More Classics Being Made Revamped Into Scripts For Movies

After learning about The Count of Monte Cristo getting new life as a nighttime TV soap, and yet another version of Anna Karenina for the big screen (right after Jane Eyre), I surfed around today to see what other books are being turned into scripts for movies or television.

Here's what I found out:  BuzzSugar has a nice slideshow of 15 movies that are being made from books right now.

These include two more remakes of films already made from novels:

• Dashiel Hammett's The Thin Man (Johnny Depp in the shoes of William Powell)
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio in the shoes of Robert Redford.

I'm praying now that no one has any big ideas about remaking Gone With the Wind.  Or Rebecca.  Or Double Indemnity.

I couldn't find a list of books being made into TV shows.  We already know about Bones and Castle, for example.  Surely there are more....

The Literary Character Test: I'm Scarlett O'Hara, Who Are You?

 This was fun.  I took the Literary Character Test (you can too, go here) and here's the result: 

Your result for The Literary Character Test ...

Scarlett O'Hara

Good, Epic, Straight Forward Thinker

You are basically good.  Overcoming selfish desires or cruel ways, you focus on doing the right thing, when possible, and acting in a way to benefit everyone.  You think like a champion.  Regardless of your skills, you strongly feel you can use them to their greatest ability.  Your persona is indomitable, you are a true believer.  You think straightforwardly.  You don’t feel you need to weigh too many options, neither do you feel the need to plan to far ahead, but instead take the simplest and straightest path toward your goals.
Proud to the point of haughty and determined to the point of recklessness, Scarlett O'Hara will not let anything stand in her way of taking care of those around her.  Her determination is a key to her character, and when it is set, no bonds of war, man, or even emotion can stop her.  As if to exemplify her resolve, her resolute mantra simply is "After all, tomorrow another day."

New Remake of "Anna Karenina" with Keira Knightley in the Lead. Yikes.

Greta Garbo as Anna (1948).

Yesterday, I was writing here about the Count of Monte Cristo being turned into the ABC drama series "Revenge," which starts airing this month -- and today, I read that there's going to be another remake of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, this time starring Keira Knightley.  

You remember her, she's the actress that played Elizabeth Bennet in a 2005 remake of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Jude Law is going to play Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin (Anna's husband) and Aaron Johnson is in the role of Count Vronsky (Anna's lover).  I checked IMDb, but so far there's no word on who is going to play Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin. 

My first thoughts:

I recently read Anna Karinina (see post here) and it's still pretty fresh in my mind.  Having read this movie news on Nikke Finke's blog, I'm not sure what to think.  I'm not overjoyed.

• I have no idea who Aaron Johnson is ... but he better be really something if Jude Law, of all people, is the guy that Anna dumps for him.  
• As I recall, you didn't get thru the first three chapters before you learned that Anna was much younger than her husband, and that he wasn't all that handsome.  I don't see how they are going to ugly-up Jude Law for this one. So, I'm puzzled by Law's casting. 
• Which brings me to the female lead:  I don't see Keira Knightley as Anna.  It's not working for me.  Maybe it's that Anna seemed older to me than Keira Knightley when the story began ... maybe in her early 30s?  I see Catherine Zeta-Jones here more than the star of the Pirates movie franchise. 
• One key character for me is Levin.   Who's getting to play Levin?  I'm scared to think about it.

I suppose I should be happy that Hollywood is going back to the classics for new material given the lack of movies I thought were worth my moola over the past few years.  Thing is, tho, with a classic there comes the reader's love of the story ... and it feels sorta personal.

We'll see, I guess. 

ABC Promotes New TV Show Revenge Thru Kindle, What Does This Do to EBooks? And Where's the Hat Tip to Dumas?

Right now, for free, you can download the script for the pilot episode of ABC TV's new series, "Revenge." Get the script, and you get a link to watch the pilot episode online, also at no cost to you.

Two things that I'm taking from this: 

1. New ways of using Kindle ebooks are popping up, and here's one: promotion of TV shows (and I assume movies in the future) through Kindle and its Top 100 Free list. Because that's where you'll get the exposure, right? What this does to Kindle, I'm not sure. What this does to ebook publishing, ditto. However, I must admit that I did download the script and I did read it. Afterwards, I thought it seemed familiar ... so I went surfing around, and sure enough, it was.

2. This story seems to be culled from one of my childhood favorites, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Change the protagonist to a young blonde female, move the story from France and Italy to the Hamptons, streamline some of the complicated plotting in the original and voila: a new, heavily promoted piece of entertainment that just might sell its products well considering that Dumas' original has proven itself so popular with so many for such a long time.

Go to the ABC site and you don't see anything referencing The Count of Monte Cristo. Read the reviews of the script over at Amazon.Com, and most of the reviewers perceive the new show as another nighttime soap, comparing it to the revamped Dallas that will be airing this fall.

However, if this new series is successful, then I think we will be seeing the e-book selections peppered with all sorts of things that are promotional in nature.  Lord help us all.  

Must Read: Joe Konrath's Take on The Impact of E-Books Upon the Quality of What You Can Find to Read

Once again, Joe Konrath has written something everyone (writers and readers, which I assume is almost everyone on the planet) should read, and here's how his latest greatest begins:

Some people believe the ease of self-publishing means that millions of wannabe writers will flood the market with their crummy ebooks, and the good authors will get lost in the morass, and then family values will go unprotected and the economy will collapse and the world will crash into the sun and puppies and kittens by the truckload will die horrible, screaming deaths.

Continue reading "The Tsunami of Crap," his July 5, 2011 post on his great blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing....

How to Write a Book in 90 Days: The Book, The Plan

I've ordered the Kindle version of Sarah Domet's book 90 Days to Your Novel: a Day by Day Plan for Outlining and Writing Your Book.  I've read it. 

