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How to Adapt a Novel Into a Screenplay in 10 Steps.

The ultimate guide to getting your novel up on the silver screen.

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by Script Reader Pro in Screenwriting Tips
May 10, 2018 43 comments
How to Adapt a Novel into a Screenplay

How to adapt a novel into a screenplay in 10 steps.

If you’re wondering how to adapt a novel into a screenplay, you’re in good company. So were Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), and Dave Eggers (Away We Go) at one point.

If you’ve found some success as a novelist (or even if you haven’t yet) maybe you’ve considered adapting a novel into a screenplay, but are having trouble knowing where to begin?

If so, here are ten clear steps you should follow while adapting a novel into a script for the silver screen.

How to adapt a novel into a screenplay step #1: decide if it would make a good movie.

While Hollywood absolutely loves making movies out of novels, not all novels should be made into movies. You need to take a good hard look at your story and be honest with yourself as to whether it would make a good film.

Is it visual enough?

Is there enough conflict? Is it commercial enough? Would people pay their hard-earned money to go see this in a movie theater? Are there a good number of scenes that you can easily imagine up on screen, thrilling audiences worldwide?

If the answer’s “yes” proceed to step #2.

If, on the other hand, your story is very small, deeply personal and mainly concerned with your characters’ inner thoughts, it’s probably not cinematic enough to consider adapting into a screenplay.

Step #2: learn how to adapt a novel into a screenplay by reading books.

As you probably know, writing a book and adapting a novel into a screenplay requires two completely different approaches and techniques. Therefore if you come from a novel writing background, it’s a good idea to first garner as much information as you can on how to write a screenplay.

One of the best ways to do this is to simply get started reading some screenwriting how-to books. Aim to read at least ten before embarking on your screenplay.

Here are just a few of our favorite screenwriting books. They’re not too heavy and also explain things in a clear, concise manner.

Your Screenplay Sucks by William M. Akers

Inside Story by Dara Marks

Save the Cat Stikes Back by Blake Synder

For the full list, check out this page The 10 Best Screenwriting Books To Read In 2019.

Step #3: learn how to adapt a novel into a screenplay by reading pro scripts.

Not enough aspiring screenwriters do this regularly, but reading the scripts to your favorite movies is maybe the best way to learn how to write. And it’s also one the very best things you can do when it comes to adapting a novel into a screenplay.

There are a ton of sites where you can download professional screenplays for free but we have a put together a post 50 Of The Best Screenplays To Read And Download In Every Genre that’s a great place to start.

In short, reading a ton of professional screenplays should be an essential part of your weekly writing routine.

Step #4. learn how to adapt a novel into a screenplay by writing outlines.

Writing a movie tends to be a much more structurally “formulaic” process than writing a novel. So here’s a great, hands-on technique you can use to familiarize yourself with how movies are constructed.

All you have to do is open your laptop and simply write down the key actions in every scene. Stick to the essentials of each scene—just what’s happened and how the plot’s moved forward—and keep it to two sentences max per scene.

Once this is done, study the outline, break it into its three acts and note why each scene is in the movie. Repeat this enough and before you know it, you’ll be an expert when it comes to how scripts are put together structurally and can begin adapting your novel into a screenplay.

Step #5: write out your novel as an outline. 

Having focused on steps #1 to #4 for a while, it’s time to write an outline of your book. Read it once more, picturing the events up on a movie screen and summarizing each scene in the same way as in step #4.

Only put down scenes that advance the story in some way—either by developing the plot or by revealing character.

A scene in which we see a character realizes he has one hour to stop a bomb going off is obviously moving the plot forward. A scene in which we see a character choose not to talk to anyone at a party and lock herself in the bathroom is revealing character.

Essentially you only want to include things we can see on screen. This means leaving out all interior monologues, descriptions of the rolling countryside, political theories, and so on.

script coverage

Step #6: zero in on your movie’s main conflict. 

Much of this might be familiar to you, but it’s worth reassessing your novel from a basic screenwriting perspective when it comes to adapting a novel into a screenplay.

In contrast to penning a novel, writing a movie script is mainly about giving the protagonist a clear goal to achieve. This should have high stakes attached to it and be very hard to accomplish due to the opposition they face from a strong antagonist.

It can be very useful to try to condense your novel/screenplay’s core idea down into what’s known in screenwriting jargon as a “logline”—a short summation of the film’s core conflict into a couple of sentences. (We have a post here on How to Write a Logline.)

Go to IMDb.com and take a look at the plot summaries/loglines for some of your favorite movies. You should find that each logline neatly encapsulates just why you wanted to go see that movie in the first place.

