Screen to Page: Micol Ostow on Turning Mean Girls into a Book
Young adult novels have been attracting Hollywood’s attention since before the category existed (The Outsiders, anyone?), and in recent years, many of the most successful box office hits and buzziest television series have come directly from the YA shelves. Page to Screen is a series in which authors whose novels have been adapted for the screen share their unique perspectives on the process. Some have little to no involvement, others are writing scripts and sitting in monogrammed chairs on set, but all have experienced seeing their work in a new way. Check out previous Page to Screen posts here.
Today, we reverse the format in a Screen to Page interview with Micol Ostow, author of the new Mean Girls novel, based on the screenplay for the 2004 teen comedy by Tina Fey. Ostow has written everything from chapter books (the Louise Trapeze series) to YA horror (Amity). So what’s the process like when you’re turning a movie into a book? We asked.
Mean Girls
Hardcover $17.99
Mean Girls
By Micol Ostow
Hardcover $17.99
Were you always a Mean Girls fan?
Who isn’t a Mean Girls fan?! But specifically, yes—I saw it in the theater when it first came out and loved it.
When did you first learn that there might be a Mean Girls book?
About two years ago, after the 10th anniversary had come and gone, and it was clear that people loved the movie more than ever. That’s when I discovered that the savvy folks at Scholastic were interested in developing a novel based on the book.
I actually have a long history with media tie-ins—my first job in YA publishing was as an assistant within an imprint that focused on tie-ins. So I’d edited books for all ages based on all sorts of properties: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bratz dolls, the Charlie’s Angels movies… you name it. And I’d written a few of those books, too.
I have friends and colleagues at Scholastic who knew about my work in the tie-in world and lucky for me, they thought I would be a good match for this project. It took me about ten seconds to accept.
How does the process work, as a writer working from a film?
Generally, I watch the movie or tv show in question before I dive in, even if I’ve seen it before (honestly, it’s fun!). Most often, writers will work from what we call the “shooting script,” which is the final draft of the script that was used for the movie. But funny enough, the final shooting script wasn’t available for Mean Girls.
The “pro” to it not being available was that I got to see a lot of the original scenes and storylines that didn’t make it into to the final movie. And I got to use some of those as inspiration for the original content that was included in the book. The “con” was that I had to work literally from the movie—that is to say, typing away with the script to my left and the movie on the iPad in front of me—in order to be sure I was accurate. So I have watched that movie in very close detail.
(I still love it! Maybe more than ever. Which says a lot about that movie.)
How closely does the book follow the movie?
The book is very true to the movie in that it follows the movie’s plot, but it’s told from multiple characters’ perspectives, so you’re getting more than just Cady’s story. We also added in lots of fun extras like bonus scenes, text message exchanges, emails, and other tidbits to enhance the world and give readers and fans something extra.
What type of expansion were you able to do in the book?
My favorite pieces of bonus material are all of Mrs. George’s to-do lists, any scene I got to write from Gretchen or Regina’s point of view, and some added backstory about the original Regina-Aaron breakup. The movie folks were incredibly supportive of our new material.
What can the movie do that the book can’t, and vice-versa?
There’s something incredibly satisfying about quoting along to the screen. Mean Girls is one of the most quotable movies ever! But if I may say so, the book does everything the movie does—and more!
Were you always a Mean Girls fan?
Who isn’t a Mean Girls fan?! But specifically, yes—I saw it in the theater when it first came out and loved it.
When did you first learn that there might be a Mean Girls book?
About two years ago, after the 10th anniversary had come and gone, and it was clear that people loved the movie more than ever. That’s when I discovered that the savvy folks at Scholastic were interested in developing a novel based on the book.
I actually have a long history with media tie-ins—my first job in YA publishing was as an assistant within an imprint that focused on tie-ins. So I’d edited books for all ages based on all sorts of properties: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bratz dolls, the Charlie’s Angels movies… you name it. And I’d written a few of those books, too.
I have friends and colleagues at Scholastic who knew about my work in the tie-in world and lucky for me, they thought I would be a good match for this project. It took me about ten seconds to accept.
How does the process work, as a writer working from a film?
Generally, I watch the movie or tv show in question before I dive in, even if I’ve seen it before (honestly, it’s fun!). Most often, writers will work from what we call the “shooting script,” which is the final draft of the script that was used for the movie. But funny enough, the final shooting script wasn’t available for Mean Girls.
The “pro” to it not being available was that I got to see a lot of the original scenes and storylines that didn’t make it into to the final movie. And I got to use some of those as inspiration for the original content that was included in the book. The “con” was that I had to work literally from the movie—that is to say, typing away with the script to my left and the movie on the iPad in front of me—in order to be sure I was accurate. So I have watched that movie in very close detail.
(I still love it! Maybe more than ever. Which says a lot about that movie.)
How closely does the book follow the movie?
The book is very true to the movie in that it follows the movie’s plot, but it’s told from multiple characters’ perspectives, so you’re getting more than just Cady’s story. We also added in lots of fun extras like bonus scenes, text message exchanges, emails, and other tidbits to enhance the world and give readers and fans something extra.
What type of expansion were you able to do in the book?
My favorite pieces of bonus material are all of Mrs. George’s to-do lists, any scene I got to write from Gretchen or Regina’s point of view, and some added backstory about the original Regina-Aaron breakup. The movie folks were incredibly supportive of our new material.
What can the movie do that the book can’t, and vice-versa?
There’s something incredibly satisfying about quoting along to the screen. Mean Girls is one of the most quotable movies ever! But if I may say so, the book does everything the movie does—and more!