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Food Fiction ~ Culinary Character Elements

23 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Fiction, Story

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Tags

Chocolat, culinary, food fiction, Joanne Harris, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Juliette Binoche, Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate, Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey

November is the month of food in the United States, with Thanksgiving…a holiday entirely centered around food. So it’s the perfect time to talk about food fiction. Which apparently is a genre. Who knew?

A writing instructor once suggested that our class “include descriptions of food” to hook the reader and add depth to our stories. I haven’t taken that advice…yet, but I don’t discount its validity either. Many authors use food as a story element, creating an engaging character element in the process.

images of food and spices

I usually limit discussions on this blog to Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade (MG) fiction. But in this genre, all my favorite stories come from adult fiction. And I don’t think its a coincidence that two of the titles have “chocolate” in them either. These books are all bestsellers that were made into major motion pictures. Proof that my writing instructor’s advice carried more than a little truth…when done right. [PC: morguefile.com]

I hope you enjoy these stories too. Bon appetit!

Like Water for Chocolate ~ by Laura Esquivel

Like Water For Chocolate is a tale of love, magic…and recipes.Like Water for Chocolate Earthy and laced with magical realism, this story of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico centers on the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter, is forbidden to marry (by Mexican tradition) and must look after her mother for as long as she lives. As fate would have it, Tita falls in love with Pedro and he in turn is seduced by her cooking, which is magically infused with her passionate emotions. Unable to have the woman he loves, Pedro marries her sister, Rosaura, out of desperation to be close to Tita. Over the following twenty-two years, Tita and Pedro circle each other in a dance of unconsummated passion. Only a freakish chain of bad luck and fate can finally set things right, allowing the two lovers to unite at last. 

In Like Water for Chocolate, the food Tita cooks becomes an extension of herself. Her emotions are infused in the food she touches, and anyone who eats her cooking experiences her emotions. Food becomes the vehicle through which Tita and Pedro fall in love, as well as the connection which sustains their passion until they can be together at last. This sensuous novel was made into a tantalizing motion picture of world-wide acclaim.

The Hundred-Foot Journey ~ By Richard C. Morais

Hundred-Foot-Journey“That skinny Indian teenager has that mysterious something that comes along once a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who is simply born. He is an artist.”

So begins the illustrious career of Hassan Haji, the unlikely gourmand who recounts his life’s journey in The Hundred-Foot Journey. Lively and brimming with the colors, flavors, and scents of the kitchen, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a succulent tale about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.

This story shows us how the hundred-foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires.

In The Hundred-Foot Journey, food is the character that unites family, directs fate, and bridges the chasms between diverse cultures. Food is also the catalyst that opens closed minds to new ideas, and opens hearts to the humanity within us all no matter the culture. This book was recently made into a delightful feature film, I highly recommend seeing. More than once.

Chocolat ~ by Joanne Harris

In tiny Lansquenet, nothing much has changed in a hundred years. That is, until beautiful Chocolat moive posternewcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive. Havoc ensues soon after with the breaking of Lenten vows in a strict Catholic community. It’s more than just chocolate that Vianne delivers. Each box of bonbons comes with a personal gift: Vianne’s uncanny perception of the customer’s private discontents and a clever cure. Taken in by Vianne’s charm…and chocolate…the town folk abandon themselves to the culinary delight and happiness. A dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the gaiety of a chocolate festival result in a climatic resolution. Chocolat is a delicious mix of passion, whimsy, and of course, chocolate. 

In Chocolat, food (chocolate) is part of the main character, Vianne. But chocolate plays another major role in this story when it becomes the adversary—the catalyst for change in the small French village. Chocolate forces the strict Christian township to look at its narrow-minded ways and open their hearts and minds, choosing inclusion over exclusion. The Oscar-nominated film of the same name starred Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp.


 

What’s your favorite food fiction novel?

