Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Miscellaneous Drawings #1
Monday, February 14, 2022
My Rewrite of Disney's Frozen
**warning this post contains spoilers for Disney's Frozen**
I have been thinking about the plot of Frozen, and why it failed as a story for me. I did really enjoy watching it when I was younger, but then I got older and started noticing plot holes in the story here and there. Admittedly, Frozen did inspire some things in my writing (e.g. evil prince characters). However, I feel as if some elements of the story telling failed. While from an animation stand point the animation is the highlight of the movie, there are some elements of the story that need improving.
I am also using this as an exercise in rewriting, given that with one of my novels that I am editing, The Mystery of the Body Thief has some elements that need changing and I was stuck on what to change to get across the point I wanted. Sometimes when you have that difficulty, it is much easier to rewrite someone else's writing than your own. This allows you to look at your writing challenges from a different perspective.
I am also probably going to turn this into a series called "my rewrite of [blank]" so if you know of any TV shows, movies, or books that you feel like need improving story-wise that you would like me to see rewrite in another installment, I'd love to hear it in the comments. (It has to be one I've seen though, so I may not be able to do every suggestion.)
Let's begin:
Hans would not be a villain. Instead, he would be misled-
The problem I had with Hans was that he suddenly (out of the blue) became a villain, wanting to rule the kingdom and tricking Anna into loving him. I could not find a way to make it so the twist made sense in the story. So, in my rewrite, he would instead be the person he was showing Anna he was: kind, generally trying not to hurt anyone, and slightly awkward.
Instead of wanting to claim the kingdom, he would believe Elsa was evil and was hurting Anna. And in doing that, his motivation would be to defend Anna from her sister. Because his kiss wouldn't work on Anna, he would think to go to extremes to have to kill Elsa in order to free Anna from the curse.
This would backfire, but instead of Hans getting punished for his actions (or Elsa getting punished for almost killing her sister), they would make up in the end and resolve to be friends. Also, they would resolve that they should communicate better in the future.
Elsa and Anna would not be fully separated from each other-
Anna has more scenes with her love interest than she does with Elsa. In my rewrite, Elsa and Anna would have several more scenes together. This would not just tell the audience, but show them that they love each other as sisters. And since the story is much like Cupid and Psyche, where someone has to fight to get the person back who they love, showing their sisterly love for each other would be necessary in making the story work.
The problem is, the scenes we do get of Elsa and Anna show how aloof Elsa is from Anna and that she is ignoring her. Instead, we need to see scenes where they actually talking to each other and interacting in a loving way, in order for the audience to believe they really love each other.
And while Anna wouldn't know Elsa has powers until later, there would be some comedic moments of Elsa going out of her way to hide her powers. This would also show how hard it is for her to lie to her sister.
There was actually a deleted scene from the original movie that I feel would fill the gap for this, which was "the dressing room scene":
You can also watch it here
We would see their bond, and because of that in the end it would confirm to the audience that the true love they saw was really sisterly love instead of needing to be told that by Elsa.
Kristoff would not bring Anna to Elsa's castle. Instead, he would be replaced by someone else-
The problem I had with Kristoff was that as a love interest he overshadowed the sisterly love of Elsa and Anna. So, he would be entirely cut out of the movie and instead be replaced with three different characters. Each of these characters would help Anna in getting to the castle, without one being more important than the others.
(Quick sketch of what she could look like) |
The second person to help Anna would actually be Sven, and he would help her by leading her the second part of the way. This I took from Fairy Tales since in a lot of fairy tales, princesses or princes have animal helpers who help them or come in when they're needed.
The final person would be Olaf. Anna would get to see what Elsa is able to create with her powers, but also she would see that not everything that she creates is bad and that there is good in Elsa's magic.
These friends who helped her, would then come back to lead her back to the castle after she got hit in the heart with ice magic by her sister. But they wouldn't overshadow the relationship.
Anna would face some real dangers in finding her sister-
Instead of a simple journey to the ice castle, Anna would have to deal with real dangers throughout her journey that would propel her forward to helping her sister.The wolves from the movie would remain, of course, but there would be more dangers than the wolves and the monster Elsa created. Anna would have to go through challenges presented by people along the way, each trying to steer her away from rescuing her sister but pushing her forward to doing so in the end.
(Image from wiki fandom, https://frozen.fandom.com/wiki/Oaken?file=Oaken.png)The guy with the sauna, Oaken, who appears briefly in the movie, could serve as a challenge for her. He wouldn't be evil per se, but he would tempt her and try to stop her from continuing on her journey.
