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Tips for Creating the RomCom Protagonist
Here are some tips for (and musings on) creating the RomCom protagonist and a comic character based on my reading and listening to various screenwriting experts. I’m hoping writing this post will help me clarify my thoughts further.
So, the RomCom protagonist should be:
- a NonHero/incomplete;
- likable (my own take) or at least empathatic;
- have a WANT that is the opposite of what they NEED;
- complex;
- obsessed with something – the WANT;
- funny; and
- trying very hard to obtain what they want.
The Non-Hero
In Steve Kaplan’s The Comic Hero’s Journey, he writes that the comic hero is a nonhero. I highly recommend his book. It’s funny (as you will see from the quotes below). His book shows the difference between the Comic Hero’s journey and Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey:
“your protagonist, the comic hero, does not have greatness within. Your protagonist is as far from greatness within as is humanly possible, . . . He wants a world of adventure like he wants a hole in the head. “
The Comic Hero’s Journey by Steve Kaplan, at p.7.He writes:
The whole point of the Normal World is to set up your protagonist for that eventual change. You might think that all you need to do is put your nice, normal hero in a crazy, fucked-up situation and see how it all shakes out. Well, don’t.
The Comic Hero’s Journey by Steve Kaplan, at p.7.Steve Kaplan uses GROUNDHOG DAY as his example. In the original screen play, the protagonist was just a nice guy. But in the re-write, he became an asshole. The comic hero needs to be shaken out of his rut. And if the comic hero is perfect, then why are all these horrible things happening to him? You need a reason for why you’re shaking him/her out of his/her dismal situation (which, by the way, the protagonist thinks is fine). Id. at p.8.
So, start with a nonhero character living in a problematic ordinary world. But we still need readers/viewers to like our character.
Billy Mernit’s Tips for Creating a RomCom Protagonist
As I wrote in my previous post, Billy Mernit provides four keys to characterization: “purpose, credibility, empathy and complexity.” Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit at p. 112.
Protagonists have to have a purpose (a want) and that want for that character has to be credible. So, Mernit gives the example of Dustin Hoffman in TOOTSIE who wants to be a working actor; the film montage shows us that he is a good actor. Protagonists also have to make us feel empathy for them (maybe because they’re being rejected and we’ve all been rejected)); and they have to be complex (more on that below).
According to Mernit, one way to create empathy is to show the protagonist’s fervent passion to accomplish his goal. If you show a character repeatedly trying to succeed and getting knocked down (comic potential there), but then getting up again, you will not only build empathy for your character, you will have action in your scenes that mix plot and character.
Likable or Complex or Both?
You have a choice to make your character likable or complex or both.
Billy Mernit and Tess Morris in the “You Had Us at Hello” Podcast #4 have a really interesting perspective on this. They note that women characters have been able to be less “likable” lately, if you look at Kristin Wiig in BRIDESMAIDS or the characters in the TV show Girls.
Frankly, I still want to create a likable, but flawed, complex comic character. because if I don’t like the character, then I am not willing to invest my time reading the book.
But, in Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes, I was impressed that one of her protagonists, Lisa Edwards, is not very likable, and yet I felt empathy for her. How does Keyes create that empathy? Lisa works very hard, sacrificing everything, and instead of getting the promotion she expects, is shipped off to Ireland to start up a new magazine with limited resources. And she is complex. But Keyes also has a likable protagonist in that same book, so that’s another approach, to have two protagonists, one likable and one unlikable. But I digress.
And most of my favorite RomCom characters are likable: Sally in When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, Bridget Jones, etc. Or to look at characters in books: Samantha Sweeting in the Undomestic Goddess, Becky Bloomwood in the Shopaholic series, Melissa Romney-Jones in The Little Lady Agency series. But they are also complex. Sally is optimistic but likes control. Annie Hall is Annie Hall. Samantha Sweeting is a brilliant lawyer, but unable to do any domestic tasks. Becky can’t stop spending, but gives advice on saving money. Melissa who is a “nice girl” in real life, but “add a satin corset, and some serious red lipstick, and I’m Honey Blennerhesket, bootylicious troubleshooter for London’t hapless bachelors and chaps generally in need of a woman’s multitasking mind.” The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, by Hester Browne at p.1. They are all also funny.
Why Complex?
But why complex? As Billy Mernit writes,
“Complex characters who have contradictions and quirks keep us interested as long as they’re credible.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit, at p. 117.Robert McKee said in his online webinar on “Building a Character” that characters don’t need to be likable, they need to be “compelling,” which translates to “complicated. “
Billy Mernit then circles back to wants vs. needs as one of the keys to creating complexity.
Needs are at the core of a given character’s point of view, and in a story, more often than not, an internal conflict is what drives, and complicates the character’s external conflict. Generally speaking, when we’re tracking a characters’s arc in the story, we’re tracking how confronting and ultimately resolving their inner issue helps that character achieve their exterior goal.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit, at p. 118.The internal issue usually comes from the character’s backstory. This backstory fuels the internal conflict of your protagonist and raises the tension.
Want/Need
One way to make them complex is to make sure that what they WANT is the opposite of what they NEED. Then you have built in CONFLICT.
