Depth of Books vs. Impact of Movie

"You have to write the book that wants to be written.

And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups,

then you write it for children."

Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle wrote numerous books for children that adults quickly devoured.  Perhaps her best known was A Wrinkle In Time which sold in 1963.  There were a total of 5 books.   The same holds true for J.K.Rowling.  Harry Potter was written for children in 1997, and her audience immediately spread to include adults. Harry Potter became a book series and movies thereafter.   Film producers Steven Spielberg (ET)  and George Lucas (Star Wars) captivated children and then adults as well. 

Madeline L'Engle is quoted as saying, "And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write for children."  Children are swept away by magical stories while adults have lost the sense of imagination or become critically focused missing the story line.  Whether it is a book or a movie, the child or adult willingly clears the mind fully prepared to be lost in a story.

Books are often preferred to movies as the written word is enveloped in the reader's imagination.  Characters gain depth supported by the author's additional information shaping personality.  As we read, the story unfolds within us close to our heart.  When we watch a movie, the characters are already formed and then transferred to our cognitive thinking which can down play creativity.  Books allow us to see beyond the scenes on the screen.  Reading is enhanced by our personal thoughts where movies our impacting our visual aspects.    The best of both worlds comes when first the book is read and then the movie follows.