That may sound nonsensical, but reality is...by adapting PM into a screenplay, I'm doing what writers have been doing for decades when shifting a book into film format -- changing aspects of the story. Clarifying parts that were left up to readers to decipher. Rearranging scenes to fit the flow of the storyline. Expanding characters and combining others.
It's still the same basic plot -- a gay man is attacked, the cops do nothing about it, so he takes revenge on his attackers. But in visualizing it from Alec's interior monologue, I've found that emphasizing the toxic relationship between him and his ex is best done sprinkled throughout the script to help illuminate what's happening in real time, for him...and give him little moments of catharsis.
I never thought I'd be able to do that with my own books. I've gone the opposite direction -- shifting a script into a novel several times -- but that worked well because I used it to dig deeper into the characters. Add darkness and light. This is removing many of the shadows of the story to make it available for others to layer in their own forms of illumination. And in doing so, I'm finding new meaning in Alec's actions.
What's added to them is remembering Jimmy Somerville's piercing voice in Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy.
This song tore into me when it came out in 1984. This was back when MTV still played nothing but music videos and when I caught it, one night, I stopped cold and didn't move till I was able to come to terms with many things in my life. Now I'm adding this into Alec's sudden shift in existence...not just once but twice...and giving him a new edge and better reasoning for his vicious actions.
But that also means it's taking me longer to get done than I expected.
It's still the same basic plot -- a gay man is attacked, the cops do nothing about it, so he takes revenge on his attackers. But in visualizing it from Alec's interior monologue, I've found that emphasizing the toxic relationship between him and his ex is best done sprinkled throughout the script to help illuminate what's happening in real time, for him...and give him little moments of catharsis.
I never thought I'd be able to do that with my own books. I've gone the opposite direction -- shifting a script into a novel several times -- but that worked well because I used it to dig deeper into the characters. Add darkness and light. This is removing many of the shadows of the story to make it available for others to layer in their own forms of illumination. And in doing so, I'm finding new meaning in Alec's actions.
What's added to them is remembering Jimmy Somerville's piercing voice in Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy.
But that also means it's taking me longer to get done than I expected.
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