In GROUNDHOG DAY, he wants to be promoted to a bigger news station in a bigger market. What he needs, however, is to form relationships and to be a better person.
This dovetails with Steve Kaplan’s advice that the initial goal of a comic protagonist is an outer goal that is the WRONG goal, and so the goal changes as the character changes along the character arc. As Kaplan writes,
“These initial goals are usually selfish and shortsighted and usually not addressing their inner needs.”
The Comic Hero’s Journey, by Steve Kaplan at p. 10As Steve Kaplan writes, Discovered Goals will replace these Initial Goals as the characters transform. So figure out your character’s want and need, and show how their goal changes from the Initial Goal to the Discovered Goal.
Give Them An Obsession
Finally, according to McKee, “the comic character is marked by a blind obsession.” Story by Robert McKee, at p. 382. So, in his example, in A FISH CALLED WANDA, Wanda’s obsession is men who speak foreign languages. This leads to that funny scene where Kevin Kline is saying Italian words (“parmigiani . . . ) to her (but doesn’t actually know how to speak Italian), the clip available here.
In Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, she is obsessed with shopping. Which leads to all sorts of hysterical complications as well as tension–at least, when I read Shopaholic, I was like, please, please stop shopping!
Let’s Talk
What are your thoughts on creating the RomCom protagonist? Who are your favorite romantic comedy protagonists and why?
And no idea what week it is in lockdown. I feel like I’m living the movie Groundhog Day–the homeschooling version, except that I’m not learning piano or working out (I wish!); I’m just trying to get through each day of homeschooling, cooking and writing.
Hoping you are all doing as well as can be!
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My Favorite Romantic Comedies
Here are some of my favorite romantic comedies (in alphabetical order).ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
I highly recommend this film. The dialogue is smart and witty. I loved the relationships between all the characters.
See my post about how the wrong guy/girl in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE propels the plot.
BABY BOOM
I love Diane Keaton. And Baby Boom has many empowering themes. The set-up is well done, showing how her relationship is lacking with her current boyfriend, the competitive atmosphere at the office, and how she has clipped this newspaper ad for this farmhouse in Maine. There’s the back-stabbing male colleague, her attempt at diapering the baby, her buying the falling-down farmhouse and building up her baby food business. And there is sizzling chemistry between Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard.
BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY
Love, love, love! I love her character and her friends, the chemistry with Hugh Grant and with Colin Firth sizzles, and the the triangle is brilliantly done. Brilliant dialogue. I think it’s so brilliantly based on Pride and Prejudice. Love everything about this movie. It’s a classic!
CLUELESS
Another classic. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma. Memorable dialogue! Some of my favorite movie lines ever.
“Whenever a boy comes, you should always have something cooking.”
“Ugh. As if.”
And so many more!
DESK SET
See my post about how the wrong guy leads to a set piece.
I love Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. One of my favorite scenes is their first lunch where she shows how intelligent she is and he is impressed, calling her a rare bird. And then the scene were Gig Young (her current “boyfriend”) shows up to find her having a cozy dinner with Spencer Tracy.
This screenplay was written by the parents of Nora Ephron.
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS
Brilliant and funny premise. She has to write a women’s magazine article about how to lose a guy in 10 days and he has 10 days to persuade her to fall in love with him so he can win the right to pitch an advertising campaign about diamonds. So many laugh-out-loud scenes. Smoking hot chemistry. One of my favorite movies!
LOVE JONES
Described on the DVD cover as a “hip When Harry Met Sally.” A photographer and a writer get together, break up, get together again, and I won’t ruin the rest of the movie. The dialogue is meaningful and the friendships among this set of artistic friends are warm and supportive. And the soundtrack sets the mood! But note, it’s more of a romance than a romantic comedy.
MAN UP
Snappy dialogue, great premise, great comedic set scenes. He’s supposed to meet a blind date under the clock who is reading a certain book. He mistakes her for his blind date and she goes along with that. So, there’s the “scam” set-up.
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET
I like to watch this every Christmas. It’s about a divorcee who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and doesn’t believe in imagination/love, so the neighbor next door tries to persuade her to give love a second chance and Santa Claus tries to persuade her little girl that he is Santa Claus. I like the career woman plot and the Santa Claus on trial plot. That trial scene is one of my favorite movie scenes.
OVERBOARD
Great chemistry, great premise, great comedy, great comedic set scenes, Goldie Hawn. Need I say more?
I also wrote a blog post on the new Overboard. Although it’s not as good as this one, it’s not bad. And it has some funny scenes in its own right.
TWO WEEKS NOTICE
Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. They are both such talented comedic actors. A dedicated environmental lawyer agrees to work for billionaire real estate developer Hugh Grant if he agrees to preserve her local community center. The movie opens with Sandra Bullock trying to stop the destruction of the community center with her own body. Way to start with action.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
Nora Ephron (writer) is one of my idols. With Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. On-point dialogue and one of my favorite films exploring male/female friendship and dating. Another must-see classic.
Let’s Talk: Favorite Romcoms?
What are some of your favorite romantic comedies? I am looking for some more romantic comedies to watch at night while #stayinghome, so I would love any suggestions. Why are those your favorites? Even as I write this, I can think of more favorites. It’s so hard to choose!
