Zola

Émile Zola, 1840-1902

Influential French novelist, the most important example of the literary school of naturalism and a major figure in the political liberalization of France.

He wrote short stories, essays, plays, and novels. Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

To read FREE copies and translations of his work: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/z/zola/emile/

Youth Versus Age

The younger generation challenging the older is a popular and well-used theme. This timeless conflict provides ordeals for the children standing up to the parent(s), and the guardian experiencing his/her own mortality when they remember similar episodes with their own parents. This generational drama can often be found on the page.

Fairy-tale struggles with wolves and witches may be ways of expressing those same conflicts. Notice how "dark" figures are often the experienced characters pitted against the "newcomer" or child? Ex. Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, etc. Joseph Campbell spoke of the dragon as a Western symbol of a tyrant who has held fast to a kingdom or a family until all the life has been squeezed out of it.

The age conflict can be experienced internally as well. The plot conflict may arise from a struggle between an old and comfortable lifestyle, and a new, unknown and untried one. The new self can't be born until the old one dies.

Science Fiction - Fantasy authors use a similar technique in time travel stories. Will the hero return to his/her own time, or will they be better off in the past/future?

In some cases an Ordeal can cause a healing of wounds between a hero and parent. Campbell calls this possibility "Atonement with the Father." Sometimes a hero, by surviving an Ordeal or by daring to challenge the authority of a parental figure, will win the parent's approval and the seeming conflicts between them will be resolved. Ex. Sister Act II: Back in the Habit

What are some of your favorite examples of age conflict?

Xtra, Xtra

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

Years ago whenever there was breaking news and the normal daily had already been delivered, they would sometimes print a second paper delivered later in the day with the urgent news - An 'EXTRA' edition.

This was long before television, and even radio, made it easier to disseminate news.  The Newsies (paper boys) would stand on the streets calling the chant, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

Over time slang has dropped the e, and people still use the "Xtra, xtra!" exclamation to capture attention.

For a fun movie try Newsies. A young Christian Bale, Bill Pullmn, and Robert Duvall star in this 1992 musical based on the New York City newsboy strike of 1899. When young newspaper sellers are exploited beyond reason by their bosses they set out to enact change and are met by the ruthlessness of big business.

Writing What You Want

"If there is a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

"I just write what I wanted to write. I write what amuses me. It's totally for myself." - J.K. Rowling

"Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it... The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." - Sylvia Plath

"You own everything that has happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should've behaved better." - Anne Lamott

"I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the thing I am afraid of." - Joss Whedon

"If it's still in your mind, it's worth taking the risk." - Paulo Coelho

"If I waited for perfection I would never write a word." - Margaret Atwood

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." - Cyril Connolly

"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." - Joan Didion

"Nothing haunts us like the things we don't say." - Mitch Albom

Villanous Heroes

While some villains exult in being bad (Joker in Batman), many don't think of themselves as evil at all. In their own minds they are right, the heroes of their own stories. A dark moment for the "hero" may be a bright one for the "Shadow". (See demonization or villains as heroes opposite: here.) The arcs of their stories are mirror images: When the hero is up, the villain is down. It depends on point of view.

By the time you are done writing a screenplay or novel, you should know your characters well enough that you can tell the story from the point of view of everyone: heroes, villains, sidekicks, lovers, allies, guardians, and lesser folk. Each is the hero of his own story (Thus, the reason for so many sequels and series.)

It's a good exercise to walk through the story at least once in the Shadow's skin. Or better yet, give your villain his/her own story. Make them your main character - the true hero of their own story. You can read my own version of this for FREE here: Broken Angel.

Who are some of your favorite villainous heroes?

Unsolved

Unsolved cases are a common theme in books, movies, and television. We crave puzzles, and our curiosity drives us to resolve a mystery.

Bestselling fiction author DiAnn Mills is just one example of a writer using real-life cold cases in her writing. Her newest series is based on Houston FBI cold cases. Many authors have used unsolved murders, and unexplained phenomenon to create their own tales. Our obsession with the Titanic, the disappearance of Amelia Earheart, UFO's, and the Bermuda Triangle are just a few other examples.

I challenge you to a writing exercise. Take all of the available research on an unsolved case, and condense it into a feature-length story. If you choose a homicide case that has been under investigation for years, especially if there was a trial, you will have to condense hundreds of pages of material into one compelling story. Once you have mastered all the facts, see if you can figure out exactly what happened and why the killer has been able to elude the police.

What are some of your favorite unsolved cases?

Teaching

Just as learning is an important function of the hero, teaching or training is a key function of the Mentor. Training sergeants, drill instructors, professors, trail bosses, parents, grandparents, crusty old boxing coaches, and all those who teach a hero the ropes, are manifesting this archetype.

Of course, the teaching can go both ways. Anyone who has taught knows that you can learn as much from your student(s) as they do from you.

Who have been some of your favorite teachers, Mentors, and/or hero turned Mentor?