The Legend of the Movie Option
Guest Blogger: Martha Carr
Reality check: Getting a book optioned for film does not mean your name will ever appear on a screen after the words “Based on the Book By…” or get you to that elusive goal of fame and riches. It’s only the first pebble in a long road to the (possible) box office… a road that’s filled with a lot of potholes.
I’ve learned this over the years after watching three different producers option my first thriller, Wired, and proceed to put their hard-earned money and passion into trying to get the picture made, only to fall short. It’s an affirmation the people like it, and a few dollars in my pocket every time, but the space between the option and even the first day of filming has often felt more like a passage through a magical swamp.
There were hidden dangers that made no sense, like the producer who wanted to see “more stuff” in the script but couldn’t define what that meant. Occasionally things got really murky, like when one producer told me one thing and his partner then completely contradicted him. No one saw that as a problem.
However, the magical part would suddenly happen when they’d call about interest from an actress I’d actually heard of, or the time a director who’d actually gotten to make an Oscar speech called me to say how much he liked the book and wanted to direct. He talked about the dialogue and relationships in the book, which told me he had actually read it and genuinely liked it. I was humbled that the man took the time to call me and talk for so long.
Still, none of the hard work and big dreams has added up to a film in the movie theaters (yet). Some glitch has come along in all three instances that gummed up the works until it fizzled away.
A film has so many moving parts that are all vital and if one piece — like distribution or an interested investor— falters, the entire project can get shelved. There’s a famous story about the award-winning movie The English Patient that’s based on the 1992 novel. Apparently it ran out of money halfway through shooting in the desert. The producers begged everyone to stay on the set in North Africa while he flew back to beg and borrow and keep it going for just another day.
Somehow it all worked that time, but often it doesn’t, and a movie falls apart. There are even finished films sitting in cans, tangled in contracts or lawsuits, that have never been seen by the public. So close — and still a miss.
What I’ve learned is to do what’s asked of me, dream along with the producers, and then let it go and get back to my life. It’s made me appreciate that my life is in the friends and family right around me. The rest is a gift. I just keep working day by day, believing in my work but knowing there are no guarantees. And isn’t that true of life itself?
How do you keep yourself tethered to reality while also allowing yourself to dream?
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Martha Carr is the author of the thriller Wired and has a weekly national column on politics, national interest topics and life in general. Her newest work, The List is a political thriller and Martha has a weekly blog of short-short thrillers that start on Monday and end on Friday. She resides near her son Louie in Chicago, where everyone is always welcome to stay for dinner. Martha is a client of WordServe and she blogs at MarthaCarr.com as well as the WordServe Water Cooler.
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Great post. My mum works on and off in the film industry in Ireland, so I’ve had glimpses into just how hectic and haphazard it can get. I dream of landing that big movie deal that sets me up for life, but it’s important to remember the love of writing for its own sake, I think.
Paul – Even getting the movie all the way to a theater is no guarantee of riches because a movie then has to struggle for attention and your dollars just like a book. That’s why it’s so important in this business to enjoy the journey and the day you’re in .
What a ride to come that close to casting so many times. A friend’s pirate novel was optioned, but was then told, “Everyone wants to make pirate movies now, but no one wants to make one ’cause everyone’s making pirate movies now.”
The best take I’ve seen on movie options – and all the wacky stories around them – is in David Morrell’s “The Successful Novelist.” You can read that chapter at Google Books – click on Contents, and go to “Rambo and the Movies.” The whole book is worth checking out.
Thanks for the reference! I’ve learned along the way that those who make those kind of strange statements are less likely to follow through and first to give up when things get rough. The producers who really love the craft tend to be more down to earth and love the genre they’ve chosen so they’re not put off by the others in their with them.
My step brother has worked on numerous films, including some Spielberg productions. He’s been trying to get his own movie made for 25 years, so I never really even consider my story getting that far. One step at a time.
Otin – I agree. What if all we accomplished was to make a good living as an author? I’d feel like a huge success. It sounds like your step brother is walking the same path we are but in film. Kudos to him for hanging in there so long.
I do it exactly as you described. I dream but I stay tethered to my family and the reality that surrounds me each day.
It’s great to dream. Dreams are what keeps our goals and hopes alive. We’ve all read or heard about success stories.
Why not me? Why not you? Who knows. We simply can’t give up if writing is our passion.
This is an informative post and it’s nice to have an inside view of how close an author can get with an option.
It makes me realize how important it is to stay grounded even when there is interest.
Susan – that’s exactly right and it’s good practice even if we do hit it big. It’s the grounding in our friends and family that really let us see how sweet life has been all along – and if it’s not, money won’t cure it.
There’s an old saying out where I live: “Hollywood is the only town where you can die of encouragement.”
James – Boy is that true! I’ve had that experience where I was encouraged to death and thought this is really happening! Only to find that they were nowhere near having things pulled together. There seems to be a lot of ‘producers’ in Hollywood that hope if they say it can be so often enough, somehow someone will give them the dough to prove it.
