Thursday, September 20: Femme Fatale
THE BIG LEAP
by Deborah Elliott-Upton
Do you know what these movies have in common?
“The Shawshank Redemption”
“All About Eve”
“High Noon”
“Stand By Me”
“Psycho”
“Blow-Up”
“The Fly”
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
“The Birds”
“3:10 to Yuma”
For those who’ve said they don’t enjoy short stories, I beg to differ. I bet most of us have seen most of the above movies and they all started out as short stories. While there isn’t a lot of money to be made by writing short stories to entice writers to create them (not since Hemingway’s time anyway,) there is an awful lot (technical term) to be made from writing screenplays.
But, why write the short story at all when you could jump ahead and create the script?
For any writer: writing short stories hones your craft. The size of a short story means only a short space is available to get it all in: the characters, the action, the plotlines, the character’s growth. The short story writer must be concise in his writing. If you can’t make every word count in a short story, your novel isn’t going to work either. That goes for screenplays, too.
Okay, so why read short stories? In a word: time. Time is one thing we all seem to have less and less of these days. I do have time to read a four page short story while I’m waiting in a doctor’s office or on a subway or for a plane. Reading a novel requires more shifting of schedules.
So, if you can get the entire story of a movie in two hours or less (unless it’s a Costner film), great. I love movies. Sit back and relax in one of those rocking seats, grab some popcorn and escape into that realm. If you’re like me and have to grab bits and pieces of down time, choose a short story collection magazine and savor the mini-vacation through a mind-travel trip the writer takes you on. The cost is definitely less than going to the movies, whether you skip the concession stand or not.
This past weekend, I saw the remake of “3:10 to Yuma.” The newest adaptation is wonderfully written by screenwriters Halstead Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. The acting, direction and cinematography are well worth your time. This film is based on Elmore Leonard’s short story. See the movie, see the original version (starring Glenn Ford) and then read Elmore Leonard’s original short story and make your own comparisons.
When you next go to the movies, read the opening credits and see if perhaps the movie is based on a short story and made the big leap to the silver screen. You may be surprised.
Short stories or novellettes often seem to make the best movies. God point.
The other night I watched “The Last Mimzy,” a cute scifi adventure with Timothy Hutton. It turns out that it’s another film based on a short story: “Mimsy Were the Borogroves” by Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and Catherine Moore) published in Astounding Science Fiction Magazine in Feb. 1943. I haven’t read the story, but now I think I will.
Great minds…you have just posted the column I was trying to write for Saturday! So, good thing I have neighbors and friends to pester for new ideas!
To add to your list of movies made from short stories:
Memento; Rear Window; Rashomon, 2001 Space Odyssey, Minority Report, Bringing Up Baby, and that never to be forgotten (as much as we try) Christmas Story. That last was from a short story by Jean Shepherd, “Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid.”
Hemingway, as you mention, was only one of many literary giants who wrote short stories later adapted to the big screen. F. Scott Fitzgerald did the same.
A brilliant movie, Strangers On A Train, directed by Hitchcock, was an adaptation from Patricia Highsmith’s debut novel BUT her novel was an expansion of a short story she’d already written.
I have to add that Road to Perdition was written from a newspaper article.
I have to add you are so correct in stating writing short stories hones your skills for any writing genre and length–especially since I learned from the best!
I just saw 3:10 to Yuma as well. Didn’t know it was a remake until hubby told me! So I like this one best. He said it was great….for a remake.
Deborah, you always make me look at things in a different light. Thanks for a great post!
Interesting – and food for thought – haven’t tried writing short stories – thanks for your insights and for sharing them