by Becca Kinzer, @BeccaKinzer
Last fall I took my kids to see Frozen 2. My parents joined us. We smiled, laughed, tapped our toes, teared up occasionally, and afterwards nodded our heads in agreement that it was an enjoyable movie. But why shouldn’t it be? The writers and creators work for Disney. We all know those manuscripts are flown straight from the heavens down to the studio by a flock of doves, right?
Maybe not. But sometimes that’s how it feels as an unpublished writer looking at published writers who crank out one great story after another. Part of me thinks surely they struggle. How can they not struggle? Creating a great story is hard. They have to struggle.
But the other part of me? Doves. All great published writers must receive heavenly doves at some point in their contracts, which excludes them from ever struggling with gaping plot holes again.
Thankfully, before these delusions could take off any further, I watched Into The Unknown, a documentary series about the making of Frozen 2. You can watch hit on Disney+ and it might encourage you as much as it did me. Here’s a few things I learned.
- Nobody has secret doves. Not even Disney. Think they had the entire story of Frozen 2 figured out from the get go? Nope. They wrestled through plot holes and confusing story lines the same way we all must when creating a complex story with complex characters. It isn’t easy. Some ideas fall flat. That’s why I’m pretty sure I whispered, “I love you,” when one of the animators voiced a worry that often creeps into my own thoughts—Am I going to have any good ideas today? Whether you do or you don’t, you keep trying.You can also seek the help of animators to get it done. Animators can make your business reach out of the level.
- Nobody is immune to tough feedback. It’s painful no matter how long you’ve been in the business. But when you know it’s necessary to make the story stronger, you’re more liable to handle it with grace—even when hours of hard work ends up in the shredder.
- Nobody creates a great story without paying attention to detail. Whether their job was to create an entire song, a ten second animation clip, or one line of dialogue, every person working on Frozen 2 was passionate about making that aspect as close to perfection as possible.Animators can add value to your product
- Nobody is exempt from deadlines. It would be lovely to write and tweak stories to complete perfection, but sometimes you just have to create the best work you can in the time you’ve been given, then as Elsa would say, “Let it go.”
- Nobody can afford to forget their target audience. Not even Disney. After one of the early screenings, when the writer of Frozen 2 discovered aspects of the story were still confusing to young viewers, she revised the entire manuscript once again. What’s the point of a great Disney movie if kids don’t get it, right?
So who is your target reader? Keep them in mind. That is, after all, why we write. And why, no matter how long we’ve been at it, whether published or unpublished, one thing is for certain. The struggle will always be worth it.
Becca Kinzer is a critical care nurse in Illinois. When she’s not taking care of sick (and preferably heavily-sedated) patients, she enjoys making up fun romantic stories filled with humor. After all, laughter is the best medicine. Although penicillin is pretty good too. She is a 2018 First Impressions Contest winner, 2019 Genesis Contest winner, and proud member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. Find out more at beccakinzer.com.