Update on…everything

I had planned to finish Slayers before I did anything else. The story is so close to being done. Well, at least the rough draft is close. The finished, polished story is far from being done since revisions take months. But my agent called me the end of March and told me he wanted me to turn three of my books into screenplays.

The first problem with this instruction was that I don’t know how to write screenplays. It’s sort of like telling a comic creator to do a watercolor. Some of the principles are the same but it’s completely different medium. So I’ve been reading screenplay writing books and working on Just One Wish, and All is Fair in Love, War, and High School. When I’m done with those, my agent wants me to turn My Fair Godmother into both a screenplay and a pilot for a series. In case you’re wondering, writing series pilots is different then screenplays so I’ll have to learn another new skill.

In some ways it’s been good for me to work on something so different because it reminds me that learning is a process and I should have more understanding and patience for people who haven’t learned the craft of writing yet. Just because you tell people a rule and even give examples doesn’t mean they’ll know how to implement it. I’ve been told in screenwriting books to avoid overwriting, and I’m still not sure what that looks like.

It takes a lot of hours to learn a craft and I’m just at the beginning of that journey.

Part of me wants to stop with the screenplays after I finish All’s Fair and get the fifth Slayers done. Another part of me realizes that I have an agent for a reason, and I’m supposed to listen to his advice. Strike while the iron is hot, and all that. I might be able to make a decent wage as a screenwriter whereas I know I won’t make that working on the last Slayers book. Harsh truth, I know. But these last books have been a labor of love and not profit.

I also have been working on my novella: Covertly Yours, which is in the With a Kiss anthology. I and some amazing authors put this anthology together as a fundraiser for Rob Wells. It will only be available for six months so grab your copy now. (Amazon says it’s 666 pages. Apparently one of us should have written one more or one less page.)

Click here to buy With a Kiss

I’ve been at Storymakers and Phoenix Comic Fest where I filmed a whole bunch of episodes of So You Think You Can Write with amazing guest judges. Standby for episodes with Shannon Hale, Melanie Jacobson, Sarah Eden, Donna Hatch, Lisa Mangum, Ben Grange, Brandon Mull, James Owen, and Brandi Stewart (From Changing Hands). I’m probably forgetting someone. But trust me they were all awesome.

Those episodes will be coming out in the next month months.

And that’s what I’ve been doing and why I’m behind on everything, or at least behind on Slayers, which feels like everything.

22 comments

  1. Tiana Smith
    May 25, 2018 at 9:50 am

    I think it’s easy to feel pressure from readers that isn’t completely there. But don’t worry! Do what you have to do and readers will wait for the next Slayers book, no problem. I think it’s exciting that you’re working on some screenplays!

  2. April
    May 25, 2018 at 10:58 am

    I love hearing about your process. It’s so interesting to hear about what you’re working on. Thanks for sharing!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 27, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Thanks for being understanding.

  3. Evelyn
    May 26, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    Ma’am, I have full confidence that the finale to the Slayers series will be worth the wait. Perhaps you could see that becoming a movie series in the future too? My friends and I were actually discussing that not too long ago and it seems like it would be an incredible series to do that with…as long as you’ve got a good book whacker that is (haha!)

    Good luck with all your endeavors!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 26, 2018 at 2:03 pm

      Good point. And since I’m going to have to learn how to write a pilot for a series, I might as well write one for a Slayers series too.

      • Evelyn
        May 26, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        You just made my day =D

        • Evelyn
          May 29, 2018 at 6:52 am

          Question: What’s a pilot? Still a little confused as to what that means.

          • Janette Rallison
            May 29, 2018 at 1:28 pm

            A pilot is a show that’s written to sell a series to a network. Sometimes they will even shoot the show to see if they get good feedback on it. In my mind, the fairy godmother books would make much better series than they would movies. A movie script is about hundred pages and it would be really hard to cut down a 400 page story to 100 pages.

  4. Sara
    May 26, 2018 at 7:59 pm

    It’s incredible that you’re able to take your past works – the ones we all fell in love with – and are turning it into something that may hit a screen near us. I think it’s fair to say that we’re all here to support your work, whichever medium it comes in.

    • Janette Rallison
      May 27, 2018 at 4:57 pm

      I’d love to see my books on the big screen, or the Netflix or Amazon screen, but it’s always such a long shot. Still, one can hooe.

  5. Melinda
    May 27, 2018 at 8:30 am

    I just wanted to let you know that I have come across my 12-year-old son several times this week laughing out loud as he works his way through my Janette Rallison collection on the Kindle. Thank you for writing books that are fun and funny and relatable to everyone. Can’t wait to see what new things you create!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 27, 2018 at 4:58 pm

      Smart boy! Glad he’s enjoying them!

  6. Marissa
    May 28, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    Just One Wish has been high on my list of books to recommend for adaptation if a producer ever asks me for suggestions for a while. Good luck getting it and the others optioned and made!

  7. Britney Steele
    May 28, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    How exciting! I could totally see my fair godmother as a tv series! I use pieces of that book for bedtime stories and even did it as a skit for my daughters 6th grade camp! It was a huge hit! Cant wait for updated news!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 29, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      I’m glad that you like it so much! I do love the story although I wish I could rewrite some parts of it. I guess that’s the author’s curse.

  8. Jen
    May 29, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    I loved Covertly Yours. Best in the anthology!

    • Janette Rallison
      May 29, 2018 at 4:58 pm

      Thanks! It would be great if you could leave a review!

  9. Evelyn
    June 7, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    I think the thread got too long, so there wasn’t a reply button.

    Thank you for your help! I appreciate it! I agree with you in that it would make a better series than a movie. How much influence do you have regarding what makes it to the screen? I understand that you write it, but how much would you be expected to adapt the story?

    I’m just really excited about the prospect that your work could be put into a show.

    • Janette Rallison
      June 9, 2018 at 12:11 am

      Sadly I have almost no control over what makes it to the screen. You offer it to the studios and they have to decide whether they want to buy it and put the money into producing it. 80% of the time when they buy the rights to produce it they don’t actually ever produce it. I’ve heard other authors say not to get excited until they’re casting.

      • Evelyn
        June 9, 2018 at 4:47 am

        Oh wow. That’s way different than I expected. Best of luck then! It would be really cool to see it, but if it doesn’t go through, your stories are already amazing. 🙂
        Thank you for explaining it. I really enjoy these sneak peeks into what authors actually do. I’ve been thinking I might like to write a book one day and your posts have shown me that it’s not all glamorous haha!
        Again, good luck!

  10. R
    August 15, 2018 at 11:07 pm

    I haven’t checked your site for awhile, but I cannot even express how excited I am that you are writing screenplays. I am literally reading Just One Wish right now for what has to be the 20th time and I still love it just as much every time I read it

    • Janette Rallison
      September 2, 2018 at 12:44 am

      Let’s hope the studios like it as much as you do!

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