David Morrell tells a similar story about the film options for “First Blood”. I think it was optioned three times before they actually made and released the movie, at least ten years after the book came out.
Oops, I see someone else mentioned that before me. Morrell taught at the 2006 Glorieta Conference, and he mentions that in his book as well.
David – this whole movie process is my best example of just doing whatever comes up and then letting go of outcome. My human brain wants to figure out ‘what it all means’! But over and over I have to let go of that and the outcome and trust that it’s all in service somehow even if in the end there’s still no movie. I like to think if I’m doing something, of course it’ll add up to a finished product but that may not be the purpose in the end.
I’ve always been a dreamer, but I’m a planner also. I like to dream it, plan it and work on it! What keeps me grounded and well rounded is prayer and my loved ones. I know nothing else matters if I don’t have my faith and the ones I love.
Currently I am dreaming of obtaining an agent and getting my book published! It is a wonderful dream that I am not only working hard to achieve but also am believing God will answer my prayers!
TC – Prayer keeps me sane. My prayers every morning include the request to help me be of service, which is my real purpose in this life. Then a movie becomes a possibility and it becomes easier to see what I’m supposed to do next. Focusing on what I’ve decided I want and have to have can be so paralyzing. Letting all that go and asking to be of service is so freeing.
My brother has worked on several films and says despite the site being like positioning yourself in a middle of a tornado, it’s easy to get hooked. My nephew and niece have both worked as extras on TV and they say the process is fascinating. Not at all as solitary and serene as writing the book.
I’ve heard the horror stories of it taking 12 years to get a book to film. Amazing. I’m surprised they haven’t put the process on TV as a reality show. Oops, I probably shouldn’t have said that.
Great post, ladies. Interesting.
Joylene – All the stories I’ve heard – somewhere around 12 years seems to be the norm! (Is it a good thing then that Wired’s past that mark now?) That’s why it’s been so important for me to remind myself of what’s my real life and what’s my plan, which may or may not happen.
I keep myself tethered to the idea that someone will like my book and want to publish it. I find there are enough pitsfalls with just that.The pitfalls of having a movie made from my novel are tremendous. That is something I don’t bother to think about. When I write I see it as a movie, not a real movie, but my movie, a movie I would go see.That is the way I visualize what I’m writing. And while I’m dreaming, I just want a cleaning lady.
Ooooh Joan – I’d love to have a car and driver. I live in Chicago where they love to ticket, tax and tow. Thank goodness for the El. I agree with you – getting published is enough of a trek. Let me do that well.
Excellent post, Martha. It’s so hard NOT to dream about our books becoming a movie, because I think in our heads, it IS a movie. At least it is for me. I see the action played out in my brain and type as fast as I can…so in some ways, it’s the ultimate resolution of that creative impulse.
But I always tell myself that getting a movie made is 1000x harder than getting a book published, and to stick with the next book, and the next, and the next…if God sees fit to do anything else, cool. And if not, I still have 40+ books published…and that’s a feat in itself.
Put one foot in front of the other; take what comes with joy.
Hello my pal Lisa – I happen to see your books as movies too! Congrats on the new book, Tributary too! I’m with you on the entire ‘God’s will’ thing too. I’ll keep doing the next thing in front of me to do and not lose faith while telling the whole idea of a movie just how big my God is. In the meantime, I’m having a grand life writing thrillers!
It’s nice to hear someone else writes their characters’ “movies” and types at the speed of light to get the details down
That wouldn’t be L Tawn B, by any chance?
Northern Lights has stayed in my brain for so many reasons.
You go, girl. God bless your pen.
What a great but somewhat frustrating lesson. I guess it is the old ‘Don’t be attached to the outcome’ saying. We have to hold on tightly to our dreams, but trust loosely in the how and why of the outcome.
Nicole – doesn’t this also remind you of that idea that even the process may be serving a purpose and be of service? I forget sometimes that just because it doesn’t look like what I want doesn’t mean it’s not useful to what God has in mind. Frankly, I’ve already received hundreds of emails from readers of Wired who said they were able to let go of secrets that were strangling them and their life opened up. So the rewards from the work have already shown up.
You know, I think I’ll worry about getting published before getting anxious over a movie deal.
Amen McKenzie and even that requires a lot of letting go of outcome and trust. I’m doing the pins and needles dance right now with a new thriller that my great agent, Rachelle is handling and in the meantime I go back to writing and being in my life. It’s all good!
i agree that we all want to see our books as movies, b/c they already are in our heads! but chances are, if they made a movie, it might look nothing like the one we, as authors, see! percy jackson was changed so much, you could hardly recognize what you’d read (annabeth has BLONDE hair! BLONDE! and in the movie it’s brown! that was just too distracting for me). regardless, it’s hard to let characters go when our book is done. sometimes, we see them walking around in our minds. i’m just hoping my books will see the light of day so that others can “see” these people, too.
i love your perspective about praying to be of service and letting those dreams go. so hard, when we feel those dreams are from God. but definitely a necessary step in the process.
thanks, martha!