Now, I'm going getting serious about following the path established in this book, because it's smart and it's hard and it makes good sense.  What Sarah Domet has written speaks to me -- I think I've found the approach that jives with how I work.  Not all do, I'm sure you know what I mean.

This is all about my writing fiction, and this means I am going to have to add this time commitment to my current working day, which involves writing and editing nonfiction work as well as providing consulting services for lawyers writing blogs and using social media. 


The book opines that you will need to find two hours a day to meet its 90 day deadline.  Okay.  Two hours; I can find them. 


The book demands an outline, although it gives you optional approaches to outlining.  I like outlining, I like planning in advance.  I love lists.  I love lists of lists, it's that bad.  So, this is good for me.  It might not be as welcome to someone like Robin Lee Hatcher, who likes to write and find out how the story develops as she goes. 


We'll see.


One last thing.  You can keep reading about writing, studying trends, learning markets and publishers and agents ... but then there comes the day when you have to put your foot down.  No more.  No more preparation, whether or not you feel like you're ready to go, there comes a time to move forward. 


At some point, you've got to write instead of learning about writing, thinking about writing, dreaming up plots and making friends with characters. 


Here goes.


Of course, you know what happens.  Just as I find the link for this post on Amazon, what pops up?  How to Write a Book in 90 Days, God's Way by Henry Abraham.  Now, do I read it or stick to my guns?  Arrrgggghhhh. 

I'm Reading Anna Karenina and Remembering the Timeliness of Great Books

I started reading Anna Karenina (see previous post) on Kindle and learned something right off:  there are certain things I want to read on Kindle (or any screen) and things that I most certainly don't.  Call me Old School, call me picky.

This week, I stopped by the Half Price books and got a great copy of Anna Karenina that is the right size and weight.  It's a big book and I don't want one that is cumbersome; I want one that is easy to flip back and forth when I want to go back and re-read something, and I need quality paper that can withstanding my highlights and note taking (yes, I'm one of those).  Usually, college-targeted versions serve me well, and that's what I got this time.  It's an oversized, quality paperback meant for students and I love it.

The eerie thing about reading Anna Karenina right now - and there are some eerie things - include it's opening sentence:

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Wow.  Love it, and it's so topical what with the daily news blast of Casey Anthony's trial, especially since the defense has just begun putting on their case.

The first few chapters delve into a man who has had an affair with the children's governess and now the wife has found out and is packing to leave (though we know she's really not going anywhere).  Suddenly there's a news break about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver - and the news that he's the father of their former maid's son. 

No, I'm not far enough into the book yet for Anna to appear on the scene.  She should be here any minute; Vronsky's just been revealed as Levin's rival for the hand of Kitty.

It's true, I know it already: this is a great read.  Is it the best book ever written?  I don't know that I can agree with that accolade yet ... but I know one thing: one of the keys of great books, in my opinion, is how they span the ages with truths that are as applicable today as the day they were written.  A great writer's wisdom is timeless and rare, I think.

Anna Karenina in the first few chapters is already resonating with the world I'm living in today.  That's a good sign.

Here's Why I'm Reading Anna Karenina

Roaming around the web this week, I stumbled upon a list of books that famous authors considered to their favorite books, which corresponds with an actual book on these lists-- The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books.

It's only $9.76 for a Kindle edition.  There's a blog, too. 


Anyway, I had discovered the Top Ten list from all their collective selections -- and there was Tolstoy's Anna Karenina at the top.  Number One.  Anna Karenina, really? 

All these different, successful writers had chosen this book as the best of the best, the creme of the creme.  Ever read it? 

No, me neither, I'm not ashamed to admit.  (I did see Vivien Leigh in the 1948 movie version, but I hated the ending and after all, Anna was no Scarlett. I like survivors, I am one.)

Still, here I was - wanting a good book, one of those that keep you up at night, and here this was: this list.  So, I went over to Amazon and guess what?  Right now, Anna Karenina, Kindle version, is FREE. 

It was a sign.  So, right now I'm reading Anna Karenina.  I hope they're all right. 

Book Review: Zoe Winters' Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author

I wish I had stumbled upon Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters long before now. If you are researching publishing your own e-books, then this is a must-buy.  (It's less than five bucks if you own a Kindle.)

Zoe Winters writes an easy-to-read, exceptional overview of indie publishing that not only gives a great broad-based education of the whole process but also entertains you with personal tips and asides.

She's funny and informative - a great teacher, a good read.

My only negative: I wish she would write more on the subject, but I understand her announced need to focus on writing fiction. It's just too darn bad that we cannot anticipate a Smart Self-Publishing II.

Soon We Will Check Out Kindle Books From the Library. Good.

This is good news.  Amazon is recognizing the local public library, and "Kindle Library Lending" was debuted a couple of weeks ago by the Seattle-based company which makes the Kindle e-reader.  Before now, Kindles only read books that you purchased from Amazon (or downloaded, it's true that you can get loads of stuff for free from Amazon's Kindle selection).

Kindle Library Lending is going to launch later in 2011 -- I'm guessing late in the Fall.  Once it's up and running, those who own a Kindle e-reader will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local library (assuming that your local library is participating).  What's really happening is that Amazon is working with OverDrive to make its publications OverDrive-friendly. 

Cool thing:  you'll be able to highlight and note as you read, and even after the book goes back, your Kindle notes and highlights will remain for you to use.  That's nice.

Amazon's press release mentions "over 11,000 libraries in the United States" are on board.  Is that a lot? 

Will it include the San Antonio Public Library? Yes -- because the SAPL offers OverDrive publications - the SAPL branches are considered "digital branches" by OverDrive (go to the OverDrive site and input your zip code to learn if your library will be offering Kindle ebooks to you).