A few months ago, I had a movie producer (who'd read ROCKING HORSES PAINTED RED and liked my occasionally humorous/often macabre writing style) contact me to see if I'd be interested in turning several of his screenplays into novels. He explained that movies actually do better when there is a novel tied to it. Who knew. Anyway, after careful consideration (about 2 seconds) I said YES!
The first screenplay arrived a few weeks later and I began reading. It had been a long time since I'd seen one of these, and I'd forgotten just how bare bones they can be. Screenplays are very cut and dry when it comes to describing the feelings/motivation that accompany its action and dialogue. Since the director will use his actors to visually create the world in which these characters-on-paper inhabit, there is very little emotion (or backstory) in the screenplay itself.
Although shooting for this picture will begin in October (& will be filmed as per the original screenplay,) I was still given the liberty to tweek the characters/dialogue as I saw fit. So, two weeks ago, I settled in and went to work - literally taking a skeleton and adding the muscle, tissue, and organs to cover its naked carcass. And although I had originally felt some reluctance about simply expanding on a storyline not of my own creation, I found that I enjoyed playing Dr. Frankenstien. By the time I finished Chapter 4, I was beginning to feel that these
were my characters - albeit in a surrogate sort of way.
So far, this writing-in-reverse has been a pretty fun trip. I've enjoyed getting to play mad scientist, taking someone else's handiwork and morphing it into the monster I wish it to be.
