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The Evolving Idea II: Adaptation

July 30, 2015

Last year I waxed lyrical on how ideas can evolve and change over time, even within a single short story that can become something totally different to its original intention. I was mostly talking about a single project going through its own individual course of development, but the natural progression from that is the idea being recrafted into a totally different medium. Adaptation. Sometimes it’s a dirty word; other times it’s the salvation of an idea previously struggling to find its groove.

Adaptation can be, to put it eloquently, a real bugger. Movies built from an existing story or IP are the main subject of criticism here, but changes in material for a new medium can run up and down the chain. The idea can come from anywhere and can become anything. Les Miserables started as a book, then became a musical that had more influence on the 2012 movie adaptation than the actual source material.

The 2012 film is an interesting point of discussion as far as adaptation is concerned, because it begs the question of whether it was an appropriately adapted project. The result was a musical crammed into a feature film format – many critics rated it well, which is hardly a surprise, but the reaction was more polarised among regular moviegoers.

And then there’s content that just will never fit into a certain medium, no matter how much you try to fit it in there. There’s never been a proper video game made of Les Miserables, just as most video games don’t make good movies (especially if they’re directed by Uwe Boll). A computer game can have a good story, although it’s often a mess to take that story to a new medium and keep it compelling.

But let’s narrow this down a little to talk about adaptation in different forms of writing – it may seem smaller in scale, but the same issue of compatibility arises.

The difficulty in jumping between prose and poetry is self-evident – the two forms of writing require completely different disciplines and priorities. What works well as a story may work as a poem if stripped down to its core ideas and emotions and retold accordingly, and vice versa if the right details are filled out into compelling narrative with story and momentum. Either way it’s a tough exercise.

And even across different forms of prose, it’s difficult to take an idea and transmogrify it into something else. Often the concept seems pretty simple. Take the fairly common practise of turning a chapter from a manuscript into a self-enclosed short story. Chapters are supposed to have their own internal mechanics and structure, so clean up around the edges and it should make a solid short story, right?

Wrong – initially, at least. It’s been done with success many times before, but even if it’s the first chapter being tapered at the end to add a more complete ending, it’s not a clean process. The cracks will show. Ideas that were meant to be seeds for later discussion will become pointless distractions. And the ending will likely be unsatisfying because there was meant to be more content to fill out the conflict and mystery evident in this episode of a greater story. Open endings are all well and good, but not if there are still loose ends that don’t close the natural arc of the story and the events that play out as a consequence of the inciting actions.

There are lots of anecdotes about short stories being expanded into novel-length publications. And hey, it works. But only if it’s a storyline constructed for the novel length. Rarely does the short story just get slapped on as a first chapter. The entire narrative is deconstructed and grown from scratch.

It’s also not as clear-cut to jump between fiction and non-fiction. Sure, the two mediums often blur together, but the point of fiction is to entertain and the point of non-fiction is to educate and enlighten (yes, that’s a gross oversimplification, but every ‘rule of writing’ carries at least some contrivance). So the focus needs to change, even if just a little. Non-fiction is typically bound by design to require more of a ‘point’ than fiction, which can exist clearly to entertain only.

So with all these problems and incompatibilities, is it a bad idea to try to take an idea in one form and adapt it into another mode of expression? Of course not.

I do it a lot myself, as a prose writer. A couple of dead manuscripts from my university days have been dismembered into a suite of short-form projects. One finally made it to publication in the latest issue of the online journal Communion. But only after a massive renovation that saw the original chapter stripped down to half its length and the remainder practically rewritten. The rest of my attempts there are pretty much dead ends – for now, at least. Like with any evolving idea, sometimes it just needs time to find the right mode of expression – and the enthusiasm to make the idea fit the medium, instead of the other way around.

Never be shy about experimenting with ideas, exploring different modes of expression to find the best way to carry a specific story or concept. But adapting something for a new medium is about as much work as writing from scratch. It’ll be laborious, but it might be worth it.

Beau Hillier | Editor, page seventeen

Take Some Pride in Your Work

July 9, 2015

I have a headache.

A pain, like somebody thrust a spear through my right eye and forced it out the back of my head.

This pain is not a migraine.

It’s not a tumour.

It has no medical-based cause.

It comes from reading stuff sent out into the world before it’s ready.

It’s tantamount to sending a six-month-old foetus out into the world and expecting it to thrive.

You see, you’re only as brilliant as your reader’s capacity to understand you.

So your premise could be mind-blowing. It could, in fact, be the most brilliant idea that’s ever been conceived in the history of brilliant ideas. But if you send it out half-cooked, poorly articulated, or badly punctuated, then it means nothing.