 


The Quirky Quotient ~ The Secret Ingredient of Memorable Characters

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Story, Writing

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Aidan Quinn, Benny & Joon, Buster Keaton, Character development, Character traits, Elizabeth Fais, I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mediator series, Meg Cabot, Princess Diaries, Quirky Quotient, The Proclaimers, Vanished series

I’m in the “first-draft phase” of my current project, so I thought it would be a good idea to blog about the process. To create a log of reminders for myself when the next project rolls along, and hopefully benefit others who are blazing through their first-draft.

For me, the first draft of a novel is as much about discovering the characters as it is about formalizing the plot. Don’t get me wrong, before I write the first sentence I have a list of each character’s traits and flaws. But that’s only a two-dimensional view of the person. Their wholeness comes to life in the writing.

Quirky = interesting

BandJ1The discovering the wholeness of my characters is a process of revealing their quirks. Those little idiosyncrasies that make each character unique.

A person’s quirks are what endear us to them, and make them memorable. Quirks can show up in how they dress, unusual habits, and how they interact with others.

A character’s quirks can affect the choices they make, and indirectly the outcome of the story.

At the beginning of a project,  coming up with new and unique traits for each character can be a bit overwhelming. So I start with one simple rule:

Don’t be boring.

Quirks that Delight and Deepen Character and Story

For fictional characters to not be boring, they have to stretch beyond our every day patterns. To start the idea mill churning, it helps me to review stories where characters surprised and delighted me, and analyse what and how they created that affect.

If you’re looking for an author, Meg Cabot is the queen of quirky characters, secondary as well as main characters. Her Princess Diaries series is classic, as are her Vanished and Mediator series. But don’t stop with just books. Films are also a great resource for character studies.

BennyJoonCollage

One of my favorite films for quirky characters is the 90’s comedy/drama Benny & Joon. It’s a story about Benny, an older brother (Aidan Quinn) who cares for his mentally disturbed younger sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). Doesn’t sound like a good time, does it? But wait. Enter eccentric young Sam (Johnny Depp), who models himself after Buster Keaton, and the story lights with genius.

Sam dresses like Buster Keaton and imitates the comedian’s classic sketches, but his BandJ4quirks are much more than a “Keaton copy”.

Sam uses a steam iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches and a tennis racket to mashed potatoes (wish I’d thought of both of those quirks!).

His quirky habits endear him to Joon, helping her break out of her extreme dysfunction that often manifested in alarming ways.

The video below (featuring the song by the Proclaimers) includes some of the classic scenes from Benny & Joon. Johnny Depp’s physical comedy is hilarious.

Making It Fresh

Analyzing the successful quirkiness of characters in other stories is a jumping off point to brainstorming ideas for my own characters. The goal is to make my character’s quirkiness fresh and real. Here’s a few tricks:

  • Turn a trait on its head or switch it around. Do what’s least obvious. Johnny Depp’s impersonation of the pirate captain, Jack Sparrow, is a great example of turning typical pirate traits on their head.
  • Give a character a hobby that clashes with society’s view of their trade or line of work. For example, a welder who creates his own line of feminine bath products under an assumed name, or a concert musician who competes in monster truck rallies.
  • Combine unexpected character traits. Such as a Navy Seal who’s afraid of spiders, but wrestling with bears is a rollicking good time.
  • Cast against type. This comes from the film industry, and is shorthand for “give us something unexpected.” Such as a mail man who’ s actually a recruiter for an intergalactic assassin agency.
  • Get wacky. Have fun with it!

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) ~ The Proclaimers


5 Movies that Put the FUN in Dysfunctional Holidays!

10 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Film, Holiday Irreverence, Movies

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Alicia Witt, Bruce Willis, Carrie Anne Moss, Chocolat, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Die Harder, Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Esposito, Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, Keanu Reeves, Last Holiday, Queen Latifa, The Matrix, Timothy Hutton

I don’t mean to dis the holiday season. But let’s get real. 85% of all families are dysfunctional, in one way or another. For many the holidays can be as much fun as walking on broken glass. Before you’re tempted to string yourself up with those Christmas lights, try a tradition guaranteed to chase away the holiday blues. Put some FUN back in dysFUNctional holidays with these awesome films…

Die Hard

Die Hard poster A New York City cop gets trapped in a Los Angeles high-rise occupied by terrorists on Christmas Eve.

