyone's sales. On the other hand, if I love a book, I'm delighted to give it a boost.

2. I've had bad reviews and I know how awful and personal it feels. I want nothing to do with causing anyone that kind of pain.

3. Karma.

Now, I understand the argument for why we need negative reviews. Without them, the positive ones would have no impact. But when it comes to criticism, there's a problem inherent in our medium--reviewers are, by definition, writers. So it's not always easy to tell if the criticism is tinged with negative influences separate from the work itself.

What about you? Do you post negative reviews--on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, etc.--when you dislike a book? Why or why not?

~~~~
Only slightly off-topic: I love books, I worship authors

I have no visuals to go with this blog entry, so here's a little photo album of me posing with my heroes ...

My Cover Story: Great, Good, Bad and Butt-Ugly

By Karin Gillespie

When I got my very first cover (to the left) I knew something wasn’t quite right. Then, when I started doing book signings, several people asked me if I’d written a book on gambling. I guess the cash register looked like a slot machine. Turned out the cover didn’t convey anything about the book. I call it my Thing cover because it reminds me of Thing on the "Adam’s Family."

The paperback was re-redesigned (below). Whenever you get a re-designed paperback it’s because everyone agrees that your hardcover cover sucked.

For the second book in the series, this was the first proposed cover.(above) I liked the dog because I think dogs on covers sell (if the dog is cute). But the dog is too small and the grandmother looks like her face is caving in.After it was rejected by my agent, I actually got some input. I said, “Why not have the girls wearing sunglasses and reading tabloids?” And voila, my wish was their command. (below) Incidentally it was the bestselling book of the series.

Then came cover three in the series. I initially thought it was cute, but now I realize that most people probably wouldn’t want to be seen reading a book with old women doing the bunny hop. (There is no bunny hop scene in the book.)

All of my large-print covers were unattractive but this one... Let's just say a picture is worth a thousand words and "butt-ugly" are two of them.(below)

Earthly Pleasures was my favorite cover. It takes place in heaven and I love the look of it.

Clickworthy Links

In addition to covers this cycle we’re also talking about Hollywood and I’ve got two fun links. One features a whole series of articles on Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Alexandra Sokoloff. If you’re an outliner or wish you were an outliner, this is the link for you.

Also the following link is courtesy of Ellen Meister’s blog, her agent writes about what properties are hot in Hollywood.

Roam-ants

Believe it or not, I’ve been asked-- and contracted-- to write four paranormal romances.  (One- one thousand, two- one thousand….okay, time’s up. You can stop laughing now. :()

Writing about the paranormal comes easily to me, of course, as all of my stand-alones contain the supernatural and/or paranormal in one way or another. But the romance part of this writing gig . . . well, for those of you who know me, no further explanation is needed. For those of you who don’t, think GI Jane cast as Juliet in Shakespeare’s infamous play.  If you can’t quite wrap your brain around that scenario, let me give you a hint. The dialogue would go something like….

“Hey, Romeo! Yo, Romeo . . . where the hell you at?”

Unfortunately, I rarely, if ever, get swept away by the type of romance most women seem to enjoy. I mean if a guy sends me flowers and candy, I’m appropriately impressed and appreciative, but to tell you the truth, it makes me a little antsy. Stupid and irrational I know, but it’s like an automatic reflex. Flowers and candy might mean the guy now expects me to start acting like…a real girl. You know, the whole painted fingernails and fancy dress thing? Now don’t get me wrong.  I don’t have anything against women who paint their fingernails and wear fancy dresses. I just ain’t one of them. I’m more of a jeans, t-shirt, and boots kind of girl. Sure, I enjoy candlelit dinners and late night strolls on a beach, but I consider those things lagniappe where romance is concerned.  What’s romantic to me is being with a guy whose interests are similar to mine. A man with a fast wit, keen intellect, and one who’s just as comfortable skipping rocks across a lake with me as he is strolling along its shore, talking about the secrets of the universe.

