Should a Movie Follow the Book Exactly?

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I swear, at A2A we did not discuss theme in advance this week, and yet we've done a great job of feeding off each other posts.

I'm going to touch on the book-to-movie angle today.

( I originally wrote a really controversial post about authors who scream how much they hate Amazon.com, yet still continue to sell their books on there...but decided against it and deleted it. :p )

So, let's ask the question: Should a Movie Follow the Book Exactly?

No.


I know, I know, I always say the opposite of everyone else. How many times has a theatrical version of a beloved book caused hordes of people to tear out their hair and gnash their teeth because something wasn't "right?"

I don't do that. I don't really care if a movie is faithful to a book.

My dear cousin, who is a fan of all things fantasy, hates the Lord of the Rings movies because they aren't an exact reflection of his beloved novels. Peter Jackson changed too much and left out the parts that were important to him.

I thought the movies were amazing and have seen them a billion times. Same with Harry Potter. Twilight. Eragon. I could go on and on.

A movie is a totally different art form than a book. So why do people expect them to be a direct visual translation of the written word? It simply isn't possible.

Have you ever listened to a book on tape? It can take 40 hours to sometimes read the whole novel aloud. 40 hours. Do you want to sit in a movie theater for 40 hours? I didn't think so.

Screenwriters have to make compromises. It's the nature of adaption. I prefer to listen to my dad (who just happens to be the wisest man on the planet) when he says, "I go to the movies to be entertained, not to analyze. Sit back, relax, and enjoy."

Yeah, I know you're thinking: Well, I bet if Megg's books were made into movies, she'd feel differently. Nah, pretty sure I wouldn't change my mind. One of my friends is a screenwriter and I'd love to see what he could do with Anathema (which is still free on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBookstore, Smashwords, Kobo, Wattpad, etc - so download it now). He even discussed adding a dance scene - which I LOVED because I am a dancer. See, it's all about taking a concept and translating it in a way that entertains. I would totally be entertained by a dance scene between Reychel & Mark, even though there isn't one in the book.

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

What I'd Like to See More of in Indie Pub

Tip of the Day: Nervous to give self-pub books a try? Don't be. 99% of the time Amazon allows you to download a sample. Try it before you buy it.

It's really hard to give a list of things I'd like to see in indie and/or self-pub books. As far as genre goes, I think we've got them all covered. Want an angel/werewolf/time travel adventure? It's out there. Want a straight-up YA vamp story? There's six billion to choose from.

What I love to see is originality. I want to read something that hasn't been done before. One recent release that did that is Spider Wars by Angela Carlie (full disclosure: Ang is one of my writing buddies, but she has no idea I'm about to promote her book).

Spider Wars is a YA novel that straddles the line between paranormal romance and horror. It's edgy. It takes risks. It gave me nightmares.

That's what I want. A book that sticks with me for a long time after I read it. And Angela's next novel is so original...I can't talk about it, but OMG...her books are what imagination is all about.

 I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see more middle grade novels from self-pubbers. Now that the Harry Potter ebooks are available, I'd say it's not long before MG explodes in ebook format. Are you ready? (I am...wrapping one up as I write this.)

And even though my novels are pretty dark at times, where's the ebooks for the bubble gum crowd? Not everyone likes darkness. Sit down at your keyboard and write something cute! NOW! (*disclaimer* - I wrote this post earlier in the week before the other A2A girls mentioned the same thing. I'm seeing a trend here...)

What else would you like to see from the self-pub/indie community???

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber