Fun @ Work

On Tuesday I presented at a work session (won’t go into the boring details) about leadership and writing. Yes, two separate topics, although I did a little bit of relating the two. The main reason I’m commenting about it is because it was fun. This group has formed a bit of a book club and after my talk about the creative process, they had numerous questions. I’m really grateful to them for all the interactions. One question that stumped me regarded which of my books would I most like to see as a movie and who I’d want to direct it. I answered that I think First would be visually appealing and includes a story that people relate to, where astronauts are trained and there’s a buildup to the mission. (For the record, I think Next Time would also be an excellent movie choice) Where I faltered was trying to figure out who I’d like to have as a director. Still thinking about that one. The discussion shifted to a talk about how it would feel if someone came in and hacked up my story and changed it drastically for the movie. I commented that’s exactly what happened with Lord of the Rings. When that movie trilogy came out in the early 2000s, I was mad after each one because of how much they departed from the books. Seriously. Over time, I grew to realize the writers had changed elements and pacing to make them better for the medium. If they’d filmed the books exactly as written, the movies would’ve flopped. So, in answer to the question about my books being put in the cinematic blender, I understand there’d have to be differences and in the hands of a good writer, maybe they’d turn out even better than my original. Thanks to the Artemis group at work for a fun hour.