5 Qs with My Favorite Authors: Tess Sharpe's Staggering Success and Work Ethic
Her book THE GIRLS I'VE BEEN will also be a Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown
Hello, lovelies!
Today I’m back with one of my favorite newsletter features, 5 Questions with My Favorite Authors! I first met
online when she reached out to congratulate me on my Netflix/Millie Bobby Brown book-film collaboration. Tess’s own novel, The Girls I’ve Been, had also been picked up by Netflix, with Millie Bobby Brown starring.Tess not only wrote the book, she’s also writing the screenplay for her movie! So today I’ve got some questions for her about the process of shifting from novelist to screenwriter, as well as what it’s like to work in the very different worlds of book publishing and Hollywood.
Welcome to WORDPLAY, Tess!
(1) Your novel The Girls I’ve Been is slated to become a Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown. For my readers who don’t know how a book gets noticed by a studio, streamer, or movie star, can you explain a little about the process? And also, how did it feel when you heard the news?
So I’ve been through the option process a few times, but this particular time, it came as a total surprise because the book somehow sneaked its way to producers. I had no idea it was out to anyone! My film agent hadn’t even read it yet!
So my first reaction when my literary agent called to tell me we had an offer was: Huh? What?! And then promptly: OH GOD, THE PRODUCERS READ THE VERSION BEFORE IT WENT TO COPY EDITS. And then my perfectionist self died a bit.
So basically: a producer, production company or studio can option your novel for a period of time. This is kind of like they pay you rent for your idea for say 18 months (the timelines can differ) and during those 18 months the producer/studio can try to get financing, get a script written, put together a cast, find a director, etc. After the time is up, they can extend the option or go “Okay, that’s as far as we go! Bye!” and you get your rights back.
(2) You’re writing the screenplay of your own novel. You’re also such a generous mentor to other writers who are interested in following your footsteps; the screenwriting Discord server you run is a treasure trove of information. How did you get started in screenwriting?
After I optioned my adult debut for the first time and learned about the screenwriting and adaptation process by watching an amazing screenwriter and production company take on that book, I decided this would be a fun medium to learn and a great challenge to undergo.
I also knew that I needed a script in order to show my film agent that I understood the format, so I started practicing in anticipation of the day that maybe another one of my books might catch producers’ attention. When I got the offer for The Girls I’ve Been, I had a pilot adapted from a short story of mine to show my film agent and I decided that in order to sell my rights to anyone, I’d need to be involved in writing the first draft of the screenplay. So I made writing the first draft a condition of optioning my IP and since I had multiple offers, I was able to leverage that in negotiations and get what I asked for, which was awesome!
(interview continues below)
(3) I know that writing novels is such a different skill from writing screenplays. What has been the biggest challenge for you in switching gears?
My favorite adaptations—FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, HOLES, and THE PRINCESS BRIDE—are scripts that really retain the spirit and themes of the book, but also acknowledge the differences of the mediums and how that can twist certain narratives in a different way or change how you dispense information. That’s something I really try to keep in mind, as I continue to adapt my own work for film and TV. My novels can be very cinematic, but also very structurally tricky and they often have a lot of design elements and quirks and so I’m always asking myself: how does this translate into a different medium (both for audiobooks AND for film/TV, honestly!).
In books, it’s just you and your editor most of the time. And it’s your name on the cover. But film and TV is such a collaborative medium. I’m going to use a baking metaphor because I used to make wedding cakes but: as a screenwriter, basically you’re like a baker who makes all the wedding cake batter and frosting, bakes the cakes, fills them, stacks the layers up with dowels and crumb coats everything and then you step back and let the wedding cake designer (that would be the director and the actors and crew) take the cake over and add all their gorgeous ideas and designs to this foundation you created for them to decorate.
I find it really freeing to know that I already executed the narrative the way I wanted with the book. Which means the adaptation doesn’t have to be a scene-by-scene copy. In most cases, that would make a very unsuccessful narrative. I joke one of my books, if you adapted it super faithfully like that, the heroine is just in her truck being murderous for like 60% of the book, ha! So freeing myself up to ask myself: how might this translate differently? Is there a more effective way in this medium? is very important.
I never want to be so precious that I’m not open to change and ideas and new ways of portraying something, while also balancing keeping those book moments that the readers go back to over and over and really cherish and want to see.
(4) Likewise, Hollywood is a totally different beast from the publishing industry. Has anything surprised you as you’ve put on hats in both worlds?
Being a part of the WGA, especially during a historic strike, was a huge revelation to me as someone who’s spent over a decade in trade publishing where things are set up to prevent not just the creators from ever having a union or any collective bargaining power, but who works very hard to squash any union efforts of their hard-working staff.
The amount of care, respect and sheer information and career building help that is provided when being part of a writing union is unfathomable as someone coming from publishing. I felt like I was staggering around like Dorothy in OZ, it was wild. And that’s not even getting into the health insurance and pension and the minimum rates that the union has negotiated. It was a transformative year of my life, being part of the WGA and I hope very much to sell more screenplays so I can continue to be a member.
(5) You are an incredibly disciplined and prolific novelist, writing everything from contemporary YA romcoms to thrillers to Jurassic Park and Marvel books. Do you have any advice for writers who would like to be more productive?
Find yourself a supportive group of people to work with if accountability or check-in partners work for you. Remember that taking breaks is ESSENTIAL and while writing every day may work for some people (I do want those people to rest their hands sometimes, too, though!) that writing every day is not the mark of a “true” writer or even a prolific writer. And also: bribes are totally a solid way to get through the sticky parts of the book (this is also at the 30K mark for me).
Thank you so much for hanging out with me today, Tess! I can’t wait for the sequel to The Girls I’ve Been to come out this year, and then for the movie on Netflix!
If you’d like to check out any of Tess’s books, you can find them here or anywhere books are sold!
Mothers are Dragons
Yesterday, I wrote a guest post over on
about working with my daughter on DAMSEL’s dragon language. You can read it here.Get your copy of DAMSEL!
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My Book and Movie Release Calendar: 2024
March 5th - Damsel movie tie-in paperback edition
March 8th - Damsel movie on Netflix
May 7th - The Hundred Loves of Juliet summer paperback edition
July 30th - One Year Ago in Spain - NEW RELEASE
If Hollywood doesn't kill you, nothing will : )
You two packed a lot into five questions! Great job using your negotiating power, Tess. Wonderful to share your *Damsel* backstory with the Quiet Reading community, Evelyn! 🫶