Any narrative is a guide providing the reader a tour through the story. The tour itself might force the reader to think, might be disturbing or thought-provoking, it might be hard to digest and you might even wish you weren’t taking it, but at no time should it be incomprehensible.

Your writing’s not going to win readers over on potential. Some people just don’t get this. They think their writing can be horrifically punctuated and the grammar appalling, but that their idea is so mind-blowingly brilliant, that they themselves are so mind-blowingly brilliant, that it doesn’t matter, we’ll forgive them, love them, and love what they’ve written.

Uh uh.

The majority of readers will not persevere with writing that grandly suffers any (let alone all) of these flaws. What it really demonstrates is that the author hasn’t bothered to put all due care into their work, so why should we bother investing our time into it? Why should we read something that’s going to require constant deciphering? Life’s too short.

And taking this further, why am I going to invest again in you as an author? If anything, in a situation like this, you’re only damaging your own reputation – your own brand. If you’re running a business, and releasing literature of this quality as a promotional tool, you’re not likely to win clients, because you’re writing is going to be a reflection of you – if this is how you write, how do you conduct business?

If you’re a baker, would you leave your pastries on muddy shelves? If you’re a carpenter, would you sell chairs with uneven legs? If you’re a plumber, would the pipes you fix constantly leak, or pump water to the wrong places? If you’ve answered ‘no’ to these questions, why would you treat your writing any differently?

The advent of e-publishing has made it is easy for people to self-publish. Digital publishing has made self-publishing cheap and simple. But just because publishing has become so accessible isn’t a reason to not take the utmost care with what you’re releasing. You need to polish it to a standard that people won’t be complaining about punctuation and/or grammar, and will thus be free to focus purely on content.

You have one chance to make a first impression. Screw it up, and many won’t give you a second chance. Those who do will be harder to win over, waiting for you to trip up.

Take some pride in your work.

Don’t send it out in the world until its ready.

LZ.

An Update on P17 #12

June 25, 2015

Page seventeen’s submission window for the 2015 issue is still ticking along and taking submissions (as well as waiting for yours if you haven’t submitted yet!). But in the meantime, we have a couple of announcements on the new issue … don’t worry, nothing bad. You might even nod approvingly.

Firstly, it didn’t seem fair that this submission window ended up a little shorter than previous years, so the deadline will be extended. Both general and competition submissions will now be accepted for Issue 12 until Friday 17 July.

Secondly, Issue 12 will be the first issue to be made available exclusively as an e-edition. This means greater exposure for included writers, and greater ease of purchase for anyone wanting a copy. Considering that the main purpose of page seventeen has always been to promote new writers, it’s a natural move to prioritise internet-based exposure and make the issue more readily available to anyone with an internet connection.

We will still be having a ‘launch’ that will have details announced closer to the date, but look out for it closer to the end of the year.

For anyone who still hasn’t entered for inclusion in the latest issue or a chance to earn a prize in the competition categories, you’ve gotten an extension but don’t dally! Be confident in your own work, and be bold. Write something that demands attention – that screams to be heard. Write something that declares you to the world. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry – we want to see you, and we want to hear your voice in the lines on the page.

Best of luck all who have already entered, and to all who are planning to submit to page seventeen. Maybe you can help make Issue 12 the best yet. I’m looking forward to hearing your voices.

Beau Hillier | Editor, page seventeen

The Launch of Joffa: Isn’t That Life?

June 10, 2015

Tomorrow night, we’re launching our newest book, the autobiography Joffa: Isn’t That Life?

When we first had Joffa into Busybird last year and pitched to him that he should write an autobiography, he expressed several concerns. Firstly, he was worried people would think he was grandstanding.

One thing you discover when you talk to Joffa, though, is that he’s modest, he’s not afraid to poke fun at himself, and he is also selfless – on top of his work with the homeless, he volunteers for several charities, and gives time to make benefit appearances. He has fun in the Collingwood Cheer Squad, but it’s all part of the showmanship of supporting your team. Nothing about Joffa involves grandstanding.

Joffa was also worried about his writing. He admitted he might be shaky on grammar and punctuation, and that he was okay writing short passages (e.g. a page of two), but more than that and he was prone to repetition.

Some might laugh at that, but it’s important for writers to know their strengths and weaknesses. We have dealt with authors who think they’re infallible, are closed to editing, and ultimately their work never realises its potential. To get the best out of your writing, you need to be challenged to think outside your parameters.

When Joffa began turning in chapters, he proved he underrated his writing – it’s evocative, sometimes almost poetic, conjuring strong visuals, whilst keeping the storytelling emotive. We had to clean up some punctuation, grammar, and repetition, but that’s standard with any edit. He was also receptive to areas of the book he had to work on, and some structural reshuffling we performed. He was an editor’s dream as an author.

