The movie, My Girl, opened my eyes to multiple new ideas for the children’s book I am writing. The main character, Vada, is a young girl whose mother died giving birth to her. She struggles with many things but throughout the story she has her best friend, Thomas J to comfort her. She is extremely close with her father and tells him everything about her life. When he can’t help her, Thomas J is there to be her friend and tell her how perfect she is. One day Thomas J went out into the woods by himself looking for a ring that Vada had dropped the day before, but he never came back. The ring was next to a bee’s nest they’d knocked over by accident and when Thomas J went to grab it, he was attacked. Because of his allergies to bees, he did not survive.
It is then that Vada realizes that she loved Thomas J and would do anything to have him back with her. She struggles to overcome the death of her best friend and helping her, is the new girl friend she meets at the end of the book. This relates extremely to my book because I am also writing about a young girl whose mother died. Best friends are also a main component of my book in the sense that the people that are there for you now, will always be your best friends. In my story, a boy will stick up for my main character when she is made fun of in school and eventually they will become best friends, thus falling in love in the end. The story lines are extremely similar and I will adopt many ideas from the movie My Girl.
One scene in particular that I would like to redo somehow is when Vada and her father are sitting outside one the hammock talking under the fireworks. The scene itself was beautiful but the conversation was moving because it showed the real relationship between the two of them. This is important and I would like to include a scene like this in my book. Another thing I liked a lot from the movie was when Vada yelled at the end about Thomas J’s glasses not being on his dead body. The violence and anger was a great point in the story and it made the climax more exciting to watch.
Both stories have similar character personalities, especially the main characters of each that just happen to be girls. Molly from my story just wants to be left alone or talked to politely, as well as Vada from My Girl who just loves her best friend and wants him back. They are passive characters, unlike the antagonists of both stories. In My Girl, the girls that taunt Vada and Thomas J about dating each other are antagonists because they start trouble. In my story, the antagonists consist of a group of four boys that taunt Molly just out of pure enjoyment and pity for themselves. They are extremely similar and because of this, I will be able to use many great ideas from the movie and rework them to be my own.
Kailey - I haven’t watched My Girl in forever - it's up there with Bambi and Armageddon for guarenteed tear-jerkers (that scene with Bruce Willis saying goodbye to Liv Tyler gets me every time).
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose one scene in particular that you would connect to - connecting with powerful moments are only going to help you write your own. Be careful of the fine line between inspiration and reworking - I look forward to your story becoming powerful unto itself, above and beyond your mentor texts.
Suggestions for Mentor Text #3... a book with a strange title but one of the most powerful friendships I've ever read: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Sarah Byrnes actually does have burns all over her face and hands (a childhood accident), but stops talking at the beginning of the story and commits herself to a mental hospital - her friend Eric (nicknamed Moby because he was overweight in middle school) has to figure out what's going on and if he can save her. I have a copy if you end up choosing it.
This story sounds very moving. One book that I would sugest that you read is Iron Witch. Its about a girl who was kiddnapped as a young girl and her mother was perminantly hospitalized and her father killed while resucing her. So now she is full of guilt and her best friend has to help her through it when she finally breaks down and tells him everything that happened.
ReplyDeleteMy Girl sounds like a very inspirational story and emulating masterful works is never a bad idea. If I had to suggest a third mentor text, I'd recommend Secret Life of Bees. The main character has an awful relationship with her father though and finds shelter with a trio of African-American bee keepers. Most people either love it or hate it, but I found it pretty good, especially at the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, I might actually read that book because I never have and Zac also said it was a good book so that's saying something. It sounds interesting and a little different at the same time so it should give me ideas if I do chose it.
ReplyDeleteI like that suggestion also Sarah. I was thinking about maybe including a more recent death but wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion thought i'll look it up.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ms. Kennett for the suggestion, I was hoping you would give me one. It's between your suggestion and Chris Cumming's suggestion but i'll let you know if I chose yours and need that book. It sounds a lot like my story in ways and I think both will be good mentor texts for me.
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