Because the sauna would be welcoming and warm, she would want to stay there instead of venturing out into the cold. So, she would have to fight to get back to the quest to save her sister. This would act as a challenge like the island of the lotus eaters in The Odyssey.
And given the addition of the thief girl, Anna may even get robbed by bandits (because she is a princess, the richest person in the kingdom, going alone on a journey). Eventually she would get the help of the thief girl who is part of the gang of bandits. The Thief girl would decide to help Anna eventually, after having to be convinced.
All these events would happen in an episodic way and then lead up to Anna's finding Elsa.
There would be scenes jumping back to Hans taking care of Arendelle-
Because there would be a lot of intense and stressful scenes of Anna fighting against the urge to turn back and go home instead of finding her sister. As relief scenes, we would see Hans trying and failing (and sometimes succeeding) in taking care of Arendelle, while the princess and queen are missing.
Since Hans is the youngest in line (with twelve older brothers), I doubt that he has much experience with taking care of a kingdom. He would know how to provide food and shelter for people (as we actually see in the movie), but we would see him failing at other things.
And that would provide comic relief from time to time. It would also serve to enhance the plot, because it would show what was going on in Arendelle and how eternal winter hurt it. But it also would show how unsuited Hans actually is at ruling a kingdom.
But despite all this, some of the citizens would make comments throughout (perhaps in song form) that he seems like a better ruler than either Elsa or Anna, who abandoned Arendelle when it was at its weakest and not sending someone else out to find Elsa. While Hans would be protesting that he's just taking care of the kingdom until Anna return, there would be some citizens questioning the whole situation.
While (if) there were to be a song within in the sequence (the sequence itself would appear much more than just once), I don't imagine it being exactly like the song "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles (Reprise)" that appears in the broadway musical version of Frozen:
Since that song takes a more serious tone than I imagine this subplot having, I could imagine taking some of the elements and just turning them around into being more like complaining from the citizens point of view.
Here's what I imagine the song being like (the chorus that is). Interestingly, I imagine it sounding a little like this song and having it be sung by the ensemble:
🎶 Our queen froze our kingdom,
Our princess left us to die,
Now all we can do is groan and sigh,
But the thirteenth in line,
Seems very fine,
Compared to our royalty who decided to resign. 🎶
Of course, but this not the whole song, but it is the gist of what I feel like it would be.
The trolls would be used briefly-
They would show up in the beginning to erase Anna's memory of Elsa's powers and make Elsa insecure about her identity and her abilities. And they would show up to tell the heroes what to do about Anna's frozen heart. But they would not have a musical number, because it feels like it drags on a little too much and because in this version of the film Kristoff is nonexistent.
They may, though, hint that Anna needs to find her true love. Of course, the characters would assume her true love was Hans. And in the end the audience and characters would find out it is in fact Elsa. This change has to happen, since with the original plot, the movie tells us that Elsa is Anna's true (sisterly) love. However, that version of the movie shows Kristoff as her romantic love more often, and that really confuses the audience.
-Quinley
Thursday, February 3, 2022
Using Polls to Create Art #6
Thursday, January 27, 2022
YOUR QUESTIONS and IMPRESSIONS NEEDED For a Double Character Interview
For my blog's sixth anniversary which happens on the 9th of March, I decided that this year I will do a double character interview where my characters, Annabelle and Phoenix, will be answering your questions and reacting to your impressions. The characters are from two different stories, so they'll provide contrasting points of view. I plan to do more interviews in the future with other characters, but I thought I'd start with Phoenix and Annabelle.
The character interviews will be two separate videos. So you can get creative with your questions, and share all of your initial impressions of their characters with them. If you don't know much about Annabelle or Phoenix I suggest checking out their character sheets here and here.
To leave questions, comments, and wild guesses about their character to get included in the video, you can either leave them in the comments section down below, or fill out the form below. If you wish to be left anonymous, please either comment anonymously or fill out the "your name" section of the form as "anonymous" so Phoenix and Annabelle know what to call you.
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Phoenix and Gletta Talk to a Bored Prison Guard
Click here to see the first post in the series
Monday, January 10, 2022
Reflecting on My Surgery
Last year I mentioned in a post that I had a surgery, so I wanted to make a post to reflect on it.
Actually, I had two different surgies for different reasons. One was to put a bar in me (so the indent in my chest didn't affect my lungs), and one to get the bar out, which I've had now for four years. (Side note: I had the first surgery around the time my blog was just beginning). At that time I didn't really feel comfortable about talking about it (I did write a draft post about it, but I never posted it), but now I would like to talk about it, so that I have something to look back on years from now. And also to find others who have experienced something similar.
