SPOILER ALERT: Disney’s The Little Mermaid
If you don’t get the title reference, stop reading this article and watch “The Little Mermaid”. Write down your own descriptions of how the villain moves. Because no one does body language like Ursula. No one. I just read an excerpt of a Magnum Opus the other day that had meant to be an intense, driven, scary scene. Instead, I was giggling to myself. I felt like a terrible person after learning the intention of this part of the author’s story, but I sincerely thought he had written the most clever comic interaction I’d ever read. It wasn’t due to lack of skill, either. I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and creativity put into that excerpt. It was the expressions and movements of the characters, or, sometimes, the lack thereof. The villain was circling whom I assumed was the protagonist like a shark, which, when the motion is paired with a character who has two legs, doesn’t quite work. PRO TIP: When writing the choreography of a scene, try acting it out with a friend or by yourself. Take note of what movements work and which don’t. Of course, you want to avoid cliches, but cliches are cliche for a reason. If you must use them, bend them, reshape them to fit your own style and voice. Own your characters down to their latest nose-pick. Expressions are also vital to mastering the interactions in a scene. Consider the relationships between your characters. Does your protagonist see your mentor as a snarky know-it-all or a wise hermit? Is your villain annoyed by the sidekick or does he see an opportunity for sabotage? Why does the princess love the hero and vice versa? Looking at these viewpoints can help determine the general feel of your character. For example, Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” only sees Ariel as a tool to get what she really wants: Triton’s trident. Let’s be honest. The cunning sea witch is NOT intimidated by some love-struck teenager. So her expressions are going to be confident, sympathetic, and just a tad impatient. If your villain is just about to get everything she’s ever wanted (and this happens in every good story, even if your villain is emotional or circumstantial), she is NOT going to be passive about it. She isn’t even going to be happy or excited. She’s going to be all-out giddy, smug, drunk-with-power insane. If your hero has just lost everything, she isn’t going to be sad. She’s going to be distraught. If your mentor can’t seem to get his lessons to hit home with his pupil, he isn’t going to be frustrated. He’s going to want to rip his hair out. Go 100% or go home. Writing is NOT a passive job. If the author doesn’t feel the scene, the reader sure as heck won’t. And I don’t mean just the warm fuzzy feeling of a scene coming together, either. If a character dies, I want to see tears from the one who wrote it. If two characters kiss, I want you swooning. If the villain is jubilant, I’d better hear the maniacal laughter from over the internet. This is why my motto isn’t Write A Book. Forging takes great concentration and attention to detail. The craftsman, correction, the GREAT craftsman pours bits of him- or herself into their work. THAT is when you have a Legend. THAT is when you’ve created a Magnum Opus.
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