Distilling your core idea down into a couple of short sentences is the ideal way to make sure it contains enough conflict and is exciting enough for people to want to see it up on screen.

Step #7: turn your novel outline into a script outline.

Now it’s time to take the outline you wrote in step #5 and, having refined your movie’s core idea, turn it into an outline for the actual screenplay. Editing, refining and polishing your outline is vital as it could potentially save you wasting many months of working on a story that’s not quite there yet.

Resist the temptation to jump right into writing the screenplay and spend some time beating out the story—working out what from the novel you should keep and what you should cut. As well as what new characters, scenes or plotlines you might need to write.

Novels usually run between 200 and 400 pages in length. As screenplays are considerably more concise, writing this outline may require quite a bit of editing: removing characters, subplots and anything not associated with the protagonist’s goal.

You want to make sure that you only include scenes in this outline that move the story forward—either by advancing the plot or by revealing character.

If you find yourself including scenes about the protagonist’s aunt who has no impact on the story at all, she should probably either be removed from the story or maybe melded together with another character.

Keep the narrative as clean and focused as possible.

Step #8: buy some screenwriting software.

If you’ve made it this far it means you’re committed to writing this screenplay and so now might be a good time to purchase some screenwriting software. The last thing you want to do is start writing the screenplay on MS Word or some other regular writing program.

Screenwriting software will take all the formatting heavy lifting off your hands while adapting a novel into a screenplay, and here are the five best screenwriting software options on the market.

While all of these screenwriting software programs will do much of the formatting work for you, it’s still worth getting to grips with the best practices concerning how to format a script.

Step #9: start writing your script. 

Having concentrated on writing novels up to now, you may be used to spending a great deal of time describing tiny details and giving characters long speeches and internal monologues. In a screenplay, though, everything needs to be as brief and concise as possible.

As they say in the screenwriting business, you want to leave lots of “white space” on the page. This generally means avoiding detailed descriptions, like of a stain on some drapes, or what the moon looks like in the sky.

The trick is to only include dialogue and describe action or scenery that’s important to the advancement of either plot or character.

Keep your scenes short and sweet. Remember the old screenwriting adage to “get in late and leave early” and that one page in a script roughly translates to one minute on screen. Generally, you don’t want your scenes to run over two pages.

Above all, remember that as opposed to writing a novel, writing a screenplay is all about revealing story through visuals. Rather than remaining in a character’s or narrator’s head, approach each scene from this angle: what do I want to show the audience with these characters’ words or actions?

Here’s a post on 35 Common Writing Style Mistakes In Spec Scripts that you should check out.

Step #10: learn how to adapt a novel into a screenplay by getting feedback.

Keep writing and learning the craft of screenwriting, but also don’t forget to get some script coverage on your work as you go along. Otherwise, you may end up writing away in a bubble, as some fundamental mistakes that could be easily rectified, go left unchecked.

Obviously, the best people to get advice from are professional writers, script readers, producers, managers, etc. If you know someone in the industry who can give you some free feedback, grab the opportunity with both hands.

We also recommend the online screenwriting forum, Stage32, as a great place to get honest advice from fellow screenwriters. And it’s free.

Once you’ve taken someone else’s notes on board, it’s often a good idea to step away from the script for a couple of weeks or so to let them sink in. Make notes. Mull them over for a while and then return to the script with a clearer head to begin the rewrite process.

Getting to grips with screenplay writing may be hard at first, but stick at it and who knows? Maybe soon you’ll be following in the footsteps of Cormac McCarthy and Emma Donoghue.

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If you’d like some honest, actionable advice on how to adapt a novel into a screenplay, please check out our script coverage services. We also provide a script doctor services in which we can adapt your novel into a movie script for you.

screenwriting mentorship

Liked this post? Read more on how to write a screenplay…

How to Write a Screenplay: The Secret to Elevating It Above the Ordinary

16 Essential Screenwriting Tips to Make Your Script Stand Above the Rest

Script Dialogue: If Your Characters Are Just Talking You’re Doing It Wrong

[© Photo credits: Pexels]

43 Comments
  1. Moyo J. says:

    Thank you so much scriptreader pro! This is definitely going to be helpful. As always!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      You’re welcome, thanks for reading, Moyo!

  2. Michael Mckinney says:

    I don’t know who wrote the above advice on screenwriting but it’s the most useful entry I’ve yet seen online pertaining to this subject. Information is concise and persuasive. I will refer to this well-written article again for guidance. Two qualities comprise excellent writing: thorough knowledge of a particular subject and the skillful use of written language to convey it. The above article has both.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Thank you Michael.