After I had the bar removed. the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it. I decided that I wouldn't like to keep it but would like a picture of it. This was partly because I had had it with me for four years (and it was pretty painful to have in my chest for four years), and I was not sure what would do with it. So here's the picture of my bar:
For this surgery thankfully I didn't have to stay in the hospital overnight, unlike my previous one. So, I went home afterwards and mostly lay down while I was in pain. For my previous one, I don't remember a whole lot from it (partly because it was a while ago and partly because of the medication).
But interestingly enough, I did end up taking a picture of my hospital room (in 2017, while I was in the hospital there). I can't comment much on what happened, but I briefly remember being so out of it the entire time. I watched The Hobbit. Lord of the Rings, and Burn Notice while lying in the hospital bed.
Watching The Hobbit |
Stories that helped me through my surgeries:
"The Gift" (Star Trek: Voyager)- Seven of Nine in that episode, had a surgery to remove her Borg implants. I deeply related to this, partly because I had just had my surgery when I watched this episode, and what Seven was experiencing was something I deeply related to. Star Trek itself was something that I'd watch as a stress reliever before and after both surgeries. For example, before the surgery (the day before it), I couldn't really think to write and watching something was how I kept my mind off of it.
And while I only discovered this episode in 2021, it was a very happy moment for me, partly because Seven of Nine has been a character I relate to deeply because of how much pain she goes through due to her Borg implants.
Lord of the Rings (The book and the movie series)- I mentioned a while ago that this book reminded me of something that happened last summer, but I never specified what happened last summer that reminded me of this book (and movie) series. Frodo went through a lot of pain in the book and movie mostly due to the one ring, and to the fact that he **spoilers** was stabbed by a ring wraith. **end spoilers** The character was one I really related to (much like how I related to Seven of Nine).
Frankenstein- While I didn't discover it till after the first surgery, this book came up in a conversation around the second surgery which started with me saying "I can handle Frankenstein, but I can't handle anything medical." This led my sibling to comment that this sounded like something the monster would say about Victor Frankenstein. I also partly wondered how surgical the monster's creation was. (Shelley doesn't get into details of how Victor brought the monster to life, so it's really up to your imagination.) I have always related to both Victor and the monster (for different reasons). I suppose I can say that I relate to the monster as someone who has also had a surgery.
Saturday, January 1, 2022
Never Have I Ever: Book Edition + The Bookworm's Tag
Since these two tags seem very similar to each other, I decided to do a double tag post.
For the first tag: Never Have I Ever: Book Edition, I was tagged by Annika at Annika Larraine, thank you so much, Annika, this tag looks so fun. 😄
The rules-
-Link back to the original creator: Madame Writer
-Link back to the person who tagged you
-Answer all prompts
-Add one more prompt of your own
-Tag at least five people
-Don’t lie!
-Have fun!
The questions-
Never have I ever: Read a Later book in the series first.
Here are a few of the characters I made. (Also please excuse the spelling errors. I made this comic before I started editing my writing). |
- Never have I ever: Read a Later book in the series first.
- Never have I ever: Burned a book.
- Never have I ever: gone into a shop to buy one book but came out with many.
- Never have I ever: loved a book when I was younger but hated it when I was older.
- Never have I ever: read a book I knew I’d hate.
- Never have I ever: wrote a fan fiction about my favorite book.
- Never have I ever: dressed up as my favorite literary character.
- Never have I ever: hated a book by an author I love.
- Never have I ever: pretended to read a book I haven't.
- Never have I ever: skim read a book.
- Never have I ever: read a book without the dust cover.
- Never have I ever: had a book boyfriend/girlfriend.
- Never have I ever: picked up a book based on the cover alone.
- Never have I ever: read the end of the book before the beginning.
- Never have I ever: read a history or anthropology book for fun.
- Never have I ever: participated in a readathon.
- Never have I ever: bought multiple books in a series before reading it.
- Never have I ever: written in a book.
- Never have I ever: filled up an entire bookshelf and have to have stacks of books balanced precariously throughout different rooms.
- My question: Never Have I Ever: Liked the movie adaptation of a book more than the original book.
The Logo:
The Rules
Thank and link to the blogger who nominated you.
Include the tag graphic in your post!
Answer the ten questions the blogger asked.
Nominate five to 10 bloggers.
Ask your nominees ten book-related questions!
Don't feel obligated by these rules.
(Most importantly) Have fun!
The questions:
Which book have you read that you wish you had written?
That's a hard question. You see, I don't exactly wish I had written someone else's book (because I feel like that would be stealing). I wish that I was around the time when, for example, epic poetry was being written, so I could write an epic poem, not someone else's epic poem, but my own epic poem.