Anyway, as I’m sure you’ve probably surmised by now, tuning into a ‘normal’ romance is a bit of a challenge for me.  Although I’m sure not all women define romance in the same way, I wanted the romantic elements of my stories to ring true to the reader, so I asked my daughters and sister for advice on the matter. All four looked at me like I’d grown an extra nose, then started laughing so hard they doubled over. Geez!

Despite the teasing of my beloved sibling and offspring, I’m truly having a fabulous time writing these books.  The first one, The Wolven, is scheduled to be released November 28, 2010. (Hop on over to my website if you have a moment and check out the book trailer—www.deborahleblanc.com) Of course I have my fingers crossed and will be holding my breath until the reviews start coming in, hoping I don’t get laughed out of the genre!

Either way, there is some comfort in knowing I can always fall back on my Shakespearian tour de force. . .

“Yo, Romeo, get your butt over here so we can regroup!”

Take care, y’all J

deb

Movies

As you may or may not know about me, I write historical romance and paranormal romance. And yes, I adore the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth all the way! I own at least one DVD version of every Jane Austen novel to movie.

But my favorite kind of movie? Ever in the whole world?

Martial Arts. Oh my gosh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE martial arts movies. When my son was little we embarked on a mission to see every movie Jackie Chan and Jet Li ever made. Because, seriously, I would totally marry Jet Li and have his babies. (I mean that in a completely virtual sense, by the way.) I did preview a few of the movies before I watched them with my son, but really, a movie challenge like allowed me to observe that over time movie ratings mean just about nothing. Movies today are far more violent. (Thank you Reservoir Dogs, which I think started the bloody violence we see in movies. I happen to have very much liked Reservoir Dogs, by the way.) Movies in the past, believe it or not, were far more casual about naked women and much less violent, excluding Wes Craven and his ilk. (I love a good zombie movie, too!)

I was quite surprised when a pretty ridiculous Jackie Chan movie from the early 80's contained a LOT of female nudity. This was a Western produced movie by way. (No wonder Chan started doing his own movies.) Completely gratuitous. I think every time Chan wasn't fighting they were afraid the movie would be boring, so they'd say hey! Time for a naked woman! And some shirtless woman would show up for reasons I still can't figure out. There was no sex. Just naked women. There. For, well, whatever. Look! Boobs!

While I don't think my son and I managed to see ALL the movies by these two actors, we came darn close. I recommend Chan's Shaolin Wooden Men. It's not easy to find, but Chan is very very young in this movie and despite the lack of plot, there's a lot of martial arts training that will make your muscles hurt just from watching. Impressive.

When Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came out, American audiences for the most part thought they were seeing a first for magical Kung Fu moves. The movie deserved the acclaim, of course, but in that sense it wasn't ground breaking. There are many many movies that involve the magical properties believed to be gained by Kung Fu masters. Just about all the movies set in the Chinese historical past call on the supernatural gifts of these fighters. I love all those movies, too. I'm a sucker for men in Chinese robes.

One of the best of these is Chan's Legend of the Drunken Master. It's hilariously funny for one thing. Chan at his best. Many martial arts movies, and I am speaking in the main about movies made in Hong Kong and NOT for the American market, feature amazingly strong women who are also Kung Fu masters. I was impressed and thrilled to watch the women kick butt and glad that my son was seeing these role models.  Heck yeah! Drunken Master is an excellent example of this, by the way. The grandmother will have you in stitches -- and she's no slouch at fighting. I have to think hard to find a genre of American movies of the same period (1980s through the 1990s) that feature such consistently strong and independent women who were in no way inferior to the men EVEN WITH their lives lived in the female sphere. Check it out.

I've hardly touched on my love for Jet Li. <3 <3 <3. Tip: If you're going to watch a martial arts movie that wasn't specifically made for Hollywood, make sure you get the Hong Kong version and NOT the version released to the West because, I am sorry to tell you, that the Western versions have almost always been horribly edited. The best example of this is Jet Li's Contract Killer. The Western version has so many scenes cut that it actually doesn't make sense and some of the best fight scenes are shorter and don't even include the best work. Worse, the Western version (which is badly dubbed) includes dialog for an Indian character that is, frankly, offensive and racist. This does not appear in the Hong Kong version.

