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Reworking a story – learn from the V for Vendetta adaptation

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It’s worth remembering that almost every scenario, action, behaviour that occurs in fiction should happen for a reason, unless you’re writing literary fiction (but if you are, bear these tips in mind to help tighten your work).

The movie V for Vendetta was adapted from the graphic novel series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. The movie adaptation was written by the Warchowski brothers, who were also responsible for The Matrix trilogy.

Andy and Larry Warchowski reworked and closed several loops in the plot, that the graphic novel left as loose ends and extra coincidences. I think the movie has a much tighter storyline, and is more satisfying than the novel. Alan Moore doesn’t agree though, and requested that his name be removed from the credits of the movie.

Your story

When you complete the first draft of your story, look at it again as a piece to be adapted into a movie. Do you have unnecessary characters? What plot strands could be removed without affecting the story? Which elements can be linked to each other in order to provide a twist or satisfying wrap up? Don’t forget to leave some loose ends for a bit of realism - which loops are too neat and need to be undone?

If your characters were to be played by actors, would their words and body language reveal enough about them? Or have you relied extensively on narration to explain their behaviour and purpose?

By taking these elements into account yourself, you stand a much greater chance of producing a story that could one day be turned into a movie.

Spoilers ahead

The following is a discussion of variances between the plot in the book and movie and as such reveals the ending of both. You may want to watch the movie or read the graphic novel before returning to the rest of this article.

You can get the novel or DVD from Amazon, or rent the DVD from Intelliflix. If you just want a run-down of the plot, see Wikipedia for a detailed synopsis.

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SPOILERS BEGIN
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Returning decisive actions to the main protagonists

The novel splits some key plot points up between more minor characters. For example, in the book it is a minor character who assassinates the Chancellor at the end. In a longer series, there is enough time for readers to get to know a minor character who will play a major role, but in a two hour movie, or even a stand-alone novel, it is more satisfying that V is the one who ends the reign of the Chancellor as he started out to do.

Linking characters and plot points

In the book, Gordon Dietrich is a petty criminal Evey meets and begins a relationship with. His death has little meaning other than to facilitate Evey’s capture.

In the movie, the Warchowski brothers linked Gordon to Evey early on – he is her superior at the TV station where she works. She was on her way to see him when she first met V, and it is Gordon she goes to when she escapes from V.

They also link Gordon to V, hinting that they had known each other very personally by the identical way they make breakfast and treat Evey, and by their hidden collections of censored and banned items.

The Gordon/V innuendo parallels the story of Valerie and Ruth and explains V’s vendetta on behalf of Valerie.

The movie also links V and Evey by presenting them as two halves of a whole – Evey is the yin to V’s yang. The movie reveals this element by having Evey mirror V’s pose when he rises as a monster from the fire, except that Evey is drenched in rain.

This article also features on BellaOnline.

If you'd like to read more about rewriting your novel, try Revision : A Creative Approach to Writing and Rewriting Fiction by David Michael Kaplan Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King Those interested in the adaptation of V for Vendetta to the screen will enjoy V for Vendetta : From script to film by Larry and Andy Warchowski and James McTeigue, which includes the storyboard, character sketches, and the original script.