The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers


Tips On Screenwriting, Film Rights And Adapting Your Novel With Lucy V. Hay

May 06, 2015

Most fiction authors have a dream of seeing their stories on the big screen – but it doesn't have to be a dream.
There are lots of things you can do to ensure your story has a chance of success in film/TV. In this interview, Lucy V. Hay gives us some tips.

In the intro I talk about the IndieRecon (http://indierecon.org/) videos that you might enjoy, including my session on how to make a living with your writing (http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/05/02/make-a-living-with-your-writing/); David Gaughran's post on Author Solutions (https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/author-solutions-and-friends-the-inside-story-2/); my mega-rebranding, re-titling and re-covering exercise (http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/04/28/changing-book-titles/)with my first 3 novels and my JFPenn.com site; and a recommendation for The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936891352/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1936891352&linkCode=as2&tag=hotoenyojo-20&linkId=E64XZ2J53RU3RPLA).

This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life (http://kobowritinglife.com/), which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets (http://www.thecreativepenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/WritingLife_Kobo.jpg)through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast (http://kobowritinglife.com/category/kwl-podcast/) for interviews with successful indie authors.

Kobo’s financial support pays for the hosting and transcription, and if you enjoy the show, you can now support my time on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/thecreativepenn). Thank you for your support!

(http://www.thecreativepenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/LucyVHay-288x300.jpg)Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor, screenwriter, and blogger at Bang2write.com (http://www.bang2write.com/). She's one of the organizers of London Screenwriters’ Festival (http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/), and she has books on writing thriller screenplays (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1842439715/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1842439715&linkCode=as2&tag=hotoenyojo-20&linkId=5GNZBM5SFTSTFWLM) and drama screenplays.

You can listen above or on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-creative-penn/id309426367) or Stitcher (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-creative-penn-podcast), watch the interview on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWQuTbpqGRI) or read the notes and links below.

* What are the big differences between writing a novel and writing a screenplay?
* What are your options for exploiting your rights around film and TV?

* Producers are always looking for great stories - how do you get their attention?
* Tips on pitching – try to think of it in terms of concept, not all the details of the story
* The difference between a logline and a tagline – and how to construct yours

* What is a treatment? Why you need to think about sales and the audience who will buy the story for adaptation
* The (http://www.thecreativepenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/thrillerscreenplays-194x300.jpg)reality of options and the chances of getting a screenplay actually made

* Should a novelist do their own adaptation?

* Why genre is so important in screenwriting
* Having fun and writing for entertainment. We don't have to be so serious all the time!
* Why you should watch all the movies in your genre and steep yourself in them

You can find Lucy at bang2write.com (http://www.bang2write.com) and on Twitter @bang2write (https://twitter.com/bang2write)
Transcript of interview with Lucy Hay
Joanna: Hi everyone, I'm Joanna Penn from theCreativePenn.com and today I'm here with Lucy Hay, hi, Lucy.

Lucy: Hi Joanna. Thanks for having me.

Joanna: Oh, no it's great to have you on the show. So just a little introduction, Lucy is a novelist, script editor, screenwriter, and blogger at Bang2write.com.