Another great example is Li's The Defender (US version) and Bodyguard from Beijing (Hong Kong version). These are the same movie, but the Hong Kong version makes more sense and includes longer and better fight scenes. It's also highly romantic. ::sigh::

Li's Romeo Must Die is a movie made for Hollywood with fighting that is beyond awesome because of Li's athleticism and the profoundly well done underdog element. Plus it has Russel Wong in it and you can't go wrong there. You could make an interesting comparison to Beowulf since the movie includes a flashback scene of Li and his fictional brother swimming/floating from China to Hong Kong. Beowulf, if you've read the entire poem, left his home via the ocean . . . It's not a perfect parallel, but many of the elements that make Beowulf exciting appear in lots of martial arts movies.

I could literally keep going on this subject but I won't. Instead, I will leave you to discuss the awesomeness of Jet Li in the comments. If you haven't seen a martial arts movie before, why not? If you have, which one(s) and what did you think? I will send a copy of Bodyguard From Beijing to one lucky, random commenter.

My Name in Lights!

Okay, so I have an almost true Hollywood story as well. The 'almost' refers to the fact that the Hollywood ending never really happened, not that my tale isn't true.

The truth is, my second book was optioned by an independent filmmaker. But my second book is a memoir. The title alone, Kinky Gazpacho, got me a lot of interest from movie folk -- both Hollywood and Indie -- but the fact that the story is about a little Black girl from Wisconsin who sets her sights on a life of adventure and romance in Spain confused most of them. I don't blame them entirely. My own parents were confused as to why I thought Spain would be the perfect place to find myself. "What's wrong with Milwaukee," they wanted to know ( as they bit into their bratwurst and sipped from their cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer)?

So, when this female filmmaker from Canada (which is totally close to Wisconsin) said she wanted to turn Kinky Gazpacho into a feature film because the story resonated with her so much, because she thought a lot of other people would be able to relate to my spirit of longing, and because, well, because she wanted to shoot a movie in the south of Spain, I was thrilled. And let's be honest, I was completely geeked on the idea that my life story was going to be the basis for a movie. Granted, the filmmaker informed me that she'd have to 'adjust' some of the narrative to make a better story, but I was okay with that. For example, I told her to feel free to completely skip over the chapter that rehashed my minor romance with "Smelly Man," aka the lovely Amherst boy who followed me home one summer but neglected to mention his new vow against using deodorant. 'Yes, please,' I said. 'Cut all you want, especially if will help tell a more compelling (and, ahem, less embarrassing) story.

Needless to say, after spending far too much time trying to decide who should play me on the big screen, as well as my sexy Spanish husband -- who isn't as sexy as say Antonio Banderas was in his prime, but is totally cuter -- in my opinion -- than Javier Bardem -- I realized, there are definite drawbacks to having your life plastered on a movie screen. No matter how much the filmmaker claimed she "got me," her focus was on telling a great story, not sparing my feelings when she decides to turn Smelly Man into an abusive boyfriend with a bad coke habit, instead of just a misguided boy with a hygiene problem. You see where I'm going with this? Once that story became hers, my life was no longer my own. Literally.

Lucky for me, Kinky Gazpacho the movie is still in the development stage. For about a year I would check in with the filmmaker on a regular basis for status updates, but now I'm content to leave the project in that famous Hollywood limbo. If it ever does make it to the big screen I don't know how I'll feel seeing my life interpreted by a complete stranger. It will probably be very trippy. Maybe I'll call Elizabeth Gilbert and she how she's dealing with it.

Peace out!

Lori L. Tharps is the author of two critically acclaimed non-fiction books, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America and Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain. Atria Books just released her debut novel, Substitute Me in August 2010.

Another True Hollywood Story

by Carleen Brice

With Nicole Beharie ("Shay) and Jill Scott ("Nona")

Though this one takes place in Vancouver. Almost a year ago to the day, I was in "Hollywood North" to visit the set of "Sins of the Mother" the Lifetime movie based on my first novel.

It was one of the highlights of my career. It was a great experience working with Lifetime and the publicity from the movie has surely boosted my reputation. The lady at my post office, thinks I am a goddess now!

