Monthly Archives: October 2013

A lesson in making your villain sympathetic

Posted on October 10, 2013 | 11 comments

This is partly a review of the movie “The Great and Powerful Oz” which was ten times better than I ever dreamed it would be. Lots of fun, lots of action, and lots of wonderfully developed characters.

This story stepped up to the plate and took on the daunting job of being a sequel to one of the most beloved films of all time. And despite some of the reviews I read, I was wildly entertained. My husband and I loved it just as much as the kids. My oldest son even put down his cell phone and watched… which is saying a lot.

This movie took on two stories of characters that everyone “knows” what will eventually happen to. This is tough, because you have to ram rod your story in a direction that will lead to a pre-determined outcome.

The film shows how the wizard got to Oz and became the ruler of the Emerald City, and how the Wicked Witch of the West became… well, the Wicked Witch of the West.

What really struck me, is how the movie dealt with the WWW in a way that you really liked her. I liked her so much, in fact, that the twist “surprise” took me completely off guard.

The premise reminded me very much of the old Batman days, where the villains, even ones as detestable as the Joker, were “made” rather than just “being there”. They were everyday, nice people who had something bad happen.

In the Original “The Wizard of Oz” the witch was just “there” as if she had always haunted the land of Oz, and we hater her. Oh, yes, we hated her and hid under our beds at night, didn’t we?

In this movie, though, we get to know her. We like her. And then Bam!

Although some reviews say her “journey” happened too fast, I just loved the trope used. And I felt terrible for her.

I also loved the end, where you thought, just maybe, the character that you’d grown fond of might still be “in there” but of course, since we all know she eventually dies melting in a splash of water… the ending is what it needed to be.

But my point is you can’t get much more wicked than the classic Wicked Witch of the West, and I loved taking the journey with her. Even if it was to an unfortunate end.

If anything, watch this movie to see the origins of an awesome villain. Not one you love to hate, but one you can sympathize with… At least until she cries, “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!”

Villain Chat: The Wicked Witch of the West (fangirlsarewe.com)
Comparisons Between the Wizard of Oz and Oz the Great and Powerful (wholesalecostumeclub.com)
Great Character: Glinda (“The Wizard of Oz”) (gointothestory.blcklst.com)
No Place Like Home (missyspublicjunk.wordpress.com)

11 Comments

Posted in Book/Movie Review

Tagged Emerald City, Glinda the Good Witch, jennier eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joker, L. Frank Baum, land of oz, Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz

Cut it out with those full sentances! — Rule #23 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on October 8, 2013 | 22 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #23

23: Don’t allow your fictional characters to speak in sentences. Unless you want them to sound fictional.

Time for all the English teachers to cringe! But it’s true, right? Do we speak in sentences? Well, sometimes. But there should be a good mix of full sentences and fragments. Heck, even an incomplete thought here and there will help make the dialog seem more real.

And if you are not sure if it sounds real or not, read it out loud. Even better… have someone else read it to you. If it sounds weird with a voice attached, then you need a little re-write.

22 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips

Tagged Cattle prod, editing, english language, how to write a great novel, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, sentence, Writers Resources, writing a great novel, writing tips

Write a Story with Me #64 – Richard Leonard “Compromise”

Posted on October 7, 2013 | 2 comments

Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it. A different writer adds a new 250 words each week. It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!

If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!

Here’s this week’s excerpt. We hope you enjoy!

Part 64 – Richard Leonard “Compromise”

Yoran’s smirk quickly disappeared as he walked the rest of the way through the grey metal corridors of his ship. The news that his wife of many years was in fact one half Fae, and by extension, his children one quarter Fae, was indeed a severe blow. His life-long ambition, his sole purpose in life prior to this day was to rid the world of the filthy fae. The discovery that his family shared their poisonous blood had diluted that ambition just as the fae had diluted the pure blood he’d given his children. His crew and the rest of the Planetary Raiders must never learn of this.

