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  Adapting a story from one medium to another is not without challenges, particularly since the dynamics and structure of books, plays and movies are respectively driven by imagination, dialogue and action. If you've ever eagerly anticipated the release of a film based on one of your favorite novels--only to be disappointed in the liberties taken with the material--you can appreciate that what works so flawlessly in one form of expression falls woefully flat in another. Recognizing a plot's potential for adaptation is only half the battle. The other is in determining which elements best lend themselves to the parameters of the new spin you want to generate.
  
  

Theme and Variation

• Stage, page or cinema?old movie film onwhite background image by Anatoly Tiplyashin from Fotolia.com
  
  The same story can be told in many different ways without losing its core themes. A great way to start appreciating this is to visit the Internet Movie Database, type in the names of classic literature such as "The Sea Wolf," "Pride and Prejudice," "Dracula" and "Tom Sawyer," and rent the various versions to study how the material has been handled. After determining that the particular story you want to adapt to a different form doesn't infringe on any existing copyrights, identify its core conflict, the main characters, the key events that move the plot forward and the resolution.
  
  

Point of View

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  How a story is perceived depends in large part on who's telling the tale. While most plots are delivered from the protagonist's viewpoint, a completely different slant would be projected if events were related by the villain or one of the minor characters. For this exercise, start with a simple fairy tale such as "Red Riding Hood" and rewrite it from the individual perspectives of the wolf, the grandmother, the woodsman and Red. Apply what you learn from this about frame of reference--coupled with wants, needs, dreams and fears--and experiment in your own adaptation by making different characters the star attraction.
  
  

Time Management

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  Adapting a novel to a movie or play requires that you compress several hundred pages of text to a script that will only run 90 to 120 pages and utilize a specific format focusing on master scenes, action and dialogue. Conversely, adapting a short story to a full-length novel requires substantive exposition and character development to stretch it out to a marketable length. For this exercise, go to The Movie Spoiler website, pick any movie summary on the list, and restructure the content as a 500-word story. For theater enthusiasts, take any familiar play wherein all the action takes place in one room and determine what you would need to do add scenes or characters to make the story visually compelling for a movie.
  
  

Genres and Settings

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  Just as a well-crafted tune can be played in a variety of tempos and styles, a solid plot can lend itself to different styles of writing as well as various physical locations. The themes behind most westerns, for instance, can be easily adapted to futuristic venues because of the clear-cut lines between good and evil. Romance, likewise, can be as enduring in the Middle Ages as it can when star-crossed lovers meet at a deli in modern New York. Examine the project you want to adapt to determine whether the themes, social conventions and/or political backdrop only work in its original form or could be applied to a different setting altogether. Experiment with drama, comedy, fantasy, science fiction, western, coming of age and even animation to see which one best fits your vision.