So, my book needs a song
Okay, I caved. I finally watched what I figured was going to be a candy-colored extravaganza wrapped in Disney cheese. What I found in Frozen was a story that spoke to me, perhaps just as much as it does to six-year-olds, although not necessarily for the same reasons.
Frozen, released in 2013, was the surprise hit of 2014. A Disney movie being a hit isn’t all that surprising, of course, but its plot isn’t typical of Disney. If, like me, you expected Prince Charming to swoop in and not just save the world but also the feisty heroine, you were in for the shock of your life.
The plot subverts expected tropes and stereotypes. And it does so over and over. Disney Princesses have entered the 21st century. Woot! And they’ve done so with a bang. So, who can the girls trust? How do they deal with magical powers? What happens if one is more powerful than the other? What if the main characters are not a man and a woman, but two women? What if one is a little bit…odd? What if they had flaws?
I could go on and on. All these questions could also be asked of Divide and Conquer.
The movie is important to me in many respects, not least because it reflects the journey I embarked on about three years ago when I started writing Divide and Conquer. Normally I write from within, the way most of us dream. With a minimum of control, and let’s see where it takes us. But not this time. I had a mission.
Two women, Lea and Nieve, were going to rule the story. They share a destination, even if their paths differ.
Lea and Nieve are not man haters. Far from it. Yet they’re not willing to take a back seat either. If a man wants to be with one of them, he’d have to earn it.
My plot was going to make any romantic pursuit difficult. The question for the guys shifted from “how can I save her?” to “will I catch up to her in time to make a difference?”
That said, Divide and Conquer is not a traditional romance. Failure and betrayal play just as big a part as humor and geekiness, and friendship and hatred. Just like in this biggest of animation ventures, light no longer shines that brightly, and the shadows aren’t as dark as we’re always led to believe. Then again, mine is a world that is much grayer than the one Disney’s multicolor bonanza delivers.
Clearly, my book is not for children, and you will find no uplifting songs. Because life…is no Disney movie. (Plus, I can’t sing.) My focus when conceiving the plot was that of utter and complete failure. Lea and Nieve were to be no token heroines. Their challenges were supposed to be dark ones, and they would make mistakes. True heroes are measured by the strength needed to overcome obstacles, right? Most of all, every time the reader thought they knew what was going to happen, I’d shake things up.
While the plots differ, the parallels between movie and book are somewhat disturbing nevertheless. Amusingly, “I am one with the wind and sky” could have been written for my book. You see, Lea and Nieve use the wind for their powers. How’s that for coincidence? You couldn’t script it…
So I sit here over Christmas, watching Frozen, and shaking my head at what could be the slightly more innocent – and much more musical – version of Divide and Conquer.
And I can’t help thinking. How much cooler would Divide and Conquer be if it did have its own theme tune?
~*~
Divide and Conquer will be released March 2, 2015. You can find out more here.