Speaking of goddesses, I want to take a minute to say that fellow (sister) Girlfriends Book Clubber Melissa Senate was very kind to me in the months leading up to the airing of the movie. It was great to check in with someone who'd been in my shoes. So thanks Melissa!

Orange Mint and Honey pubbed in February 2008. Two years later, it was airing on LMN. For those that don't know that's crazy fast. I know of authors whose books were first optioned a decade ago who are still waiting & hoping the movie will actually get made. So how did mine happen so fast? Luck and serendipity.

Below is a blog post I originally wrote for SheWrites.com. Before I get to that, I am very happy to say that the movie did very, very well. I am very fortunate indeed. If you haven't seen the movie and want to, it'll be showing again next month. If you HAVE seen it, you can see bonus scenes here.

So from book to movie in two years:

My book was published in trade paperback by One World/Ballantine in February 2008. It did well. Made some lists. Won some awards. But it wasn’t a huge national best-seller. So how did it get sold to Lifetime?

My agent works with an editorial director. The ED is the one who works with clients to get their manuscripts in shape. She didn’t have me do much rewriting with Orange Mint and Honey (they got it after I had rewritten it from beginning to end four times!), but throughout the process she would tell me how excited she was to have her sister read it. I would always think How lovely to have someone so excited about my work she’s telling her family!

Winner of the 2009 First Novelist Award from the Black Caucus of the ALA.

It turns out her sister is also an agent and had worked in the movie business. Her sister was actually a producer on the movie “Waiting to Exhale.” When the book came out, the sister read it, loved it, and asked to co-represent it with my literary agent. She shopped it around and it was rejected as a feature (movies on the big screen), but Lifetime snatched it up.

This was around May 2008. BEA was in L.A. that year. So I went (paying for the trip myself) chatted up booksellers and readers, and got to meet with the executive from Lifetime who was interested in the book. He (yes, he!) told me that one of the reasons he liked the story was that he found it to be universal. He also told me that one of the benefits of working with television is that there was a 50/50 shot they would make the movie. I’ve heard that with feature films, only about 5% of the books that get optioned ever get made. Fifty-fifty sounded pretty good. He also told me they worked quick, which also sounded pretty good. And was the truth!

So, the book pubs in February. We sell it to Lifetime that summer. By the fall a producer is involved (Damon Lee, “Obsessed”) and they’ve hired a screenwriter. Everything rides on the script. If the script is good, odds are much better it will go into production. If the script isn’t so good, you could be in trouble.

This was the longest part of the process. The teleplay writer was Elizabeth Hunter (“The Fighting Temptations”). I’m not sure exactly how much time passed, but it seemed like hiring a writer and getting an approved script took about a year. Anyway, the option time elapsed and Lifetime renewed the option right before they had an approved script.

A note about optioning: when a book is optioned, the network, studio, producer or whoever is buying the rights basically pays a rental fee to lease the rights for a period of time (usually six months or a year, I believe) while they try to get a team and a script together. The author of the book gets the full purchase price when the movie actually gets made. Literally. The author gets a check on the first day of shooting.

After movie make-up.

So Ms. Hunter did a great job and we had an approved script (which I had no part of and didn’t even read) in late summer of 2009. Then things went into warp speed. The director Paul Kaufman ("Little Girl Lost") was hired and they began casting. They started shooting WEEKS after the script was approved! It was a short, intense production and was filmed in less than a month in October 2009. Scheduled for airing just three months later!

The only even slightly negative thing about the entire experience was that Lifetime changed the title. The movie is called "Sins of the Mother" so I've been working my behind off trying to let people know that movie is based on my book. I guess they prefer high-concept titles. I recently watched Lying to Be Perfect (which was excellent!) on Lifetime, based on the book The Cinderella Pact. Personally, I prefer Orange Mint and Honey and The Cinderella Pact, but what do I know?

I went to visit the set in Vancouver and got to appear as an extra. So if you watch, look for me during the church scene! I wrote an essay about what it was like emotionally to have my work adapted. If you’re interested in that check out The Defenders Online.