I love a good oxymoron. I usually come up with them accidentally on purpose. DH and I were watching The Princess Bride on Sunday, and he roared with laughter because the movie was so over-the-top melodramatic but it has it all–romance, fantasy, comedy, adventure.
So what does that have to do with True Lies? Nothing other than it is another funny movie–mostly clean–and more adult than TPB, and we saw trailers for it. The clips made us remember it, and how much we liked it. Just like a beloved book.
Debra Dixon, as well as others, uses movies to illustrate her points in both her workshops and in her book, Goal, Motivation & Conflict. http://debradixon.com/gmc.html Sometimes you can see in a movie what is necessary for your book. If you don’t own this book you should!
For me, it begins with characters. Compelling. Interesting. Relatable. Believable.
Happy Writing!
I love TPB and TL both! Good movies.
I remember thinking that by using different books, TV shows and movies to illustrate her points, Deb was catching 99% of the folks in the room. Really, how many people in an audience haven’t seen The Wizard of Oz? But you can’t really pick a book from popular fiction and get the same return.
There are a few of the big blockbuster movies that I’ve skipped, but when addressing an audience, it’s best to go with ones that are standards.
I did the Archetypes course with Tami Cowden and she used a TV show to illustrate all the archetypes. It was one I hadn’t seen a single episode of. So after the class and all my copious notes, I got the series and watched them all. spw
Thanks, Sandee–
What TV show did she use?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I sat down and watched the entire seven seasons just so I could ‘know’ the characters she used to illustrate the archetypes. spw
I love DD! She does make the process easy to understand.
Margaret–
I think that’s why Deb is so popular. She’s charasmatic, which also helps.
I love The Princess Bride. “My name is Inigo Montoya . ..”
Deb’s the best speaker I’ve ever heard. I still don’t fully grasp GMC — actually, I guess I grasp it; I just don’t recognize it — but I love listening to her. It makes me want to go straight home and write write write.
Me too! She’s awesome!
Thanks, Sandee–
Just bought the DVD movie. Haven’t watched yet.
That’s where I fell in love with Mandy Pantinkin, THE PRINCESS BRIDE. And you all know how I feel about Deb and her GMC. After all, I’ve push her program and book to EVERY writer I meet.