Yes, I’m serious. The original Die Hard movie is one of my favorite holiday movies, for the following reasons:

  1. John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) Christmas Eve is way worse than anybody’s holiday could ever be.
  2. Alan Rickman. Need I say more?
  3. Baddass Bruce tormenting bad guys, as only he can.
  4. Yippe Ki Yay mother **cker! Best action film line ever! Especially when delivered with Baddass Bruce snark.
  5. High intensity fun with a happy ending.

Die Hard 2 –Die Harder

John McClane, officer of the NYPD averts disaster as rogue military officials seize controlDie Hard 2: Die Harder of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. and save his wife Holly who is on one of the planes attempting to land.

Yes, this is my second favorite holiday movie. Which I usually watch right after the first Die Hard movie. Gotta  keep the adrenaline pumping.

  1. This story is also set on Christmas Eve.
  2. The bad guys are new and the technical tactics have gone up a notch, or 10.
  3. More great snarky lines.
  4. Bruce is his same baddass self.
  5. More high intensity fun with another happy ending.

The Matrix

The Matrix posterI’m only going to recommend the first Matrix movie. The other two felt overdone (story-wise), in my humble opinion. But you go ahead and watch all three, if you need the escapism. Here’s the synopsis for the first in the series:

In the near future, a computer hacker named Neo discovers that life on Earth is nothing more than a virtual reality — The Matrix — created by intelligent-machines, so they can farm our life essence and dominate the “real” world. Neo joins like-minded Rebel warriors Morpheus and Trinity to overthrow The Matrix.

What’s so great about that, you ask? Take the red pill and I’ll show you:

  1. This movie has nothing to do with the holidays. At all.
  2. A lean mean Keanu Reeves and kickass Carrie Anne Moss. Take your pick.
  3. Awesome martial arts fight scenes, and slick dodging of bullets.
  4. The story’s existential undertones make it easy to detach from commercially concocted holiday expectations. I mean, seriously… “There is no spoon.”
  5. Your relatives probably won’t want to watch this movie with you.

Chocolat

Chocolat moive posterWhen Vianne (Juliette Binoche), a mysterious stranger, and her child arrive in a tranquil French town in the winter of 1959, nobody expects the impact she and her daughter will have on their community which is stubbornly rooted in tradition. Vianne has the audacity to open a very unusual chocolate shop right across the square from the church. Then her unusual ability to perceive her customers’ private desires and satisfy them with just the right confection coaxes the villagers to abandon their straight-laced ways.

The resident nobleman and self-appointed leader of the town fears Vianne is ruining his town, and forbids anyone from entering her shop. He is hoping to put her out of business, and drive her away forever. And it almost works. But the handsome gypsy, Roux (Johnny Depp), arrives and joins forces with Vianne to liberate the town. A dramatic confrontation ensues, ultimately changing the town, and the people’s hearts, for the better.

This movie’s magical charm is just as powerful as kickass-badass. Here’s why:

  1. The idyllic French country town magically whisks you away and suspends disbelief.
  2. Juliette Binoche and Johny Depp. Your choice.
  3. Rigid traditions fall away in favor of new ways that free the spirit of the town’s people. You’ve gotta love that!
  4. Did I mention Johnny Depp? He plays a twelve string steel guitar. For reals!
  5. The theme of inclusion as a positive force and exclusion as a destructive force hits the right note.

Last Holiday

XMAS_LastHoliday_Right before Christmas, shy New Orleans cookware sales clerk Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) receives the news that she has less than a month to live. This harsh reality causes Georgia to rebel against her timid life. She hops on a plane, jetting off on a dream vacation, living like there’s no tomorrow — because for her there isn’t.

Georgia succeeds in shaking up a glamorous European resort spa, commanding the attention of senators and hotel staff alike! LL Cool J, Georgia’s handsome suitor in New Orleans, chases after her for a surprise happy ending.