Heather – maybe the answer’s to get back to writing and start to craft a new story or at least a continuation of the old story and get on with the day. Then, if more comes of the old – like a movie – we’re delightfully surprised because we were busy living while it was all forming somewhere else.
Martha, how very exciting for you! It certainly would be challenging to remain tethered to reality when receiving calls like that. But close friends and family keep my nose in real time. They know me best, have seen where my God-given gifts are, and have no problem laying out gut honest truth without holding back. I’m so very thankful for that! Thanks again for a great post.
Hello Donna – my fellow WaterCooler peep – thank goodness for family and friends who are happy for our success and then ask what’s for dinner and who’s turn is it to take out the trash.
Thanks for that very down to earth post, Martha. It’s great to have such excitement shown in your work – but it’s even better to enjoy the dream while keeping a hold on reality and getting back to work! All the best with whatever happens.
Thank you Rosemary, greatly appreciated!
Ah, but hasn’t Mr. Shakespeare taught us that even a mere midsummers dream can be more true than reality
What a strange realm we inhabit, us writers. We trade in entire worlds crafted out of air and thought, and yet must always keep our feet on the ground.
Larry – that reminds me of visiting LA and sitting amongst all of the movie people who treated me like I was something unique and wonderful and I thought to myself, ‘oh, this is how you start to believe you’re all that’. Bad idea because even when a movie is made eventually the world moves on and its back to the life I’ve created with others right around me.
Thanks for sharing your cautionary tale, Martha. Having a book made into a movie is probably the closet fantasy of every writer. Thank you for explaining what the process is like and for showing us your great attitude. I’ll remember this.
Thanks Megan – another WaterCooler peep – isn’t it kind of the way Rachelle talks to us about our book projects? Cautiously optimistic, keep living your life and meanwhile believe for the best.
On Twitter, Martha is at @martharandolph – thanks,
-p.
Thank you Porter! Love to hear from all of you – and if any of you are thriller writers (or readers!) check out the blog at http://www.marthacarr.com and let me know if you’d ever like to guest post for a week. Short little thrillers that start on Monday and end on Friday that can be read from a phone.
Thank you for sharing your story, Martha! This is a topic I’ve never taken the time to read up on–mostly because I’m afraid to think that far–so it was very informative.
Best wishes for your continued success!
Thanks Carrie!
Ahhh, the great balancing act…tethered to reality and yet keeping the dream alive…love the word picture and also the reminder that real life is family and friends right around me.
Thanks Katherine – and add in service and isn’t that the perfect description of surrender? Always believing without attachment
Sorry – *Kathleen!
Great pearls of wisdom to live by and good way to stay grounded and happy.
Thanks Catherine! Keep coming back
A friend who participated in Master Chef earlier this year more or less says TV is the same. “Don’t say a word until you see what you’ve worked on actually on TV with your own eyes because they can pull the pin at any time.”
I agree Taryn – TV and movies are pretty much the same group of people these days and the experience is similar too. I have friends on the TV side of things and they have the same grounded spiritual principles that keep them in their life and moving forward. Thanks for writing!
Great information, Martha. There are tons of blogs and books out there that tell you how difficult it is to find an agent, and then to get a book published, but this is the first I’ve seen of the difficulty of taking a published book to the big screen. I’m sure eventually somebody’s just going to come out and admit that to get from here to there you have to sell your soul to Poe’s raven.
I wrote a blog post once about which famous actors and actresses I see playing the roles in a movie made from the novel I’m trying to get published. It seemed a stretch at the time, but it was fun to do. I’m glad for the new realism you’ve brought to the topic.
Stephen – the movie industry is probably one of those places where the need to surrender is more obvious and in other areas we can fool ourselves into thinking we have more control than we do. Making peace with that has helped me to do the same in other areas – there’s always a blessing as soon as I can let go of my expectations.
I talk to my wife.
TNeal you are a wise man! Thanks for writing
How do you keep yourself tethered to reality while also allowing yourself to dream?
I’ve had crazy dreams about my future since I was a kid. I still have those crazy dreams. Thing is, I don’t keep myself “tethered to reality” while I have them – I completely separate. I make a clear cut between fancy and reality. While you are in a fantasy world, it’s real, but when you’ve left it, it doesn’t matter. That way I get all the fun out of dreaming big and none of the disappointment. Sometimes imagining such things – even just for a moment – feels childish, but I like the fun.
I enjoy the process. No matter where the story goes, I remember that I first had fun writing it. Everything else is a happy bonus. I love the research, the agonizing first drafts, the revision, the “OOH!! THAT’LL WORK!!” moments andfinally, the completed project. I figure that if you are passionate enough about what you do, nature will take its course.
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