So I guess now I am a published author. It’s kind of exciting knowing that you actually wrote a book; actually a novel, to be more precise. I had never thought that I would have done this after writing the screenplay, but in retrospect, it makes total sense.
In filmmaking, the point of the process in which you have all the control and all the possibility, is during the writing process. Here is where you take what lives in your imagination and put it on paper. The only limits are within your mind — anything is possible, story wise. The cost is also minimal, only in time and not really money. (Though it can be argued that time is more valuable than money as you can’t make more time.)
Screenwriting teaches you to minimize description and be concise. You only write what you can see on screen – getting into the characters’ heads is not part of a proper script. After years of honing my script writing skills, I wasn’t sure if I had the ability to adapt the writing into novel form. But it turned out to be a lot easier and freeing. I wasn’t limited to describing what showed up on screen — I could climb into my characters’ heads and explore their thoughts. I could elaborate on backstory that wasn’t part of the movie’s blueprint. It was a way to create and expand the universe.
Self-publishing no longer has the stigma that was once attached to it. Publishing your book through Amazon was an easy (from a technical standpoint) process. Their Kindle Create tool allowed me to take my manuscript and format it for both e-book and paperback format. It really makes it easy for you to get your story told!