For those of you who read last year’s — more politically correct — 5 Get-in-the-Holiday-Mood Movies post, you’ll remember this movie was on that list. This is not a mistake. This movie deserves to be on both lists. Here’s why:

  1. Queen Latifa is a hoot-and-a-half.
  2. Great lines all around. The supporting cast (Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito) are all laugh-out-loud funny.
  3. The beautiful Eastern European mountain setting!
  4. This movie is deep with meaning and big on heart.
  5. It’s a great reminder about what’s important in life. Don’t waste your energy on your annoying relatives. Watch another movie instead!

Do you have any movies to add to this list?

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Who’s Your Hero?

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Badass, Blake Snyder, Hero, Inspiration, Story

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Ally Carter, Anne Lower, Aragorn, Blake Snyder, Ellen Gregory, Forrest Gump, Garry Marshall, Jack Sparrow, Janice Hall Check, Joan of Arc, Johnny Depp, Lisa Cron, Maggie Stiefvater, Meg Cabot, Neo, Princess Scribe, Save the Cat!, Shannon Messenger, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Trinity, Winnie the Pooh, Wired for Story, You!

7 Great Characters = Heroic Inspiration

Two friends recently honored me with the Very Inspirational Blogger Award.  I owe a special thank you to Janice Hall Check and Ellen Gregory for this nomination, because they are both true inspirations to me.

The thing is, I feel like a poser accepting this award. Maybe because my inspiration comes from someone else. My heroes to be exact. Let me explain. In a recent blog post Lisa Cron talked about her book “Wired for Story” and the scientific evidence that proves we all are. Wired for story that is. We actually learn from the characters in stories because we…

…turn to story to teach us the way of the world…

So I’m not the least bit ashamed to introduce you to the characters who’ve inspired me the most … the good … the badass … and the ugly.

The GOOD…

This is the Fool Triumphant, the good-hearted soul who bungles through life, yet things work out despite the comic results of their actions. Always a good friend, they’re often helpful to a fault.

1. Pooh, in Winnie the Pooh, is a perfect Fool Triumphant, and one of my first and favorite heroes. Image from Wikipedia

2. Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) is a modern, humanized version of Pooh, especially as portrayed in the film adaptation of the story. Forrest’s innocence keeps harm at bay, even when he’s thrown into the most dangerous situations at the height of the Vietnam war. His guileless simplicity prevents him from holding grudges or judging others. He loves is friend Jenny no matter what she does or how long she stays away. There’s a lot to be learned from the unconditional love in this character’s actions.

The BADASS…

These heroes don’t need much of an introduction. We know and love them because they forsake their personal desires, safety, and gain for the greater good.

3. Trinity, from The Matrix, 4. Joan of Arc, 5. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy 6. Neo, from The Matrix

the UGLY…

The Anti-Hero is a tricky one, because he’s flawed to a fault. So for us to care about this hero, there has to be something about him that we can empathize with on some level. Anne Lower’s blog post about developing the anti-hero in her series explains this character perfectly:

Give ‘em a limp and an eyepatch!” was one of Blake’s favorite phrases. And, by that, he meant try loading your character up with problems, challenges to face, physical quirks, troubled pasts that would work to help the audience identify with or be interested in your hero’s (or heroine’s) journey.

We want this ugly hero to win, despite what he’s done. My favorite anti-hero is …

7. Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean series (Walt Disney Pictures). What he lacks in a limp and an eye patch, he more than makes up for with swagger and a sword. I admit Johnny Depp can never be ugly, even with eyeliner, dread locks, and a braided beard. But Jack Sparrow is a pirate, who by definition pillages, plunders, and even murders when necessary. What’s endearing about Jack Sparrow, is that he acts honorably toward his friends and ship mates, even when he doesn’t really want to.

Blake Snyder and the “Superhero”


Writers That Inspire

The following authors and screenwriters have been a true inspiration to me … what they write, who they are, and their personal writing journeys …

  • Meg Cabot
  • Ally Carter
  • Garry Marshall
  • Libba Bray
  • Maggie Stiefvater
  • Shannon Messenger
  • Save the Cat! — Blake Snyder
  • The Princess Scribe — Anne Lower

So… Who’s your Favorite hero?

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