NaNoWriMo Writing Tips from Beauty and the Beast, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, and Arrow
Looking for writing tips for NaNoWriMo? What can your favorite tv shows teach you about writing? Quite a lot as long as you remember that tv shows are only written for the sense of sight, but novels need to appeal to all of the senses. Here are a few of my current favorites and a few writing tips from each show:
Beauty and the Beast- We all know the story. A beast saves a beautiful woman and they fall in love. So why watch the show? Why did so many people watch Titanic even though we all know the ship sinks at the end? In many cases, the journey is as important as the ending; especially when it comes to romances. If your characters aren’t challenged, then the ending feels too easy and honestly a bit boring. If the ending of your story in inevitable, you have to make the journey memorable with lots of plot twists, emotional turmoil, and conflict. People will continue reading or watching if the journey keeps them guessing.
Grimm- Season one of Grimm started off slow. I wasn’t overly thrilled with the episodic nature of the plot. But it got more plot heavy and less murder-of-the-week as the season progressed. Season 2 have been even better. The writers for the show have found ways to make the weekly murder closely connected to the larger plotline. This is an excellent way to keep a character’s day job realistic while the bigger plotline unfolds around them. If you have a story with an episodic nature, connect each episode into the larger plot in important ways. For example in a recent episode of Grimm, they tracked down a new Grimm in town who was murdering supernatural creatures, friendly or not. This tied into the larger plot line because our hero is a friendly Grimm and he had a lot at stake because he has lots of supernatural friends.
Once Upon a Time- This show is so good on so many levels. But I think my favorite thing about it is the interwoven story telling. Each episode contains two stories. A real world story and a fairy world story. Both stories are interconnected and tie into the larger plot. I think the real-world story by itself wouldn’t be as interesting without the fairytale story interwoven within it. The fairytale stories add depth to characters. They show why a character is the way they are. They make the evil characters more grey; more human and likable. Some people have complained that the background/fairytale stories for Mr Gold and Regina ruined their villain personas. However, I liked learning the villains past. It helps the readers/viewers connect with the villains and it can make villains scarier because we see the reasoning behind their actions. Plus, I’m a fan of making bigger and badder villains that our current villains fear. In order to make the current villains into characters we care about, we have to know more about them. This show has done that and season 2 they introduced the antagonists of the season 1 villains. Now the season 1 villain don’t seem so big and bad in comparison.
Arrow- I didn’t have high hopes for this show because the CW had recast the person playing the Green Arrow. (The actor who played the Green Arrow in CW’s Smallville now plays a doctor on Emily Owens, MD.) But I was pleasantly surprised. This show hooked me quickly with its redemption story. It’s human nature to want to believe in redemption. Oliver Queen’s secret life as the Arrow keeps the tension high. He has to lie to all of the people he loves to protect them while he completes his mission; even the conflicted love interest. The viewer is in on Oliver’s secret so we see the heart-breaking truth behind his lies and flamboyant behavior that the other character may not. Arrow is also great about cliff hangers. They wrap the plot of the episode and then add a twist at the end which instantly makes you want more. They are not afraid to take risks and put the character in grave danger (in the 5th episode Oliver is arrested for being the Arrow and we wonder if his secret is out).
Why do you like your favorite movies or tv shows? Those elements that draw you to a story are the same elements your readers want when they pick up a book. Happy Writing!
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