Lessons from Finding Neverland: Write from the Heart

     I've recently discovered an amazing new musical called Finding Neverland. It's centered around J.M. Barrie's journey as he wrote Peter Pan. As a writer, I was immediately drawn into his struggle of finding ideas, and aside from being a fabulously entertaining soundtrack, I think it carries a real message for writers.
     The musical is about J.M. Barrie finding the inspiration for and writing Peter Pan, despite growing personal problems, a lack of inspiration, and no one believing that the play will ever sell. The plot revolves around Barrie choosing to write what he's passionate about, rather than what the crowd wants.
     In the beginning, Barrie "[Hasn't] had a new idea in years." He meets a family of four young boys and their widowed mother, and uses their imaginative games to inspire a far-off, idyllic world called Neverland. He frequently tells the boys how the world is far more than meets the eye, and that imagination is the key to living.
      After having Peter Pan initially rejected by his producer, Barrie must decide whether to follow the story he's passionate about. In what sounds like a dream scene, his "Dark Side" talks to him, saying, "You have to use your pen for something other than satisfying them." It inspires him to keep going, and despite many criticisms and discouragements, he manages to make his play a success.

     In addition to being an inspiring story about following your heart, there are a few very interesting ideas about writing through doubt. Many scenes in Peter Pan are inspired by Barrie's games with the boys, including the pirates, mermaids, and crocodile.
     Another bit I found fascinating was that Barrie's "dark side" said to write a part for him. It eventually became Captain Hook. It reminded me of something I read somewhere about writing your villain around what you hoped you'd never become. I loved that the moment I read it. We don't like to imagine ourselves as the villain. But it can make a truly amazing antagonist to give him/her some of your own traits.
     I also noticed that Barrie had problems with writer's block whenever he tried to write for the crowd. I've mentioned earlier that forcing a character to do something they don't want to will block you. Remember not to do the same thing to yourself.
     This has kind of become a rambling thing, and I'm not certain of how best to conclude. I definitely recommend finding the soundtrack. It's inspired me. And even if you never listen to a single song of it, I hope you'll remember that no matter how few people believe in you, how discouraged you get, there is always someone who will recognize the passion in your work. When you write from your heart, that shows in your writing. When you love your story, it opens the gate for others to love it, too.

Motivation is Everything: Writing Believable Antagonists

         

  Last year, my school put on Happy Days as our annual musical. I was in the ensemble, so I was at practices. I learned the songs, the dances, and some of the lines. One lyric in the opening song, Welcome to Wisconsin, caught my attention and made me think.

            Every story's gotta have a hero; he's the most important person to the plot.

            It made me wonder, who is the most important person to the plot? Which character could the story not exist without?

            The protagonist is important, as are the best friends, the love interest, etc. But I would say that the antagonist is actually the most important character.

            Your antagonist provides the conflict. He or she directly opposes the main character. Without the antagonist, your main character wouldn't have a problem. They wouldn't be forced to become heroes, and they'd have no stories to tell.

            So how do you create this all-important character?

            My rule of thumb, for any character is this--Motivation is Everything.

            Your villain sees himself or herself as the protagonist. He doesn't believe he's evil. (I'm going to use one or the other pronoun at this point, since the he/she stuff is getting long) She has a reason for her behavior that's just as valid in her mind as your protagonist's. Your protagonist is the antagonist to her.

            Evil for the sake of evil rarely works. Villains who are evil for no reason often end up flat or cheesy. Plus, the best villains are the ones who truly believe they're doing right. If you can understand his logic, you might see a bit of him in yourself. In my mind, that is what makes a villain truly terrifying. Seeing the evil in a fictional character is one thing. Seeing it in yourself is a completely other thing.

            Some common villain motivations include lust (the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera), Justice (Javert in Les Mis), power (Voldemort in Harry Potter), or revenge (Darth Vader from Star Wars). But you can push it further. What if you had a villain motivated by love? Not lust, but actual love? Trying to protect their family? What about a villain motivated by desperation to escape her mundane life? Villains are people, too, with motivations and hopes and fears. Make sure to treat them that way.

            What are your villains' motivations? What problems do they cause for the protagonist? Tell me all about them in the comments!