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Dollhouse Project for Kids
If you are looking for a fun project to make with the kids while #stayingathome, building a dollhouse is a great project for ages 7 and up (or any age, depending on your kid). This Serendipity Shed is from the HBS/Miniatures site, but in the UK, there are many great online dollshouse stores as well, such as DollsHouse Emporium.
In New York City, parents volunteer to make an art project with their child’s class to sell at the school auction to benefit the public school. I volunteered to make this dollhouse library with my son’s third grade class. The class parents volunteered as well thankfully. And it sold!
Making the Dollhouse Kit
What you will need:
- the dollhouse kit
- acrylic paint in your choice of colors
- wood glue
- door handles (if you decide you want to add those) (also from HBS/Miniatures)
- masking tape or painters tape
- sandpaper
- recommended glue to put in window panes
The kit comes with instructions. So first, read the instructions. Second, dry-fit the kit, so you know how it fits together before you glue it with wood glue. Then I recommend gluing together the walls and the floor. Then paint the partial structure and the various pieces (like the windows) in your chosen colors. For the class, we painted all the the pieces separately because I needed activities for around 25 kids. Then glue it together. And Voila! You have a little dollhouse.
Dollhouse Project for Kids
My son’s class made everything in this dollhouse except for the bookshelves. (And that metal lamp). I bought the back one at #HBS/Miniatures. And I made the side bookshelves with popsicle and stirrer sticks and carboard, and then painted it white. We xeroxed/reduced the covers of their chosen favorite books. As you can see, Harry Potter and 13stories are favorites. And they glued the books together (cut up magazines serve as the inside pages).
The kids painted the walls white and the windows blue. (I did have to sand the window openings because I forgot to tell them to paint lightly there, so that the window fit inside.) They made the couch using a cardboard tea box and covering it with cotton balls and fabric and and then gluing it with fabric glue. (No sewing required.) And they made the plants by painting twisty ties green and then putting those in air-dry clay (covered with tea for dirt). We used bottle caps as planters.
If you and/or your child really enjoy this project, it’s a whole new world. There are so many videos on Youtube to watch!
Let’s Talk
How are you doing? Hope you are all doing well and #stayingsafe! We are all fine. We have been inside for a month. I received back a developmental edit on Partner Pursuit, so I was busy this week revising my MS accordingly.
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Writing the Romantic Comedy
If you like watching romantic comedies or are writing a romcom, then Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit should be your Go-To Book. It is a lot of fun to read and full of craft advice and knowledge.
If you like watching romcoms, then it’s like a friendly, witty conversation with the expert, Billy Mernit. He also has a blog. And he lists romantic comedies, so you can find some you may not have seen. I just watched the movie MAN UP (discussed in the book) and it’s BRILLIANT.
If you are planning on writing a romcom, then it’s like taking a class on how to write one. Here are my three takeaways from his book, but really, you need to read the whole book! The whole book is brilliant and has so many tips for comedy and for writing.
- Character Chemistry
- Supporting Characters Create Conflict
- The Romantic Comedy Plot Beats
He also added so much great additional stuff in this new updated version, particularly with how to write comedy.
Character Chemistry
Billy Mernit lists four keys to characterization: purpose, credibility, empathy and complexity. (Writing the Romantic Comedy, at p. 112). He uses Tootsie as an example to explain each of these concepts. I plan to do a longer post to delve into the comic character.
Supporting Characters Create Conflict
One of my main takeaways from Writing the Romantic Comedy was how supporting characters should create conflict for the main character and “force him to confront his issues.” (Id. at 145). My earlier post went into more detail about this.
The Romantic Comedy Plot Beats
The new edition of Writing the Romantic Comedy now has 8 beats (the first edition had 7 beats). I have taken two classes that cited these beats (one online class by Alyssa Cole and one class by Fiona Harper at the RNA Conference in Leeds), so I am not the only writer recommending this structure.
And the RomCom plot beats are:
- The Chemical Equation: Set-Up (show what is missing in the protagonist)
- The Meet-Cute Meet: Catalyst
- A Sexy Complication: Turning Point
- The Hook: Midpoint (raises the stakes of their relationship)
- Swivel: Second Turning Point (“stakes reach their highest point as the romantic relationship’s importance jeopardizes the protagonist’s . . . goal” (Id. at p. 198)
- The Dark Moment: Crisis
- Climax: a Fight or Flight
- Joyful Defeat: Resolution
Billy Mernit shows how these beats work using NOTTING HILL and CRAZY RICH ASIANS as examples. He recommends watching a romantic comedy and finding these beats.
The Romantic Comedy Beats in The UnDomestic Goddess
I thought I’d try applying these beats to a novel The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. This is one of my favorite novels, probably because I’m a recovering workaholic lawyer who identifies with the protagonist Samantha (a workaholic lawyer). I love Sophie Kinsella books. Since I am trying to write a romcom, it’s worth studying her books, even if they don’t fit this movie structure exactly. The book is more focused on the protagonist’s journey, so the romance plot is a sub-plot. Again SPOILERS. I highly recommend reading the book if you haven’t already. It’s a very funny book and good for this quarantine period.
