How To Write Morally Grey Characters Like Aladdin And Flynn Rider

Intro

Most Disney movies come with a prince, especially when there is a princess as the main character. Of course, having a prince charming in your story who will sweep your princess right off her feet is great and I'd enjoy a character like this as well.

But if you would ask me what type of men I like more in books, my answer would be the more edgier type. Not the bad boy type that the princess needs to change but more more like... Doing both good and bad things. Sometimes for selfish reasons, but sometimes also to protect their loved ones.

Two examples of these are Aladdin, and Flynn from Rapunzel. Both of them steal, and lie. Maybe for different reasons, but they both grew up practically alone. I love them both, even if their motives aren't always right.

So, today, I will be analyzing not one, but two characters from two different movies, going into their morally grey personality, and hopefully, you can learn something about writing a character like this. 

(We could argue these two fall under the spectrum of 'Lovable Rogues' but hey, it's Disney 😛. We all know they water down these kind of things.) 

Prompt #10: Living Like A Fairytale Princess/Prince

 Intro

Back with another Disney Inspired prompt for all of you. Ever seen a movie or series, or even read a book and you thought by yourself: "If this were me, or my character, this would have gone so differently!"? Well, here's your chance to show us what you think should happen.

Beauty And The Beast: How darker elements can be romanticized through a story (Unpopular Opinion)

Intro

Beauty and the beast has been a fan favorite for a lot of people over the years, one of Disney's greatest classics. It has been growing on me over the years eventually as well, though it's not in my top ten movies. But one discussion I often find on the internet about the movie has been a war between fans for a very long time. Is Beauty and the Beast a romanticized version of Stockholm Syndrome?

So, with this blog, I would like to address this question with my own (probably unpopular) opinion and say... Yes. As great as the movie is, if you look at the elements, it technically is Stockholm Syndrome, but very romanticized. The Beast is not abusive (not a lot at least), but he is someone who holds her captive.

Please note that the fact that I say this does not make it a bad movie. I still love the characters and stories, and there are far darker elements hidden in some fantasy books that people still love to read. This blog post is about how darker elements in a story, don't make it a bad story. It is fiction, after all.

Word Crawls: Writing Games To Keep You Motivated

Intro

Writing can be tough sometimes, we all know that. Sometimes, just staring at a blank screen or just write for a few hours isn't going to cut it. Sometimes you know what you want to write, but there is no motivation left, and the thought of needing to spend hours on writing leaves us drained. 

A few years ago, I discovered something that changed my whole writing process into something more fun. Through NaNoWriMo, I discovered Word Crawls, and it helped me win two years in a row. The thought of needing to write 1667 words every single day dragged me down because it felt like a lot. With the word crawls, I did just a few challenges, and I already had 2000 words before I even knew it.

So, let's dive in to my favorite tool for writing: Word Crawls.

Simba's Journey: A Flawed Hero (Part 2)

Intro

When I started this blog for the first time, I started off by talking about the hero of one of Disney's greatest movies and my all time favorite: The Lion King. I explained how Simba was actually a very flawed hero if you looked at his actions. Today, I will dive into the second movie of the franchise. Though he is not the real main character of this movie, and his journey is over now that he is king, that doesn't mean he is perfect.

So, let's see what our favorite hero is up to now that he is king and a father, free from trauma and Scar's influence... Or is he really?

(If you are interested in reading the first part, you can read it here.) 

Promp #9: Rolling The Dice

 A bit of a different 'prompt' today, but I think this could be a fun writing tip or exercise. Are you ever stuck on a minor thing in your story, having a few options in your mind, but not knowing which one would be the best to choose? Grab a dice or random number generator and let the dice decide! 

Love Beyond The Romance: Anna & Elsa

Intro

As someone with two big sisters herself, the movie became one of my favorites the first time I saw it with them in the cinema. Even when I was already an adult, I might have been just as obsessed with it as any of the little girls. I am a sucker for a family or friendship dynamic and a movie not specifically focusing on romance.

So, let's dive in to this movie, and see how to write a sisterly bound with the help of Anna and Elsa.

Acting Out Of Character

 As I always say in my posts: A hero is not completely perfect, and a villain has at least some good character traits. Of course most of the time villains do bad things, and Heroes do good things. But every once in a while, there might be a rare occasion they do the opposite.

Prompt: Write a scene where a villain does something good, or a hero does something bad.

It doesn't have to be a huge thing. Maybe the hero refuses to help someone in need. Maybe the villain shows mercy to one of their prisoners. Show what goes through their mind when they do this out of character act. Do they justify their actions with excuses, or do they feel bad or strange about it?

As always, feel free to let me know your take on this prompt. I would love to see what spin you give it! I always read the comments. 

  

 

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