He had very near lost his family once. Sian he had all but given up as a lost cause before she returned after so many years. Bethany’s foolishness came close to claiming Marci. And his beloved wife, almost taken by the complications of childbirth. She survived, yet she is still lost, as she is not the woman he thought he married.

Could he still achieve his goal and save his family? Perhaps with a …

Wanna read more? Check it out the rest on Richards blog… http://wp.me/p110vT-vl

Want to read more? See below for past excerpts.

If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!

Parts One – Fifty Click Here

Part Fifty-One – Joe Owens

Part Fifty-Two – Shayla Kwiatkowski

Part Fifty-Three – Jennifer Eaton

Part Fifty-Four – Shan Jeniah Burton

Part Fifty-Five – Jenny Keller Ford

Part Fifty-Six – Susan Rocan

Part Fifty-Seven – Susan Roebuck

Part Fifty-Eight – Elin Gregory

Part Fifty-Nine – Nicky Wells

Part Sixty – Vanessa-Jane Chapman

Part Sixty-One – Ravena Guron

Part Sixty-Two – Julie Catherine

Part Sixty-Three – Kai Damian

Part Sixty-Four – Richard Leonard

Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.

Danielle Ackley McPhail — TAG! You are “It”

Write a Story With Me Contributors

shayla kwiatkowski	gryphonboy	Jennifer M. Eaton	Vanessa Chapman
Siv Maria	Sharon Manship	shanjeniah	Vikki (The View Outside)
Danielle Ackley-McPhail	Richard Leonard	susanroebuck	Jenny Keller Ford
aparnauteur	kaidamian	Eileen Snyder	Elin Gregory
Joe Owens	anelephantcant	mysocalledDutchlife	Nicky Wells
norahdeayjansen	Julie Catherine	Ravena Guron
jiltaroo	4amWriter	mywithershins

Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens (joeowensblog.wordpress.com)
Write A Story With Me – Part 46 – “Fae-reness” (kaidamian.wordpress.com)

2 Comments

Posted in Write a story with me

Tagged Fiction, Flash Fiction, flash fiction group, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joe Owens, Online Writing, Richard, Richard Leonard, write a story with me, writing group, writing on line

Get up off your authorial butt – #BOOKBLOGWALKERS

Posted on October 5, 2013 | 27 comments

This week I signed up for #BOOKBLOGBLOGWALKERS. It’s just one of those fun author things where a bunch of people who don’t know each other root together to better ourselves.

In this case, it is to get off our butts.

I have to admit that I’ve gained nearly ten pounds since I started writing three years ago.

But guess what? Just walking for 30 minutes a day since October second, I’ve lost almost three pounds.

Isn’t that awesome?

I’m also getting a little help from home, because my peppy poodle is in on the fun. If I try to sit down now, she goes and gets her leash. Nope. She’s not going to let me get lazy… and if I try to stop walking after one turn of the neighborhood (about 1/3 of a mile, ten minutes) she stops and refuses to come in.

Nope… not messing with a seventy pound dog with attitude. Anyway, she’s right. Mommy needs to get up off her butt more often.

I have to admit that I missed October first due to “life” getting in the way, but so far, I’d say it’s been fun… and losing pounds just by walking… can’t beat that!

What about you? Wanna sign up? Come on, walk with me a bit. It’s easy, and you’ll feel better, too.

Time to get my butt in shape. (sparkssj.wordpress.com)

27 Comments

Posted in Senseless Ranting

Tagged Authorial intent, easy weight loss, get off your butt, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Literature, lose weight walking, Recreation and Sports, Twitter, Walking

The long and short of it – Your sentences, that is — Rule #22 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on October 1, 2013 | 17 comments

I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #22

22: Vary your sentence lengths. I tend to write short, and it’s amazing what a difference combing a couple of sentences can make.

Remember to be careful with this when you are trying to create a mood. For instance, a string of short, choppy sentences can create tension when needed. Overall, though, a mix of lengths in your text will bring it alive.

And while we’re here – watch those overly long sentences. If a line is over 20 words, you may want to consider breaking that puppy up a bit.

Pleonasms … (wordznerd.wordpress.com)

17 Comments