So here are the beats (I think):
The Set-Up: the Chemical Equation:
Samantha is a workaholic lawyer trying to make partner and who has no outside life. She has a birthday dinner and her family members cancel on her because of work and so she is just left holding phones talking to her at the table.
The Meet-Cute (the Catalyst):
Samantha misses a deadline to register a loan, causing a fifty million loss to her client. and walks out of the law firm in shock. She knocks on the door of a house to procure aspirin and the owner thinks she is from the housekeeper agency. Romance Meet-Cute: As she drinks a glass of her client’s wine, she feels a prickly sensation and meets the gardener of the house, Nathaniel. He says he heard she trained as a Cordon Bleu chef (she said that while she was interviewing for the job), and asks her what kind of vegetables she will want. He is suspicious when she doesn’t know the difference between various types of vegetables.
First Turning Point:
She is fired from her law firm and she decides to stay as their housekeeper. Romance Turning Point: She is trying to cook a dinner for the family, when she has no idea how to cook, and panicking as everything is exploding. Nathaniel comes in and confronts her, accusing her of exploiting her employers since she clearly can’t cook. She admits that she is on the run from “a situation” and she can’t cook. Then she saves herself from the cooking disaster (she tells her employers the meal was inedible and not up to her standards so she threw it out because she didn’t have the right equipment) and stays as their housekeeper.
Midpoint (the Hook):
Nathaniel’s mom gives Samantha a cooking lesson where she has to experience the flavors; she can’t just take notes. And the atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable. Romance turning point: They plan a date.
Second Turning Point (the Swivel):
Samantha figures out that she was set up to take the fall for that mistake. She didn’t make the mistake. Romance Turning Point: Nathaniel and Samantha start dating. She also finds out that Nathaniel hates lawyers, so she doesn’t tell him teh truth that she is a lawyer. but dating him gets her farther from her goal of returning to law.
Crisis (the Dark Moment):
Samantha poses as a cocktail waitress to enter the firm and confront the partner who set her up, but she gets kicked out of the firm. Romance Crisis: she decides to go back to her law firm job. They break up.
Climax (Fight or Flight):
Samantha approaches one senior partner and tells him her theory that she was set up. He researches it and she’s right. She is offered a full equity partnership. Romance Fight or Flight: She realizes she doesn’t want to return to her law firm job while on the train with the law firm partners. She turns down the job again and gets out of the train to find a train going back. Then she sees Nathaniel seated on the train to London.
Resolution
Samantha and Nathaniel get back together and she realizes can “do anything. Be anyone.”
Let’s Talk
Have you read Writing the Romantic Comedy or The UnDomestic Goddess? What did you think?
On a personal note, we are on Day 25 in our NYC apartment. We are fine, but I cry when I read the news. I am so grateful to all the essential workers and I worry for them. At night, I try to watch or read a romcom to keep my spirits up. And I highly recommend watching Some Good News.
I hope you are #stayinghome #savinglives #flatteningthecurve.
And I did learn to use my tiny sewing machine and sew masks! Pretty good for a workaholic lawyer who didn’t know how to sew.
Thanks for reading.
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The RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
The RomCom “Bellamy” or Wrong Guy/Girl in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE is pivotal to pushing Sasha and Marcus together. There are three Bellamys in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE: Sasha’s fiance, her new boyfriend and Marcus’ girlfriend.
But first, SPOILER ALERT. Go watch ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE before you read this post because there are spoilers below. The movie is SO good. It’s available on Netflix.
As a reminder, Billy Mernit uses the term “Bellamy” to describe the rejected suitor in Writing the Romantic Comedy.
The Functions of the RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE
The RomCom Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE has several functions (per my earlier post):
- shows how right Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) are for each other
- creates tension and conflict
- leads to the hysterical set piece scene where they double date
Sasha’s Fiance
This picture says it all. He’s more interested in looking at his phone than talking to her.
He then wants to move their wedding back, separate, travel to India and date other people, so that they’re sure.
Sasha then rails to Marcus that her fiance was like a gorgeous statue, that she couldn’t be herself, and men always say they want a strong woman, but what they really want is a cheerleader. All of which points to Marcus as the ideal mate for her: she is herself with him.
Marcus’s Girlfriend
How is Jenny, Marcus’s girlfriend, wrong for Marcus? Well, she’s not Sasha, as his Dad says.
But even earlier, we know. First, his best friend doesn’t want to join them for dinner when he realizes it’s with Jenny. And second, when Jenny cooks a meal for Sasha and Marcus, and it’s inedible. Now Sasha is a renowned chef, so this highlights the qualities of Sasha as being the right person. Because who first taught Sasha to cook? Marcus’s mom. So a person who can cook is important for Marcus.
Sasha’s New Boyfriend: Keanu Reeves
Now it starts to get really fun. Marcus’s Dad has told Marcus that his girlfriend is not The One because she’s not Sasha (even though she’s nice and loves children). His dad tells him to ACT and not to live with regrets.
So Marcus is about to tell Sasha he likes her, WHEN she announces excitedly she met someone and had amazing sex.
Ooh, unexpected twist.