  3. Terence Thomas says:

    I wrote a science fiction novel “Outer Domain” and was offered a contract by a New York Literary Agency that converts novels to screenplays. My novel was just accepted at ” Books A Million” and I am looking for an agency that converts Novels to screenplays.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Congrats, Terence – have you seen our post on How to Get a Screenwriting Agent/Manager?

  4. Steven D Lindsey says:

    I’ve written two novels. The second is the sequel to the first. Is there a service that will take my two novels and make a screenplay manuscript from the books? In other words, do I need to submit a screenplay myself and have it edited or can I submit my novels and have a screenplay produced from the novel?

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Hi Steven – you’d need to adapt the novel yourself into a screenplay if you wanted to then submit around town as a script. Or someone would have to approach you for the rights to the novel for them to adapt it into a screenplay.

  5. Steven D Lindsey says:

    I’ve written two novels. The second is the sequel to the first. Is there a service that will take my two novels and make a screenplay manuscript from the books? In other words, do I need to submit a screenplay myself and have it edited or can I submit my novels and have a screenplay produced from them?

  6. Patrick Jean-Jacques says:

    Excellent article, which motivated me even more. When I was writing my first novel, I would regularly visualise the events as I wrote it and reread it.
    I self-published my book in June 2019 but always had it in mind to turn it into a screenplay. After reading this 10-point guide, I’m amped up.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Great, thanks for the feedback, Patrick!

  7. Wardman Bimes says:

    I need your assistance

  8. oscar julian lopez rincon says:

    good-job, guys!!!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Thanks, Oscar!

    2. Wardman Bimes says:

      My scriptwriting is – From Novel to Film, please can you assist me with above subject. thank you very

  9. Felipe says:

    This really helps me. I am adapting my fantasy novel into a screenplay and will follow these 10 steps religiously. Thanks a million!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      That’s great to hear, Felipe!

  10. Albert C says:

    I have a novel written in Word that’s 39,000 words having a hard time know where to start to adapt it. Any advise would be most welcome.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      If you follow the 10 steps you’ll be in a great position. 🙂

  11. Ivan Harris says:

    Great post, I’m thinking of adapting a novel I wrote 12 years ago into a screenplay.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Good luck, Ivan, we’re here to help if you need it!

  12. Erroll says:

    Great post. Writing a script from scratch and selling it in today’s f-*^%ed up industry is HARD. Do yourself a favor and base it on existing novel with fan base. That’s what I’m doing, f*^% this spec script s7^t.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Good luck, Erroll!

  13. Nikki G says:

    I want to write and sell a script and now. your telling me to write a book first ? what?

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      It’s just another option – another string to your bow 🙂

  14. Marcel Ivacic says:

    I have learned so much on screenwriting just from being on this site a couple of weeks. Great resource for me, keep up the good work!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      That’s great to hear, thanks, Marcel!

  15. Amy Rubin says:

    My family always says writing is a waist of time but I will not give up until I succeed!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Good luck, Amy!

  16. Vance Alves says:

    I need you to contact me ASAP! Great novel published last year and on Amazon, need help getting it up on the screen!!

  17. Krystyna Cerros says:

    I really love this.. I’m working on an adaptation of a YA novel and this is so helpful.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Good luck with it, thanks, Krystyna.

  18. Natasha Lai Butler says:

    Huge thanks for your info!
    Found a novel that must be a film. I have no experience but googled screenwriting and read your post. It was intelligent, practical and inspiring!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Thanks a lot, Natasha!

  19. Rudy says:

    Does an individual need to get permission from the author or publisher to even move forward with starting an adaptation to screenplay. I have asked several resources but never received an answer yet.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Yes, if the work is not in the public domain then you need permission. Here’s a post on how to adapt a novel into a screenplay you may find helpful too.

      1. Anita says:

        Does the permission for a screenplay based on a novel need to be received from the publishing company, the author, or both?

  20. Terrence Thatcher says:

    Wow just what I needed to know about novel adaptation. Thank you!!!

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Thanks, Terrance!

  21. Wyatt Tombleson says:

    My novel is coming out in the Spring in Barnes and Noble. Thank you for this post as I am considering adapting it into a screenplay one day.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Congrats, and best of luck with the novel! Drop us a line if you need help with the adaptation down the line.

  22. Paul says:

    Please consider adding Highland 2 to the screenwriting software section. It’s currently available for free from the Mac App Store. It is Apple Mac only, and needs Sierra or better. On older Mac get Highland v1. It is developed by John August’s company Quote-Unquote Apps. He’s the scriptwriter of Go, Big Fish, Titan A.E., Charlie’s Angels (1&2), Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and the upcoming live-action Aladdin film. He also co-hosts the ScriptNotes podcast.

    1. Script Reader Pro says:

      Highland 2 is pretty good, yes.

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