The Writing Mafia

-Brynbellion- Plot elements are what makes a story a story. Romance, betrayal, impossible odds, to name a few. In this post I'm going to look at classic plot elements, discuss them, and put a spin on them. Classic Disney Princess Plot Elements: Romance Rebellion Magic Good vs Evil Unhealthy Social Systems Remember that Disney Princess movies are, for the most part, based off of some of the first fairy tales. So these elements are in both pop culture and writing history. Romance Romance is timeless. It's relatable, desirable, and adorable (it's a matter of perspective, okay?). Romance is somewhat overused, yet is not cliche. It's a good way of endearing your characters to readers and pulling these readers into the story (aka shipping). To surprise your audience, pull a cliche-breaker. The girl can end up with the sidekick or the comic relief character. Your protagonist could have a hard time choosing a girl, given the inevitable fawning crowd. Rebel...

All the drugs were stowed under Avivit’s bed. “Why do we have to hide them here?” the young girl whined. “Why can't we hide them under Jimmy’s bed?” She dove under her pillows.      “Shut up,” her much older brother hissed. “All we ever hear from you is what you don't want.” His rancid breath carried a heavy smell of liquor.      “If you care so much go complain to your mother,” her father told her. “You know not to disturb us when we’re on a job.”      Avivit pulled her blanket around her and got out of bed, leaving the small, dimly lit room. She found her mother at the kitchen table, sitting beneath the bare light bulb, counting cash next to a half-empty bottle. Avivit noticed this. Her mother must be sad.      “What's wrong, Mommy?” she asked.      Her mother turned her tired eyes towards Avivit. “Oh Av,” she said, “what are we going to do? Even we can't postpone the landlord f...

Having recently finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy, I enjoyed characters such as Haymitch, Peeta, and Rue, and was perturbed by other characters such as Coin, Snow, and Gale. But wait. Surely, you're thinking, there's a mistake. Haymitch and Gale should be swapped. No, this is no typo. I can't account for the fact that I like Haymitch, but I have reasons for disliking Gale. I present you with… So You Think Gale Was Cute *DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION* SPOILERS AHEAD (For Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter) “I'm in pain, Katniss,” he says, “that's the only way I get  your attention.” I have many things wrong with this. This is desperate. This is self-centered. This has the tone of a pathetic, begging fool. Saying you're in pain is an extremely obvious way of trying to get attention, so he's not even subtle. In fact, he points that out in his next sentence. So he has no subtlety, and thinks mainly ...

Admit it. Every Disney princess has a good share of friends and enemies. Your protagonists definitely need their share of these, too. It’s easy to give them loads of friends and develop awesome humorous side characters. But villains? It’s harder to formulate the perfect antagonist. One method of doing this is having your character make enemies, which make life so much more exciting. Here are some tips... For enemies, have your protagonist... Be born Have a magical power Be beautiful and charming Have royal blood Rouse a deadly rage in someone unintentionally Have parents with sworn enemies Be a Dalmatian For friends, have your protagonist... Be beautiful and charming (yes, I realize this is also how you make enemies) Have animal friends who require no effort Sing nicely Be naturally friendly and extroverted And now for ideas that would actually be plot... Enemies can be made if the protagonist... Turns down someone ...

We studied Romeo and Juliet in English, discovering the foolish protagonists and their sappy sonnets. An activity in class was to write our own, so we picked strange themes and twisted the idea of a sonnet. What we produced is as follows: Oh, My Fair Sonnet Oh, my fair Sonnet, how lovely art thou, Thou tellest most flattering descriptions, Thou entrancest me with stunning words now, If told by others, I’d think were fiction. Thou enchant me with thy pretty quatrains, In which there are many wonderful rhymes. I’d  listen always without any pains, For leaving would be committing bad crimes. Alas, my fairest love must leave me, My misfortunate heart must wave goodbye. My fair love won’t listen to any plea, Even though this leaving makes my heart die. Goodbye, goodbye, with a couplet you leave, I wish for you to know how much I grieve. By Grace Death to Romeo Oh Romeo, thou art Darth Sidious We love uncovering your many faults Delight in fi...

DO NOT KILL FLIES. You may have read that in the ‘about us’ section under my name and been confused. I am going to explain myself and my reasoning. I have a strong belief that flies should not be harmed or killed, they are cute and friendly. Yes I did keep a pet fly. Why should you not kill flies?     Firstly, they are cute. Have you looked at one closely and observed? They are tiny and delicate. Things people think are cute often include big eyes, and have you seen the size of fly eyes?!? The eye-to-head ratio is more than Baby Dory!!!      For my next reason, I'm going to look at the opposing side: why should one kill flies? People usually answer one of three ways, 1) they spread disease 2) they contaminate food 3) there's like a million of them.      Well, guess what? Humans spread disease too! And lots of other animals. Just look at all the sicknesses that came from Europe, brought by people, and affected the persons who lived in the Am...