So now, the Bellamy is creating conflict. Marcus knows what he wants: Sasha, but he can’t go for it because Sasha’s completely enamored of her new boyfriend. Maybe he has even missed his chance.
And then Sasha suggests that they have a double date.
Leading to the Double Date “Set Piece”
What is a set piece?
According to Billy Mernit in Writing the Romantic Comedy,
” . . . in addition to some scene that delivers full-blown romance, a romantic comedy is generally expected to have at least one scene or sequence that’s consistently laugh-out-loud funny. The industry term for such an element is set piece.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit at p. 274.And he continues:
“A set piece is an extended scene or sequence that exploits the setting or world of the movie to build from one joke or thrill to a series of same, climaxing in a satisfyingly big payoff topper.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit at p. 275The Double Date “Set Piece”
The set piece in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE is BRILLIANT. The setting is a fancy restaurant (exploiting that Sasha is a chef and one of the running themes/jokes that fancy restaurants don’t serve enough food). Keanu Reeves playing himself as a movie star appears–in slow motion. Each course is its own joke as they are served some pretentious smidgeon of food, and the dialogue between the four ups the tension.
Sasha asks Marcus his opinion of Keanu Reeves and he calls him a “douche-bag.” Again, this highlights how Marcus is right for Sasha. He’ s not afraid to be honest with her and say what he thinks or call her out.
Marcus proceeds to look more and more unhappy as the meal progresses. They then proceed to a nightcap at the hotel, where emotional truths are revealed, as the tension reaches its peak between Marcus and Keanu (and it is TENSE). And then there’s a fight between Keanu and Marcus.
And who does Sasha rescue? Marcus. Yes, the fight between Marcus and the Bellamy shows Sasha who she really loves.
Then, there’s a release of tension and the TOPPER in the cab ride home as the camera pans over to the third passenger in the Uber Pool. (So funny).
Let’s Talk
So, have you seen ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE? What was your favorite part? Can you think of other functions that the wrong girl/guys serve? What are your thoughts?
I hope you are all safe and healthy and #stayinghome. I find watching and reading romcoms helps make me less stressed. And now Dav Pilkey of Dog Man is giving art lessons too.
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Some Stay-at-Home NYC Mommy Tips
Here are some Stay-at-Home NYC Mommy Survival Tips. We’ve now been in our NYC apartment for 14 straight days, although we luckily have a small balcony for fresh air.
Overall, we’re lucky. We’re healthy and we just have to stay inside to help flatten the curve. I worry for the medical personnel, the postal workers, the grocery workers, the warehouse workers, the delivery workers and all the rest who are out there working as heroes.
List of Stay-At-Home NYC Mommy Survival Tips
- Exercise
- Keep a Schedule
- Art and Virtual Tours
- Food
- Reading/Watching Movies
- Crafting and Making Masks
- Keep Social
- Keep washing hands
If you have any suggestions, please share!
Exercise
Exercise is important for your immune system and your sanity. I haven’t done enough, but I will keep trying.
For Kids:
Create Your Own Obstacle Course: This has been the most successful exercise activity to date. My kids and I each take turns creating an obstacle course throughout the house and then we each follow each other doing it. We run around chairs, climb onto chairs, run around a table, crawl under a table, jump over stuffed animals etc. (Luckily, our neighbors are very nice and have not complained about the amount of extra noise as we jump around.)
It definitely gets the heart rate up and adds a little extra fun.
GoNoodle and PE with Joe Wicks: We’ve also been doing some dance videos from GoNoodle and P.E. with Joe Wicks.
For Moms/Dads:
I am trying out Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s trainer’s workout book. My friend gave it to me last year.
Another friend recommended this site for Yoga: Dharma Yoga New York Center.
Keep A Schedule
I think that it helps the kids to have a schedule. So we have our homeschooling schedule, and to that we’ve added Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems, Exercise and Duolingo (they are trying to learn Danish).
Art
I still highly recommend Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems. He’s very therapeutic to watch.
And he gives writing advice.
Here is my doodle from Episode 3.
This New York Times article also lists other authors/artists giving programs, so I am excited to try some of those.
Virtual Art Tours: I’m excited to go on some virtual art museum tours and other virtual tours.
Food
I made a shopping list of all our usual food so that when I find a delivery slot open, I can check the list and order from it, otherwise I keep forgetting items. I do spend a lot of time looking for open delivery slots.
A HUGE thanks to all the grocery workers and delivery people.
Bread: This is also a great recipe for whole wheat bread from Minimalist Baker. I can’t find yeast available anymore (and flour is also hard to find), but I have some packs left and maybe by the time I use them up, yeast will be back in stock.
Books/Movies
I am so grateful for all the books that I can escape into. I may actually make some progress on my #TBR pile. And I’m also watching movies at night, rather than always reading the news.
Crafting and Making Masks
I like to craft to keep up my spirits and so I’ve been doing some crafting, in between home schooling, reading and writing.
I found some patterns/tutorials for making masks, so I think I will try to do that too, although I am not very good at sewing and haven’t yet learned to use a sewing machine. It’s been on my bucket list, so I will check out some Youtube videos and learn to do it. I have a tiny kid sewing machine. It’s a Home EC project for the kids too! At the least, my family can wear my attempts, and hopefully, the shortage of PPE will be addressed. If I get good at making them, then I can send them to a hospital.
