Scott Frank considers himself lucky.
And that secret project, his first novel,Shaker, is finally seeing the light of day.
Therefore, you might not be any good at it, he says.
Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Everett Collection
Theres something liberating about that.
The new freedom is evident.
Its hard in screenwriting to establish character, Frank says.
What would be notes for a screenplay were chapters in the book.
Once he had amassed a hundred pages ofShaker, Frank decided that a choice had to be made.
Was this just a hobby or something worth putting out into the world?
So he sent what he had to an editor acquaintance, saying, Will you be honest with me?
I either finish this or I throw it away.
Ill do whichever you suggest.
When the response came back positive, Frank found a publisher.
So that was that, right?Shakerwould finally be a real book.
Not quite, because as any screenwriter knows, he makes plans and Hollywood laughs.
FinishingShakerwould have to wait.
Ultimately it was the film business ever-shifting nature that trained Frank in the art of delayed gratification.
Its the kind of lemons-into-lemonade strategy that hes honed as a Hollywood veteran.
After spending 20 years building his novel, Frank the screenwriter is already back at work.
But he still carries the lessons he learned from noodling on his book.
