 Action/Adventure: May 04, 2016 Issue [#7627] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: And Then They Kiss... Edited by: NaNoKit  
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Action. Adventure. Explosions. Dinosaurs. And then the hero kisses the damsel in distress and they live happily ever after.
Give me a break...
This week's Action/Adventure Newsletter is all about the utterly predictable... and how we can surely do better.
NaNoKit |
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You know how it goes... the knight rescues the damsel in distress. The One Man who can save the world finds himself with an attractive female sidekick. Perhaps there's an explosion, or an earthquake, and he lands on top of her to protect her, and they're within perfect kissing range. Or maybe our hero is wounded, and a nice female character tends to him.
Such scenes are so recognisable as to be utterly predictable. Does there need to be romance in action/adventure stories? If so, can we shake things up a bit?
I am not allergic to romance. Can't write it for the life of me, as I always find it completely awkward, but watching a chick flick is one of my guilty pleasures. What I don't like is when I sit down for lots of action and thrills and a romantic story-line is squeezed in because, well, that's how it goes.
Moreover, the majority of main characters are male. The majority of damsels/sidekicks are female. I'm not a raging, bra-burning feminist, but these ladies tend to be rather one-dimensional. They're there for the hero to protect. Perhaps she entered the action by accident. On occasion she's allowed to be intelligent, but it remains inevitable that she will fall for the charms and the strength and the intelligence of our hero. He's the main focus and she is, quite literally, his bit on the side.
Not that it would be any better if roles were reversed. If we were following the adventures of a heroine with a one-dimensional male sidekick whose only reason for being there was to fall in love with her. The way I see it is, if you're going to introduce a character to be a sidekick, give them a personality. Make them interesting. Make them have a real reason for being there.
Why can't man and woman work side by side without falling in love? It's like the old question if a man and a woman can ever be friends. In my experience, they can. I have male friends who I care about a lot, but not in a romantic sense. I'm very sure that they're not attracted to me, either.
And that's without taking into consideration that perhaps one (or both) of the characters involved might be attracted to members of the same gender, rather than members of the opposite gender. If that would make it a niche movie/novel/story, our societies still have a long way to go.
I know that this editorial sounds like a rant, and it is, a little. Especially in cinema, I'm finding everything predictable, and I have done for a while. Take Jurassic World, for example. There was a small attempt at making the female lead different, and she did show courage, but she still runs to the strong guy who can work with the fierce velociraptors and, yes, they end up kissing. Ghostbusters is given a reboot, as though we need any more reboots. The four male leads are replaced with four female leads. I don't know about you, but to me that feels forced.
If it gets tedious for me, as a woman, it must get tedious for men, too. They're shown in stereotypical roles as much as women are. Maybe the male character can't be bothered running after damsels in distress. Maybe the whole action/adventure genre needs a shake-up.
That's where you come in, dear reader. As it appears that there is nothing new under the sun, and the movie industry has long run out of interesting ideas, perhaps you can come up with something interesting and fresh. A story with original characters, who have original motives. Sure, you can have explosions and car chases if you want them. You can have dragons (there's always room for dragons). Or you might prefer dinosaurs. That's fine, too. I like dinosaurs. You can have elves, and dwarves, and little cute fluffy things with big teeth. You can have whatever you want. Throw all of them together, if you like. It's your story. Just, please, don't have a one-dimensional character tag along whose only purpose is that final kiss...
NaNoKit
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Here are some of the latest additions to the Action/Adventure genre:
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Some contests that might inspire you:
Deadline - May 14th
Deadline - May 25th
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Deadline - May 31st
Deadline - May 31st
Don't forget:
Do something nice for another author - it's free!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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The Action/Adventure Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Action/Adventure Newsletter Team
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