From page to screen: my screenwriting journey (or lack thereof)
Leaves are falling, motivation is rising (theoretically).
Let’s talk about my chaotic screenwriting dreams.
Somewhere on my hard drive, buried under folders named things like “DON’T OPEN TILL REWRITE” and “NaNo2020_finalfinalREALLYfinal”, there’s a little file that says: “Nos Vies d’Après – Script.”
It exists. I started it. I even liked what I wrote.
And then… I ghosted it. Full-on, no-contact, Irish goodbye.
But lately? I’ve been thinking about it again. So, I figured it was time to open up, share the truth of where I’m at, and maybe, just maybe, inspire you to dust off your unfinished project too.
Step One: The Book
If you’ve read Nos Vies d’Après, you know it’s not just a love story. It’s grief, memory, shame, identity, and the question of “what if.” It’s about a man whose past love reappears under a different name… or does she?
It was one of those books that came out of me like a confession.
Naturally, I thought: this would make a GREAT film.
Slow burn. Emotional tension. Flashbacks. Silences. San Francisco melancholy.
Also, Garret Hedlund as Sam? YES, PLEASE.
So, one day, I opened a new document. I gave myself a little pep talk. I told myself I didn’t need to figure everything out right away.
I wrote a few scenes.
And then… I panicked.
Step Two: Realising I Have No Clue What I’m Doing
Here’s the thing: I’m not a screenwriter. I mean… I wasn’t.
I’ve never studied screenwriting. I’ve never done a course. I just love stories. I write novels. I watch films obsessively. I dream about my books being adapted.
So I did what any chaotic writer would do:
I googled “how to format a screenplay.”
I opened Final Draft, stared at the blinking cursor, and immediately wondered what I was doing with my life.
Step Three: Panic. Procrastinate. Repeat.
The truth is, I kept postponing it because I felt like I wasn’t “qualified.”
Who am I to think I can write a script? I don’t know how to write a logline. I don’t know what an act break actually is. My idea of structure is “vibes first, everything else later.”
I just want to tell stories that hit deep. I want to see my characters move, breathe, whisper, cry on screen.
But I also… overthink. A lot.
So I made a hundred Pinterest moodboards. Listened to film scores on repeat. Rewatched The Deep Blue Sea, High Rise, Atonement, Brooklyn, and told myself it was “research.”
(It wasn’t. I was procrastinating. But also crying. So maybe it counts.)
Step Four: Dreams Are Loud
I still want it.
I want to see Nos Vies d’Après become a film. Maybe a mini-series.
I want to change a few things in the plot, write it in a new rhythm, let it breathe differently.
And more than that?
I want to become a showrunner one day. I want to write a short film. I want to pitch a series to Netflix or Apple or whoever’s emotionally available.
I want to walk into a meeting and say:
”Yes, it started with a messy little Word doc. And now we’re here.”
Step Five: Let’s Try Again
I don’t have a process. I don’t have a plan. But I have the file. I have the story. And I have this article now, as a way of saying: I’m coming back to it. Even if it’s slow. Even if it’s messy. Even if I get stuck again.
So if you’re like me…
If you’ve got a script buried in drafts, or a dream you’re low-key afraid to say out loud…
Let’s start again. Let’s write the next scene. Let’s open the damn file.
Because one day, someone’s going to ask:
”How did it all begin?”
And we’ll say:
”Funny story…”
Let’s talk
Have you ever tried writing a script? Adapted your own work? Dreamed about it but didn’t dare start? Let’s scream in the comments together!
