Story

So I promised I would talk about the book I am adapting. I mentioned before that I am taking the book my grandmother wrote and adapting that into a screenplay, as a gift to her. It's going to be my first real, "professional"-grade screenplay, and also my first adaptation. I must admit...I'm very excited.

The title of the book is Zero Degrees of Separation. It centers around the character, Christina, who dies from a terminal illness and is then guided to the other side by Angelic figures. Once there, she must re-learn everything that her soul-self has always known, and forgets with every return trip to the Earth plane.

So the interesting issue I am seeing as I get further and further into the book is the timeline of the story that is told. There is definitely a story in here, with enough conflict to be had, and roadblocks to keep characters from their goals, but it's going to be an issue of timing and placement with this adaptation. I can already tell that the major events that happen in the book will need to be reordered for film story purposes.

I'm nearly halfway through the book now, and I have to completely finish it before I start making big story decisions like that. Though in reading through it at this point, it's definitely intriguing picturing the scenes in my head as they would appear on the screen. It's also fun to guess the progress of scenes and how the through-line of the story will carry Christina to the end.

There is not much else to update at this time...beyond everything I've said so far, so please come back soon to hear more about this interesting process.

Now, my grandmother is still trying to get the message of her book out there to other people in need. It's a great book to help those that are close to death, or know someone who is, come to terms with the idea of passing on. She is an expert and a trainer for hospice care, and does outstanding work for the Twilight Brigade, Compassion in Action. Please check out their non-profit organization here.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book yourself, check out this link to Amazon.com. Any contributions are greatly appreciated.