The handy Webster’s dictionary describes adaptation as “a written work that has been recast in a new form”, as well as “a positive characteristic of an organism that has been favored by natural selection.”  

Now, you might think the second definition is purely for scientists, but that is not so!  Whenever a work is adapted from one form to another, it is usually the “characteristic…that has been favored by natural selection” that maintains from one genre to another.  When Brokeback Mountain was adapted from a short story into a feature film, certain aspects had to be changed, but the love story between Ennis and Jack was the most important (“most favorable”) characteristic in the story, and so it showed up in both the prose and the film.

When we adapt, we must pick and choose the enduring themes, characters, and/or messages.

Okay, so let’s back up a bit and get real basic.  When we adapt, we are actively taking a previous work and turning it into something new – but not so new it’s completely unrecognizable in it’s second form.  Brokeback Mountain was a short story that was adapted into a movie.  Hairspray was a B movie adapted into a Broadway musical adapted into a mainstream film starring John Travolta in really frightening drag.  American Psycho was a book adapted into a film starring the always hot Christian Bale that is now in talks to be turned into a Broadway musical (seriously).

The amount of things out there to adapt are staggering, so if there isn’t a play or short story that interests you, don’t worry.  There are always fairy tales (public domain, which means it costs nothing to adapt them!), poems, real life stories, comic books, video games, lyrics…basically, you can adapt anything – all you have to do is decide what the lifeblood is of the thing you’re adapting, and include it in your version.