: Re: Why write a book when there's a movie in my head? Around a decade ago, I had a dream. An actual middle of the night dream. An entire movie played in my head, all I had to do was write

@Sims2267584

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I'm gonna answer to the question in the title:

Ultimately it's up to you. They are different media.

Your friend must be right on some level.

I too have the habit to imagine my stories as movies (and I suppose it's not uncommon at all). Sometimes is painstalkingly difficult to portray with words what could be done with a good placed camera shot; writing is not a visual art after all. A good movie or even a good comic can impress the audience in a more immediate way; after all we relay a lot on our sight in our daily lives and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Don't take me wrong - the written word still has its own merits and advantages, but this goes a little over the scope of the question.

The point about screenwriting is that, as you noted, it gets the story mostly out of your control. Let's say you write a really good screenplay and a company buys it. Let's say that you get activetly involved on the whole process of movie-making (rather than shoved aside). Even then, you won't be the only one responsible for the final product.
The screenwriter is not the director, in most cases; and even if you get to the point of directing your own film - unlikely for the first screenplay - there is a whole deal of people involved in the production and a whole lot of compromises to be made, from casting choices to business-related reasons, from the photography to the acting performance.

So it's true that becoming a skilled writer lets you keep the whole story into your own hands. No one else is involved in your book but you (apart from editors, of course; but I'd argue that a good editor can make your story better without altering your vision). If you get famous, if your book sells, it might one day become a movie; play your cards right and you could be one of the authors actively involved in the production. Of course, the same problems as above will apply, but maybe you'll be able to bargain a better deal if you have the higher ground of a strong sale record.

Then again, you should think about what your goal is.

What's more important? Telling a story, or making a movie? If it's the latter, try to get involved in movie making - it's the fastest route and it makes more sense. No point in taking an huge detour if that's what's your heart aches for. Your first screenplay won't get 100% right as you wanted it, and so for your second and third, but that's the same for everyone. And you'd be making movies.

But if you want to tell your story, as close as possible as you imagined it, and the visual representation would just be a nice collateral thing to have, you should write it down. Keep in mind that both ways will require sacrifices and compromises of some sort; it's up to you to choose.

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