Review of Brave
First off, I am one of the biggest Disney and Pixar fans you’ll come across. Whenever I hear of a new project, I literally jump with joy and impatiently wait for release day. I love traditional animation and was thrilled with Tiana. I literally fell out of my seat during Nemo. Did I mention that after Toy Story 3 when the tears were dried, I went home and played with my favorite childhood toys? No company is more skilled at tapping into your deepest fears, hopes and worries than Disney and Pixar.
Naturally, when I heard of Brave, not only was I waiting with bated breath for a titular female character (and an archer at that!), but it would be breaking out of the Pixar box by retelling a Scottish legend rather than proposing their own original story. Something that I loved about these companies was their abilities to reach all ages and genders in the same tale. Their storytelling powers are nearly magical.
So when I came out of Brave, all that built up excitement and all the expectations…well, they fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Brave was a cute movie, but it just didn’t have the same caliber of the opening to Up or the ending to Wall-e. It felt more like, Cars. Decent plot, decent characters, but nothing exceptional.
Merida was a wonderful lead, proving right off the bat she wasn’t just any other 
Disney Princess. She could stand on her own two feet without fainting! She had ambition, spunk, an actual opinion. I’ll hop on that train any day of the week! She was against an arranged marriage and wasn’t afraid to show it. The scene in which she shot for her own hand was easily the best in the movie. The family interaction was sweet, the other clans and the young brothers were funny, but it felt all too familiar. Reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon meets Brother Bear. Both of which are far better stories than Brave, sad to say.
Above all, the plot was too predictable. The brothers, father and mother were one dimensional. Merida turning her mother into a bear and repairing the bond was almost heavy handed in approach. Sure they came to understand each other, but that was obvious from the start and it felt empty without some sort of additional subplot. The animation itself was gorgeous- as if we were plopped in the middle of the Highlands but that’s as far as I’ll take my praise.
Brave is definitely a movie mothers and daughter should see together. Nothing like getting a life lesson at the movies and it could certainly be a bonding experience. However, it didn’t hit me as a movie boys could relate to. My brother in fact refused to go. At first I thought it was stupid, but in retrospect, he would have been complaining the entire time. To be fair, Up was a father/son type story, but it had a lot of substance anyone could appreciate seeing. As we know, boys are a tougher audience in this sector.
Essentially, Brave felt unfinished. As if something was missing. It wasn’t quite at the level of Pixar just yet. It’s worth seeing, that’s for sure, but unlike its cousin films, I’m not itching for another viewing. With all due respect, I hope Pixar returns to its original stories sooner than later. B-
And Action!
For a girl that loves words, I am all about the action. I can get through a story that is dry, or straightforward, but it’s the cinematic ones I live for. If the tale pops off the page and turns into a movie right before my eyes, I’m hooked. To simplify: Good dialogue pulls me in, but action keeps me turning the page.
Action doesn’t have to be a cityscape chase scene that ends in a grand explosion either. It can be as simple as a tension filled stare down between mortal enemies or the stomach-turning glance from a prospective lover. Rule number one: don’t over think it. Getting yourself too wrapped up into the scene can make it complicated and dilute the importance. And although action seems like a complex dance, there are only a few important pieces to remember:
Intersperse Dialogue: A hunk of text isn’t very welcoming, but cut with a few sets of dialogue or inner thoughts and it becomes approachable.
Sensory Description: Of all places, don’t forget your senses during an action scene. This is where it counts. Tell the reader the noises, smells and feelings of your big event.
Structure: Action requires a rising event, climax and a falling event just like the rest of your book, only much smaller. This structure makes the action in question well paced and flow in your story.
Give a Show: You should try to always avoid telling the story, and that’s no different during an action scene. This is where your showiness can shine!
- Don’t say: We stared each other down.
- Say: His eyes burned through me from across the room.
Essentially, action scenes are miniature stories. A new chance to thrill the reader and keep them begging for the next whirlwind event. Not only will your scene heighten the tension but it will propel conflict and plot. Use action to your advantage to keep those readers interested.
Writing Rewards
The process of writing is so long, I think each milestone, no matter how small should be celebrated. What’s a milestone? Well that’s up to you! It could be finalizing your outline, completing a scene, finishing a chapter, closing out a section of the story, or as big as ending a draft. Each step is important to shifting your focus to the next leg of the marathon, so get out there and enjoy it! Not quite there yet? That’s fine, keep these rewards in mind for when you are or give a fellow scribe an encouraging gift as they cross into new territory.
As far as rewards go, you can be extravagant and plan a big vacation to foreign land once you’re through with the draft or round of editing. Big accomplishments deserve big reward, right? Something on the smaller scale, but still worth a pretty penny could be purchasing a Kindle or Tablet to help with your reading and writing. Think of it as a business investment!
If you’re budget can’t squeeze in those big item toys, not to 
worry, there’s gifts abound for you as well! Take a trip to your favorite restaurant and indulge in your success. Bottle of wine, plate of great food, what’s not to love? Still too pricey? Ok. Buy a new book you’ve been dying to read. Maybe it’s a friend’s story you’re critiquing. If your celebratory events requires an even smaller venue, cook up your favorite dinner (or better yet, ask someone else to). A baked good would be even better. Everyone likes a good celebration cake!
Regardless of your prize or the milestone you’re “shakin’ what your momma gave ya” to, be sure to make a stop at the nearest mirror first. Congratulate yourself. Relish in your proud smile. And say, “I’m in it to win it!”
What’s your next milestone and how will you celebrate?
Hanging On
Have you ever been reading a story, not really completely drawn in but the chapter endings are cleverly cliffhanged that you can’t seem to put it down? That is excellent planning, my friend. A rousing bit of conflict cropping up from nowhere to snag your attention and keep your eyes planted on the page. Ideally your story would hold readers throughout, and I’m sure you’ve all read something that is grabby from beginning to end. Today though, we are focusing on cliffhangers. The way I see it, there are four types:
The Conflict: Ending on a note of danger or tension, the character(s) must face a dilemma that threatens them in some manner.
The Secret: Something springs up into the story that informs the readers, someone is keeping a secret!
The Suggestion: An in-between of the secret and the reveal, this type of ending leaves the reader with an implication of odd going’s on.
The Reveal: Remember that thing you were wondering about a few pages earlier? Here it is- clear as day and what a shock!
In a perfect world, the end of every chapter you write will employ one of these cliffhangers. However, the overuse of them can sometimes feel convoluted so plan carefully, choose wisely and keep that reader hanging on!
With that said, I have to inform you that I’ll be away on vacation for the next several days, so until I return, there won’t be any new blog posts. I know, devastating isn’t it? Never fear, there is plenty to read from in the blog archive. Enjoy!
Pitch Wars Mentee 2014
Awards
