Manuscript to Script

Just a quick note. You may be wondering, why do a novel? Why not just go straight to script? The answer is twofold. First, not everything has to become a screenplay or teleplay nor is it meant to be. It's healthy to write in many forms. The question is, can you write in different forms? Most writers favor one or another and find their niche even within a particular genre. As a musician, I would describe writing in different forms as being akin to working your chops. It makes you better and more flexible as an artist.

As a literary analyst for Universal for 5 years, I have also developed a healthy respect for the manuscript and its growing significance in the marketplace. Right after 9/11 I was hired (back, actually - after being several years at CBS and Warner Bros.) to work exclusively on books that came in to the feature film division through a literary agent in New York. The studios are actively combing through pre-pub manuscripts and are increasingly interested in acquiring them because in this form the story gives THEM more flexibility.

Something to think about. There is a kind of snobbery around writing the script as well. It's a very specific form and relatively few people do it well. Even those who don't do it well often assume this air of superiority. If you're serious about writing, drop all that. A novel has as much chance, if not more in the current environment, of selling as an intellectual property as a spec script. Really.

Finally, the manuscript/novel also gives the writer the option of adapting that well developed story and group of characters into the screenplay later on. In this sense, you can think of the novel less like a distinctly different animal and more as a thorough treatment for the screenplay. They aren't mutually exclusive at all.