Telling a great story is the goal of every writer. Even with experienced authors, challenges abound with every piece of writing. Decisions are made for the proper tone, theme, and, depending on the piece of writing, development of the argument, character or plot. Of course, there’s always the moments when the blank page or screen doesn’t fill up so quickly with words!
With children, storytelling begins in the oral tradition. While in grade school, I couldn’t wait to get home and recount the day’s events. Although, most times, rambling and disjointed, my stories invariably started with “Guess what happened today” followed by “and then…”until I reached the end of my recounting. Apparently, I must’ve been quite excitable and dramatic in my narration. My second grade teacher commented in my report card that I “read with too much enthusiasm.”
An online article written by Joshua VanDeBrake entitled “The Science of Storytelling: Why we Love Stories” and published at thoughtcom states that “….neuroscientists found that when listening to a well-told story, the exact same areas of the brain light up on an MRI in both the storyteller and listener. Your brain, as the listener, mirrors the brain of the storyteller. When you hear a well-told story, your brain reacts as if you are experiencing it yourself.”
The origins of stories, notably in the oral tradition, are always changing as they get retold. I can only imagine how epic poems were improvised with slight modifications as they were passed down through generations of storytellers. My first thoughts are of the Greek epic poems the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” that were eventually written down but started with word-of-mouth retelling. Another article, by N.S. Gill publishing online in thoughtsco.com ad entitled “Storytelling and the Greek Oral Tradition” emphasizes the cultural and historical importance of oral tradition describes how the technique was mastered. He states, “…the ‘Iliad” and the “Odyssey” took place in the Mycenaean Age. Kings built strongholds in well-fortified cities on hilltops. The period when Homer sang the epic stories and when, shortly after, other talented Greeks (Hellenes) created new literary/musical forms—like lyric poetry—is known as the Archaic Age. Between these two periods was a mysterious “dark age”…when people of the area lost the ability to write. Thus, Homer’s epics are part of an oral tradition which passed down history, custom, law, and culture through spoken word rather than written.” The oral tradition of storytelling was kept alive as a popular form of entertainment with bards employing mnemonic devices, improve, and memorization. N.S. Gill reemphasize the importance in storytelling to keep culture and history alive. “An oral tradition is the vehicle by which information is passed from one generation to the next in the absence of writing or a recording medium. In the days before near-universal literacy, bards would sing or chant their people’s stories.”
At the moment, I’m adapting my book “Unearthing Christmas” into a screenplay. Years ago, I started the story as a script and switched over to a novel. I needed to break the spell of the one-page, one-minute mandate of movie scripts. I’d nearly forgotten what it’s like to let a story “breathe” as in steering away from the bare minimum, if any, description. I actually don’t like lots of detail in novels. I’m more plot and dialogue driven which lends itself to my attraction to screenwriting or playwriting. But, the novel was meant to be, and I’m grateful to my writing self for seeing it through to publication.
Adapting any story to a different medium is a challenge, whether it’s the oral tradition of an epic poem to the written word or a novel to a screenplay. There’s always a way of reinterpreting that takes place. And it all starts in the imagination! My way of adaptation began with thinking through some passages in the written version of “Unearthing Christmas” in the novel and picturing them in my mind for the screen. I knew there were story points that couldn’t be narrated and needed to be portrayed visually. One instance is knowing that our modern-day protagonist, Peggy, had spent time in a detention center. In my first few drafts of the script version, I didn’t bring out that detail, although in retrospect I realized it was important to know this fact to inform the audience of her experiences. And simply putting it in dialogue would not have an impact. So, I came up with the idea of starting the story with Peggy being released from a detention center to her mom. We know from the opening scene that she’s been in trouble and that she’s battling a way of life that led to that episode. There are a few other scenes that illuminate exposition from the book, and my goal was to keep the story as visual as possible and still be faithful to the book. I did employ lots of dialogue that still worked in a movie version, at least I hope so!
If you’re adapting a poem, short story, novel, or play into a different medium, consider the best possible means to tell your story. Consider the bards of old that new how to bring their stories to life. And their success in keeping their stories alive is pronounced by the written versions of the epic poems and fairy tales we still read and enjoy. Happy writing, reimagining, and retelling!