Once a first draft of the book was completed, it went back and forth between us and Joffa until everybody was happy with it. Joffa produced a compelling read and had the courage to bare himself publically. It’s a good lesson in the virtue of sharing your story – stories touch people, and can have a positive impact on their lives. Joffa’s story promotes a strong message: despite adversity, despite anything you go through, you can make something of your life, and you can do so and develop compassion, empathy, and graciousness.

Joffa himself has come through an abusive upbringing and teenage homelessness, and his daughter has epilepsy, but he’s never played the victim of circumstance, and he hasn’t – as others might have – gone off the rails. If you have a preconception of Joffa that borders on negative, or is maybe even a little derisive, just talk to him for a few minutes and you’ll reshape your impressions.

A big thank you to all the Pozible contributors who pledged money to help make the book a reality. A book is an expensive endeavour: editing, layout, design, promotion, distribution – it all adds up. Busybird Publishing is a boutique micropublisher, and we’re grateful for all the help.

A thank you, too, to wife-and-husband team, Blaise van Hecke and Kev Howlett, owners of Busybird Publishing, Blaise for all her tireless work behind the scenes getting the book going and coordinating the work in putting it and the launch together, Kev for the design of the cover and his ideas throughout; senior editor Melissa Cleeman for her meticulous editing, organising the launch, and her media work to get the book out there; and assistant editors, Rebecca Courtney, Shevon Higgins, Johanna Boutros, Joey To, Lisa Roberts, Isabella Gilmore and, again, Blaise, for their editing on the book and shaping it into what it is; and Tom O’Conell for his tireless proofreading.

Here are the details for the launch:

When

Where
Bella Union
54 Victoria Street
Carlton 3053

If you’re intending on coming and haven’t RVSPed, please RVSP immediately, as you’ll need to have your name on the door. So call us on (03) 9434 6365 or drop Melissa an email.

LZ.

The Beginning

May 28, 2015

Page seventeen has the specific focus of providing a home for new writers to have something published. Through both general submissions and competitions, the annual collection invites every individual looking to really make something of their own writing, and still feels new to the game, to submit to us and see if their gamble has resulted in a winning formula. Sometimes it does, and it gets published. Sometimes it doesn’t and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad – maybe it just needs a little more trimming of superfluous lines, or the characters could use a little more development, or so on. But we invite everyone to take that chance and have a go at being a writer.

Hm, hang on. Being a writer. That’s a heck of a thing to worry about, isn’t it?

Or maybe it isn’t. Especially if you take a moment to step away from the sensationalism that surrounds ‘being a writer’, especially on social media. Anyone with a writer-esque contact on Facebook will likely get the regular feed of quotes about being a writer, posts about how awesome it is to be a writer and so on. Don’t get me wrong, these are great forms of encouragement. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded that the old ‘solitary artist’ babble isn’t necessarily a truth; that there’s a whole community of like-minded artists out there. But a lot of the time it just doesn’t really scratch the surface, does it? They’re not likely to help you feel any different as someone who creates content.

Only you define yourself as a writer. And only you decide how important that quality is to you. You could be an accountant who happens to be a writer. Or you’re a writer who happens to keep a day job as an accountant. You could be a writer as a career path, or as something to do in a hobby.

There’s only one thing that should never change, regardless of how you view yourself as a writer. You may take breaks, you may go months without writing anything of substance for whatever reason, and you may write in different styles or for difference audiences. A thousand different branches with the same beginning point, the same alpha from which everything else is just the omega.

The work means something.

Now, that sounds a hell of a lot heavier than it actually is. Meaning? Oh crap, you mean social commentary? Or strongly-developed themes? Is my writing meaningless unless it’s a thesis on the human condition, or the folly of war, or how it’s important to recycle? No, calm down, put that pedestal away. It can have those things, but they don’t constitute meaning.

What’s important is that it means something to you. That you put something heartfelt in it. That you made it your own. It doesn’t have to have details from your life, and it doesn’t have to be loaded with your thoughts and preoccupations. But it has to have a point of inspiration. Something that defines your reason for choosing that topic, those characters, this setting. Sometimes it’s just purely a what-if situation but it’s never totally random.

Whether you believe it or not, people are looking forward to seeing your work. People are looking forward to finding a fresh new voice – your voice. Make sure it really is your voice. Make sure you’re speaking clearly. That’s all you really need to worry about in the initial act of writing. Speak clearly. The other elements can be refined.

Be a writer later – including submitting your work, whether that be to page seventeen or elsewhere. Make time to enjoy writing now. Make time to create something that feels meaningful to you.

Beau Hillier | Editor, page seventeen