Keep Social
I am using this time to catch up with friends, so I hope you do too. Try to reach out to a friend every day or other day. My kids are doing zoom/facetime chats with their friends and that makes them happy.
Let’s Talk about Your Stay-At-Home Mommy Survival Tips
Do you have any tips for staying-at-home (with or without kids)? Any suggestions for laugh-out-loud romcom books?
Also, please keep washing your hands (and not touching your face). But it seems to transmit from when you touch someone or something with the virus and then you touch your face, so wash your hands before you touch your face. Which is so hard for me. As soon as I can’t touch my face, something on my face itches. Even writing this, I have an itch on my eyelid. And obviously practice social distancing and stay home as much as you can.
And if you’re not in an area that is yet in lockdown, I recommend stocking up on pantry staples (like flour, pasta etc.) and kids art supplies. You can get kids art supplies delivered, but you want to minimize people delivering (for their sake and yours).
Wishing you all the best!
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Crafting the RomCom Bellamy
Here are some tips for crafting the RomCom Bellamy.
First, what’s a RomCom Bellamy?
That’s the Wrong Guy or Girl.
As Billy Mernit explains in Writing the Romantic Comedy,
In the screwball era, Ralph Bellamy was the prime rejected suitor of choice, playing the earnest stodgy fellow who didn’t get the joke or the girl. . . . Solid and dependable, Bellamy represents the qualities his heroines have been unable to secure in their desired heros–in both cases, played by the charmingly tricky and unreliable Cary Grant.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, Billy Mernit, at p.131-132Take THE AWFUL TRUTH.
How is Ralph Bellamy wrong for Irene Dunne?
- seems a bit stodgy
- is visiting New York with his MOTHER, to whom he seems quite attached
- is from Oklahoma, where Irene Dunne does not want to live. In one scene, Cary Grant repeatedly says how much Irene Dunne will love living in Oklahoma and Irene Dunne winces every time.
- does dance enthusiastically, but not in a way that fits NY society. He’s country dancing in a sophisticated New York nightclub. (Personally, I give him points for that.)
Crafting the RomCom Bellamy in DESK SET
Or take DESK SET, one of my favorite movies. (Fun fact: The screenplay for DESK SET was written by Nora Ephron’s parents.) The Bellamy there is her office crush. How do we know he’s the Wrong Guy?
- she is very uncertain of their relationship even though they have been dating for YEARS
- he asks her for help checking over his numbers (using her)
- he doesn’t recognize how smart she is
What is important to remember is that the Bellamy “helps define who the protagonist is and isn’t.” Writing the Romantic Comedy, at 132.
It also helps to highlight the qualities of the Right Man. So in DESK SET, Spencer Tracy
- recognizes immediately how smart she is after their lunch date and is very impressed with her (another one of my favorite scenes);
- seems romantically interested; flirts with her; compliments her
- Has a good sense of humor
Benefits of the Bellamy
Comedy: My favorite part of the Bellamy is that it enables you to set up a triangle comedy “set piece” where this is displayed, as, for example, in DESK SET when Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are having dinner and Gig Young, the guy she has been dating for years, arrives and is upset to find Spencer Tracy there. Bridget Jones also does this with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Remember when she is having her birthday dinner with Colin Firth and her friends, and Hugh Grant shows up.
Tension: If you do it right, you may create genuine mystery as to who will be The One. For example, in HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, I think there’s genuine tension as to which girlfriend becomes her mother.
“The most effective Bellamy is one who poses a genuine threat to your central romance, meaning: for maximum triangle tension, design a Mr. or Ms. Wrong who we can believe could actually be a viable mate for your protagonist.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, Billy Mernit at p. 134In my WIP, Partner Pursuit, I tried to do this, but I worry that I made my Bellamy too desirable, which took away some of the comedy and made my beta readers feel bad for him. But if I made him less likable, I took away some of the tension that she would end up with him. So, I think there’s a trade-off. I think for comedy, you need to make him less likable.
Let’s Talk
Do you like movies or books with a Bellamy? What are some of your favorite books or scenes in movies? Why do you like them? Next time, I will look at the Bellamy in ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE–a more current movies π
Unless now that my kids are home from school and I am home-schooling, I come up with some good ideas to share. I did find Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems, so, since we love Mo Willems, we will try to incorporate lunch doodling into our schedule.
Keep safe and keep washing those hands!
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Lessons from #PitMad
So, so many lessons from #PITMAD.
It is Madness. I tried to stay away from checking Twitter, but I couldn’t. It was like dating, when you’re waiting for the guy to call. (Which is why I usually ended up calling the guy.)
First of all, if Kathy at GetABookDeal101 is running her free #pitmad course, then I recommend signing up for that. Definitely watch the videos and do the exercises from Kathy. And I recommend signing up on her website for any free classes etc. She’s an excellent teacher. I learned how to write a Twitter pitch and I think that could be translated into how to write the back cover blurb. Before, I doubted I could write the back cover blurb. So, for that alone, I think it’s worth participating, even if you don’t pitch or don’t get asked to query by an agent. Or if you’re planning to self-publish.
