<harmier@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:09837590-3991-4bc7-869a-e29aa02ee3dd@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I tried posting this a couple of days ago with Google Groups, but it
> didn't seem to go through for some reason.
>
> I need some help.
>
> I'm planning on writing a hard science fiction action-adventure novel
> which I originally conceived of as TV series. My plan is to have 24
> chapters, each equating to about a half-hour episode just because I
> have a thing for old serials. Each chapter would be somewhat self-
> contained like episodes in a TV series while bringing up plot points
> that will be paid off in later chapters. And the general tone of the
> series would be something like this: It's "Ultraviolet" (the TV
> series, not the movie). But deals with an alien invasion. And stars
> the cast of Buffy...more or less.
>
> The reason I think it can be done is do to the fact that there have
> been short stories that have been adapted for TV such as "Word
> Processor of the Gods" for "Tales From The Darkside" and "The Cold
> Equations" for "The Twilight Zone".
>
> Right now, I'm considering two possibilites in terms of story length.
>
> The first is using the "Word Processor of the Gods" as guide. From
> what I can remember of the story--which I don't have access to at the
> time--and the episode--which I haven't seen in years-- the episode
> seemed to be fairly faithful to the original short story. I do
> remember that some dialogue about a kid using playing cards to create
> plastic explosives was not used in the episode. However, it didn't
> detract from the episode. However, I don't recall if the story length
> of "Word Processor of the God" would be allow for A stories and B
> stories as TV series usually have.
>
> The second is using short fiction written using the The Lester Dent
> Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot. Lester Dent's formula is designed to
> create a 6000 word pulp story using four 1500 word sections. However,
> I've heard that others have taken the basic structure and used it with
> other genres. One person said he had written an erotic short story by
> replacing "fist fight" with "erotic encounter". He even went onto
> suggest that other genres like horror could be implemented quite
> easily by replacing the standard pulp action scenes with scenes
> reminiscent of that genre. And don't think this causes the fiction to
> be formulaic. Dent told editors that he always used a formula and they
> didn't believe him. It's really about pacing. Anyway, using the
> forumula might be what exactly what each chapter needs to keep the
> pace that I think the novel needs. However, I don't know of any short
> stories that have been based on Dent's formula and adapted to a half-
> hour format.
>
> What I need are some recommendations for short stories--along with
> where they might be available--that have been adapted to a half-hour
> format without any major changes from the original story. Deletion of
> dialogue is okay if it doesn't count as a major loss to the story as
> is dialogue that's only described in the original story ("...described
> the ships's fusion reactor operation while...") and expanded on in the
> adaptation. Of course, short stories based on Dent's formula that
> have been successfully adapted to a thirty-minute format would be
> especially helpful since I already have access to the formula.
>
> I'm specifically looking for short stories with somewhat of an action
> bent, but stories with a more investigative focus are appreciated,
> too. And a little melodrama and comedy won't hurt.
>
> And before the obvious question is asked, I'll answer it. Why do I
> want to use already existing short stories as a guide for each
> chapter? Well, I could go into a long process of figuring out the
> right pacing and length to approximate what a half-hour of television
> would be like if it happened to be translated into a short story.
> However, it's already been succesfully done by other writers. Why try
> to reinvent the wheel?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Short turned into movie length
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