The Writer’s Coin

I’ll be honest, when I hear the word “screenwriter” I immediately think “hack.” Is it wrong? Am I jumping the gun a bit?

Sure, but what else would you call someone who takes an original work, breaks it down to its essential parts, and rewrites it in a different format? An editor?

This article got me thinking about the whole process of turning books into movies. I’ve been railing about it for a long time: there are no more original movies out there. I love books and I love movies, but it’s sad to see that every single movie these days is based on a book or an actual event.

There are no more original movies anymore.

The article describes the process and sure, it’s interesting in its own way. But wouldn’t these “writers” rather try their hand at producing original work? I know it’s harder, but it must also be hard to stand on a stage with a little statuette in your hand trying to think of what to say after “writing” the screenplay for Lord of the Rings:

Ummm, thank you?

To Tolkien?

*By the way, don’t be surprised when you hear I’m working on a screenplay of my own. There are hundreds of books I’d like to see in movie form and who better to tackle them than me? Isn’t this a contradiction? Sure, but I do what I want around here.

Tags: Books, movies