The next #pitmad is in June, so I definitely recommend trying it out.
How Kathy’s Course GetABookDeal Works
You sign up at getabookdeal101.com/twitter. It’s free. Then you get access to the Facebook group where Kathy gives an assignment each day. Each day, she does a live video class with tips (also available as a replay). It started on a Sunday and #pitmad was on Thursday. You post your homework on Facebook and others can comment, and you can comment on theirs, as we all try to improve pitches.
How #PitMad Works
Then on Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., you post three different pitches for your book with the hashtag #pitmad as well as any other relevant hashtags allowed. And you check Twitter obsessively to see what’s happening. (This was actually my first tweet.). And retweet other pitches.
More Lessons from #PitMad
So one thing Kathy does via her live video classes is show the pitches that succeeded in getting likes. This was so helpful and, at least for me, it really seemed to unlock my brain so I could try different pitches.
Voice seemed key. Mash-ups were also successful. And spacing seemed to help. She also recommended just doing a scene from your novel, and not pitching the entire synopsis in 240 characters.
She recommends trying different things each time. This way, you can see what, if anything, gets traction with agents. She showed us how one person tweeted three different pitches: one got one heart from an agent, the second received none, and then the third received hearts from three agents. She chose brilliant examples.
I had one like from an agent on my first pitch. So happy! I also had someone comment that they’ve done that (leave the coat on the chair and the light on), so I loved that too. And someone else commented that they wanted to read this book. My other pitches were not successful, but it was still fun to try. And then Kathy also complimented me, which also made me so happy.
It’s also an amazingly supportive community. I loved that aspect. Some people wrote that they got 500 followers on Twitter. I didn’t concentrate on that part of it, but next time, I might. This time, I was so busy in RL that I just did the classes, worked on my 3 pitches, and tried to comment on other peoples’ pitches on Facebook. It was also my first time really using Twitter (Kathy also shows you how to set up your Twitter account). If you have a Twitter community, that may help if many people retweet your pitches.
Lessons from #PitMad in RealTime
I started with my best pitch at 10 a.m.. Here are my three final pitches:
Pitch 1. Jacket on back of chair. Check.
Briefcase in view of open door. Check.
Time to escape the office, but leave the impression she’s still there Conflict-adverse Wall Street lawyer is sure she can persuade cute fun-loving neighbor that she can balance it all. #PITMAD #A #WF #R
At around 2 p.m.:
Pitch 2: How to Intrigue your cute neighbor. What not to do:
1. Play a practical joke on him making him laugh
2. Send him welcoming homemade cookies
3. Invite him over for a home-cooked meal
4. Leave date abruptly to go to office when boss calls. #PITMAD #A #WF #R
At around 6 p.m.:
Pitch 3: WORKING GIRL x LEAN IN
Conflict-adverse Wall Street lawyer must persuade rival colleague to work together so both make partner.
Sent Feminist Fight club in inter-office mail
Sent MIRACLE ON 34th STREET
No Reply. Not surprised. Invite to BusDev lunch. And it’s a yes #PITMAD #A #WF #R
My original three pitches included pitch #1 above and then these two below. After taking Kathy’s class, I changed them to the above final pitches.
I did question whether I should use my final pitch #3 or draft pitch #3 below.
Pitch 2: When a conflict-adverse workaholic bumps into her new neighbor on the street (while checking her work phone), they strike up a flirtation. Even if he is the one, after 7 years of working nonstop to make partner, she has to put that goal first. #A #WF #R #PITMAD
Pitch 3: Conflict-adverse Wall Street lawyer is determined to make partner. Sheβll βbe nice,β even if her nemesis wonders aloud βif she has what it takes.β But when her 24/7 job sabotages her new love, she must figure out what partnership she wants. #A #WF #R #PITMAD (258)
Let’s Talk
Which pitch would entice you to read the book? Have you done #PITMAD? What did you think? What lessons did you learn?
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Developing Supporting Characters
So, I’m starting my second novel and developing the supporting characters. I’m also about to take my third Linnea Sinclair month-long class, which will be on secondary characters. So excited! I highly recommend signing up now for it. It’s only $30.00. She is an AMAZING teacher (and writer). So, I will have a lot more insights into this at the end of this month (but you have to take her class for those). But for now, here’s where I’m starting from.
Use Supporting Characters to Create Conflict and Add Dimension
The best analysis I’ve seen so far on developing your supporting characters is Billy Mernit’s analysis of the TOOTSIE characters in his book, Writing the Romantic Comedy. And if you are writing a romantic comedy or love watching romantic comedies, I HIGHLY recommend reading his book. He has an amazing pictorial representation of the characters.
“[T]he supporting characters are all in some way reflections of Michael [Michael is the name of the character who becomes Tootsie] and thus force him to confront his issues.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit (2000) at p. 76.So, as an example, in my current WIP, if my protagonist is going to be emotionally reserved, then another character has to be very emotional. Supporting characters should conflict and bring out different traits in the MC. Here’s an initial circle representation, based on Mernit’s picture for Tootsie.
