Turning My Book Into A Play, Or At Least Aggressively Googling How

There are certain thoughts that should really come with a warning label.

“Maybe I will just cut my own fringe.” “I bet I could run a half marathon with no training.” And now, for me“Maybe I could turn my book into a play.”

At first it was just a throwaway idea. A few people messaged after reading Swipe Right, Keep Left saying things like

“I could see this on stage” “This feels like a one woman show”

I filed those under “lovely compliment, absolutely ridiculous idea” and carried on refreshing my Kindle sales dashboard.

But the thought would not go away. It sat there in the back of my mind, tapping its foot.

What if it could work on stage What would that even look like

Step one: Ask Google, obviously

I did not grow up writing plays. My theatre experience is mostly sitting in the dark with snacks while other people are brave under hot lights.

So I did what any normal, slightly overexcited person does. I opened a new tab and typed

“how to write a stage play” “play script format example” “book to play adaptation where do I start”

Suddenly my screen was full of scripts that looked like this

CHARACTER NAMES IN CAPITAL LETTERS short action lines in the present tense little bracketed stage directions telling people where to move and how

It felt a bit like someone had taken my book, tipped it upside down and said

“Right then. No more hiding inside your own head. Put this on its feet.”

In a book I can spend a whole page inside my thoughts. On stage you have to show that same spiral with what you say and what you do. No helpful narrator. No long inner monologue. Just dialogue, movement and the occasional well timed sip of wine.

Rude.

Do I stick to the book or add new scenes

This is the fun part. And also the terrifying part.

Do I only use the dates and moments that are already in Swipe Right, Keep Left Or do I open the secret drawer of stories that did not make it into the book but would be brilliant acted out

There are scenes that are funny written down. There are others that are made for performance. The ones where the silence between two lines tells you everything. The awkward pause. The forced laugh. The way someone checks their phone instead of answering a question.

So now I have a little list on my phone called “Play material” which includes

Scenes from the book that leap off the page in my head Tiny exchanges I suddenly remember in the shower Lines I wish I had actually said out loud instead of thinking of them three hours later

The play version might get a few bonus moments. A director’s cut of my dating life. What could possibly go wrong.

Calling in a mum friend who knows about theatre

At some point I realised I was deep in Google and light on actual sense. I had read enough blogs to throw the words “act two” and “beat” around, but that does not mean I know what I am doing.

Thankfully, I have a mum friend who knows about productions. On the school run she looks like any other tired but capable parent. In real life she has experience in the world I am now poking at with a stick.

I sent her a slightly breathless message that was basically

“I think I might be turning the book into a play or at least trying to and I have no clue what I am doing please send help”

She was lovely. Calm. Encouraging. She said we can sit down at some point and look at it together and talk about how it could work on stage. She did not say “you are ridiculous, stop it at once” which I am taking as a good sign.

We have not managed the coffee yet. Christmas has crashed through the calendar like a glitter covered toddler. School events. Shopping. Food. Relatives. All of it.

But honestly, I am weirdly grateful for the delay.

A few quiet weeks to play

Instead of rocking up to her with nothing but vibes and a Google search history, I have a little pocket of time. A few weeks where I can quietly mess about with scenes before we meet.

It feels like getting to rehearse before the real rehearsal.

I can take a chapter and ask

What would this look like on stage What is the bare minimum I need to show for people to feel it Where does the laughter land Where does the ache land

I am learning the rhythm of a scene

No description. Just action and speech. She says this. He does that. The room holds its breath.

Sometimes it is clunky. Sometimes I read it back and absolutely hate it. Sometimes I catch a line that suddenly feels alive and I get that little fizz in my chest again.

There is a folder on my laptop now marked “Play experiments”. Inside are half written scenes, dramatic stage directions, and the beginnings of something that might one day grow up to be an actual script.

Back to the beginning, in a new way

It feels a bit like starting the book all over again. Back then it was just me, my laptop and a lot of feelings. Now it is me, my laptop, a lot of feelings and a vague understanding that someone might have to say these words out loud while other humans watch.

That changes things. In a good way.

Parts of my life that I lived on my own might one day be shared with a room full of people at the same time. They might laugh together at a terrible date. They might go quiet together at a painful moment. They might see themselves in the mess and the hope.

I have no idea how far this will go. Maybe it will become a tiny show in a small theatre above a pub. Maybe it will stay as a set of scenes I am proud I tried to write. Either way, exploring it feels right.

After all, this story has already surprised me once. It went from notes on my phone to a real book you can hold. Who is to say the next version of it cannot step onto a stage.

For now, while Christmas whirls around me in tinsel and carols, I am stealing small pockets of time to play at writing a play. One slightly wobbly scene at a time.

And when I finally sit down with my theatre savvy mum friend in the new year, I might actually have something to slide across the table and say

“What do you think, Could this work”

Which is both terrifying and, if I let myself admit it, really quite exciting.