Behind the Scenes: The Screenwriting Rabbit Hole
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." – Jack London
Out of the blue, I was invited to apply for a spot at the Stowe Story Labs Remote Writers' Retreat Veterans Fellowship, June 27 through July 01, 2025. This fellowship ($2,000.00 USD Value) is designed to support a veteran or active-duty service member and these spots are sponsored by the U.S. Veterans' Artists Alliance (USVAA).
I'm excited about this retreat because I wrote a kick-arse adapted script based on a bestselling fantasy novel, and twelve industry insiders are mentors who are all open to finding that next great script they can adapt for stage, screen, television, or the internet. Selectees shall be contacted in May, so fingers crossed.
For any writers or authors who've thought about writing a script, unless you really, really, really want to write a script, be aware the process can feel like or become a labyrinth of endless revisions.
I went down, so you don't have to.
When you write fantastic content, you'll discover or come into contact with a never-ending sea of individuals who call themselves producer or studio executive that wants to obtain your material, and they all know someone who can adapt your material for stage, screen, television or the internet best for ever-increasing fees.
As fate would have it, Bonnie Solomon, who produced Shrek and the Chronicles of Narnia, read the draft manuscript of my first fantasy novel bestseller, and she said this story would make a fantastic series on a premium subscription channel.
I asked why, and Bonnie said because a series generates more revenue streams than a stand-alone movie.
So, I learned how to write screenplays, which turned out to be a very expensive proposition—$20,000 and five years of my life that could have been spent on stories meant to be written.
One rabbit-hole example are with all the reviewers who all said they wanted to see the protagonist appear sooner in the script, and be clear what drives them.
However, none of them could share, show, or tell me how this best could be done.
During revision thirty-eight, an ah-hah moment slapped me across the face, and I was able to craft the page so everything clearly shows what drives the protagonist and why they do what they do.
This script was eventually recognized as Best American Script at the 2024 International Berlin Film Festival, and went on to be recognized or awarded forty-four times at additional events or festivals around the globe. But in all the time I was working on and revising the script, there was an awful price to pay—I stopped writing all of the books and stories I was meant to write.
This was one of the many reasons I was grateful for the unplanned, surprise near-death hospital stay in the Summer of 2024. It became the catalyst that got me writing again, and in eight months, I finished writing an eight-book series, a two-book series, and a stand-alone book.
So, yes, if you want to see your stories adapted for stage, screen, television and the internet, become familiar with today's script format, without sacrificing writing your primary, core content you're meant to write.
Let interested producers and studio executives that have optioned your material find and hire screenwriters who can adapt your material better or best.
Wayne Gretzky says you miss 100% of the shots never taken, and the reason why I applied to participate in the Stowe Story Labs Writer's Retreat is because there's always something new to learn about screenwriting that can be applied to other forms of writing—as well as be a fantastic networking opportunity.