(To be honest, I keep going back and forth on whether she will be emotionally reserved. Emotional might be more fun.) In my first not-yet-published novel, Partner Pursuit, Audrey is a workaholic, while Jake, the love interest, is trying to live life to the fullest.
Add a Friend
Unless the person is a lonely introvert, then I suggest adding a friend. I always wonder about characters who don’t seem to have any friends. Also, this gives your protagonist someone to confide in. And then the buddy can give advice. As Billy Mernit says, “Buddies move the story forward.” (at p. 68). For example, in OVERBOARD (2018), it is Eva Longoria, the best friend, who suggests to Anna Faris that she should pretend she is his wife and he can work to pay off what he owes her.
Assign “Tags” to Supporting Characters
If you have a lot of supporting characters, and I’m reading late at night, tired, I might get lost and confuse them unless you give them a “tag” or dominant impression so that I remember who this character is. Here’s what writing guru Dwight Swain advises:
“A tag is a label. You hang tags on story people so that your reader can tell one character from another. An impression, dominant or otherwise, is created by the tags a character bears.”
Techniques of the Selling Writer, Dwight V. Swain, at p. 226.This is something I also need to improve in my writing.
Let’s Talk
Who are some of your favorite supporting characters? Why? What advice do you give about supporting characters?
And let’s talk about the topic on everyone’s minds: I am trying to stock up for the coronavirus, but it’s practically impossible. The food seems to be eaten as soon as it comes in. It’s like the opposite of doing laundry–I empty the hamper and do the laundry and yet, it’s full again of dirty clothes. Here, I load up the refrigerator and the cabinets, and yet they’re empty. The only thing I can safely say is that we seem to have enough toilet paper. Hurray for that.
Wishing everyone a great weekend. Keep washing your hands.
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Analyzing the new OVERBOARD
So OVERBOARD (1987) with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell is one of my favorite movies, but I still wanted to see the new OVERBOARD (2018) and to spend some time analyzing it. (It’s free right now on Amazon Prime). And I enjoyed it in the end, but on its own terms. Since I’m writing a romantic comedy, and since I love watching romantic comedies, I also love discussing and analyzing romantic comedies. And there were some interesting lessons.
Analyzing the New OVERBOARD
Here are some of mythoughts on the new OVERBOARD:
- Still like the set-up of the scam
- Shows how to make an unlikable love interest likable
- Uses double entendre in comic scenes – based on the scene with the male buddies
- Missing the chemistry of the original OVERBOARD
The Comedy Scam
According to John Truby, “the plan is always a scam in comedy.” So that’s the case in OVERBOARD, since Anna Faris’s character decides to pretend that Eugenio Derbez is her husband. This also brings in the “fake dating” romcom trope, which is one of my favorites. Only, OVERBOARD has a clever twist since only one of them is aware that they are “fake” married.
P.S. I highly highly recommend John Truby’s course on Comedy. It is one of the best courses on comedy I have taken so far.
Making an Unlikable Love Interest Likable
I REALLY disliked Eugenio Derbez’s character initially. He was so so awful. He had to be awful so you sympathize with the Anna Faris character taking advantage of him. So I was impressed with the scriptwriting because I started to like him. BUT am I really that easy? He makes lunch for her and I’m like, okay, I guess you’re a good guy. I guess I am really that easy. His amnesia, though, also allowed the audience to give him a fresh start.
My Favorite Scene in OVERBOARD
My favorite scene was actually when Eugenio Derbez was hanging out with the guys and he says: “I don’t think this is my life. I don’t have sex with my wife.”
The other guy says that the last time he had sex with his wife was 9 months before our daughter was born. And our daughter is now 2. (So there you have the set-up, the joke, and then the topper (and now our daughter is 2).) And that nobody thinks that this is their life.
Eugenio says that he feels that he should be the guy owning the pool, not building the pool. And all the guys say that they think that.
So it has the double entendre aspect because you know that this is not Eugenio’s life (and that in his former life, he did have sex all the time and was the guy owning the pool) and that makes that funny. But the conversation also has truth to it (everybody thinks that), which adds to the humor.
Missing the Chemistry of the Original OVERBOARD
I think that from a romantic point of view, it was missing the chemistry of the original OVERBOARD. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell definitely had more chemistry. Maybe that’s because they have chemistry in real life, but I also think that the OVERBOARD (2018) script had less flirtatious banter between the leads. I’ll have to go watch the original again to see if my theory is correct. π
I remember that I wrote one scene in my draft novel where the male romantic lead was doing the dishes and my writing tutor in my Penguin UK Constructing a Novel Writer’s Academy course found this boring and said I needed to add more sparks. Meanwhile, as someone who hates doing dishes, I thought that the male romantic lead doing the dishes was sexy. Lol.
But she was right and I did add more banter to the scene.
Exactly. Why would anyone want to do the dishes?
Three Take-Aways from Analyzing the New OVERBOARD
- Use a scam in your comedy. Add a twist if you can.
- Make sure there is flirtatious banter between the leads
- Comic scenes that play with double entendres work.
Let’s Talk
Have you seen the 2018 OVERBOARD? Did you like it or hate it? What was your favorite scene? What was your favorite scene in the 1987 OVERBOARD?