And I've also wished I could write like Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving and Mary Shelley at different points. But I've never wanted to have written their work. (Unless in writing their work, I could add elements/tropes that show up in my writing? But on the other hand...Would that really benefit their fiction by doing that...?? It helps mine and strengthens mine, but would it work for theirs??)
Anyway, despite my long ramble about that, I'm just going to choose two books off the top of my head to answer this question with: Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray are books I would have wanted to have written.
What is your favorite classic?
Usually I would answer this with a Gothic book from the 18th or 19th century, but I am going to answer it differently this time...
What is one book you want to see made into a movie?
So, I have several books that I want to see made into movies (really, books I would like to make into movies myself). Most of them are classics, but there is a book I wish they would make into a movie, which is...
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. A movie was made of Inkheart, so I really want there to be a movie for Igraine the Brave. However, I want to be the one to make the movie, since for a screenwriting class I took, I decided to turn the book Igraine the Brave into a script for a movie.
If you had to burn any book on your bookshelf which one would it be? (I know, I'm so mean.) XD
I am thoroughly against the idea of burning books, because it is often linked to censorship (which is very harmful). I know I've said that before, but it's important...Also, why are these questions so obsessed with book burning??
But...Let's say I had to burn a book for whatever reason because something horrible would happen if I didn't...
(Images from Goodreads, here and here).
I would burn either Matilda Bone or Tuck Everlasting. Both of these books I despised (and I am not over extracting), since I really disliked the protagonists in both these books and wasn't rooting for them.
In Winnie's case, I was begging her to leave the Tucks (and to stop flirting with a boy who is older than her). And in Matilda's case I was groaning about her being so judgmental and prejudiced.
Anyway, if I met either of these characters I would not be friends with them.
Which book inspired your love for reading?
(Image from Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5907.The_Hobbit_or_There_and_Back_Again) |
So, the first novel that I read after I learned to read was The Hobbit, which then inspired me to read Lord of the Rings, and then after that inspired me to read other long books (like The Odyssey).
Would you rather spend a day with the author of your favorite book or spend three hours with the main character in your favorite book?
I would spend three hours with the main character from my favorite book, though spending time with the author would be fun too. I feel like getting to meet the main character would be so neat.
What is one book you have re-read before?
So, I tend to reread a lot of books. As it turns out, if I like a book I will likely reread it more than once. But I will go with Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I have reread it at least twice, since it is one of my many favorite books. (Actually, I probably have read it three times, but I am not entirely sure...)
Which book brings back the most childhood memories?
Okay, so there are several books that bring back childhood memories for me. (I could make a long list of all the books.) But I am going to go with a different answer than I would normally for this and say...
Holly the Christmas Fairy and The Faraway Tree. I loved both these books. I loved the character of Holly in Holly the Christmas Fairy. (They should really write more books with her. I'd read them.) And in The Faraway Tree, I really enjoyed the adventures the children had in the different worlds that come to the tree.
What is your favorite romance trope?
I don't tend to like romance alone as a genre. That is, I wouldn't usually seek out books that are just romance (though there are exceptions to that), so I prefer it as a subplot in a story.
But...my favorite has to be the trope of Forbidden Love. For some reason it shows up a lot in my writing, and I have no idea why. But given that I like writing it, I also like reading it...depending on how well it is done of course.
Audiobooks or no audiobooks?
Audiobooks for sure. This is because I like the idea of someone telling a story to me. It's just so relaxing. So, when I'm tired, I find them easier to read than normal books.
I tag:
Galatea at Blooming Elephant
Gauri at Brighter Alleys
Elena at Life is a Beautiful Ride
Hailey at The Girl Behind the Camera
McKayla at Tales of a Triple Threat
Artemis Crescent at Artemis Crescent
Annika at Annika Larraine
My questions:
1. What's your favorite sub-genre of Fantasy? And why?
2. What is your favorite book series? And why?
3. Who is your favorite fictional character and who is your least favorite fictional character?
4. Would you rather get stuck in the world of your favorite book and not be able to return to the real world or you're in the real world but you're stuck permanently in the body of your favorite character?
5. What's your favorite genre of books to read? And what's your favorite book from that genre?
6. What's your favorite Fantasy trope? And why is it your favorite trope?
7. Do you have a favorite myth or fairy tale? If so what is it?
8. What is your favorite novel? And what is the opening line of that novel?
9. What types of bookmarks do you use? Random pieces of paper, hand-made bookmarks, or something else?
10. Do you write annotations in your books? Why or why not?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you ever written a fanfic about your favorite book/book series? And do you have a favorite romance trope?
-Quinley