I love a good superhero movie. The good guys battle evil, they overcome a few obstacles, hit a dead-end, battle some more and end up coming out on top. 

They’re fun, entertaining and playful.

Two hours of shutting off my brain and suspending all disbelief is a perfect way to relax.

So if anyone tells me that a superhero movie is (a) over the top, or (b) not realistic enough, I’m not going to be considerate with my language.

It’s a superhero movie, there’s nothing realistic about a caped crusader afraid of bats, or a boy shooting spider webs from his palms, a man flying around in tights and allergic to kryptonite, or a woman with bullet proof bracelets that’s lived for millennia, or a talking tree as sidekick to a racoon.

I do not go into a movie like that expecting realism. I expect fun and entertainment and shit getting blown up. The same as when I read a book. 

Last weekend, I went to the cinema to see Wonder Woman. It’s a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen.

I had high expectations of Wonder Woman. Very high.

The media put out a lot of hype about the movie and how epic it was supposed to be. I have to admit, I was concerned that I’d be disappointed. And I did not want this movie to disappoint. I wanted to be impressed from start to the closing credits. 

I’m happy to say that Wonder Woman surpassed my expectations.

It’s was probably one of the best, if not the best, superhero movies I’ve seen to date.

Wonder Woman is an origin story about Diana Prince, an Amazonian living on an island occupied only by women warriors who are trained to protect the world. They are beautiful, bright, and brutal when necessary. When the war literally knocks on their doorstep when Steve a WWI soldier crash lands his plane into the sea near the island, Diana, aka Wonder Woman, gets her call to action. She follows him into the world and we see her grow from an innocently naive woman to a confident, graceful and empathetic warrior, hell-bent on protecting the world from the God of War. 

It made me laugh, smile, cry, and cheer for the good guy. In parts I felt the despair, fear and pain along with the characters.

Most importantly Wonder Woman was an empathetic and sympathetic character.

The kind of character that young woman today need to look up. Strong woman who strive for fairness, peace and integrity. Women who are capable of standing up to themselves whilst being graceful and kind, but also fierce when duty calls. 

Emotion is a powerful element of creating powerful stories that resonate with readers (or viewers). The scenes that invoke the desired emotions can often be the hardest to write. 

The more emotions we can invoke in our writing the more successful we will be.

Different genres will aim for different emotions but a little bit of humour to a serious moment in a suspense story can offer a breather and put your reader off guard so that when the next frightening moment appears it will seem more thrilling. 

When you’re writing, what emotions do you want to invoke in your readers?

How can you convey the scene so that reader will feel what you’ve intended?

I’d like to give you a clear-cut answer to that but I just don’t know. Each story is different. Each writer is different. 

But I do know one thing. You need to practice. 

Practice with your scenes, your characters, your dialogue.

Show more, tell less.

The only emotion you’re going to invoke by telling is boredom and that’s the last thing you want to do when you’re writing for an audience. You’ll get to a point where you’ll even bore yourself. Then you know there’s definitely a problem.

I would love to one day create a character that is as emotionally engaging as Wonder Woman. With practice and perseverance, anything is possible. 

Here’s a little exercise to get your creativity brewing and help you practice writing by focusing on showing instead of telling. 

WRITING EXERCISE: SHOW, DON’T TELL

Write a scene portraying the following emotions and characters. Show don’t tell. Your reader wants a picture not a summary. 🙂

A happy child

A grieving widow

A love-sick teenager

The terrors of war

A relieved father

A revenge driven nun

A bored doctor

A wicked housewife

What would these people do? How would these people act? What could happen to turn the emotion to their polar opposite? Aim to write a scene that’s 100-500 words. See what develops. You might be surprised and meet a character perfect for your story.

Example

Beth stood by the kitchen bench, facing the window out to the neighbours backyard, her fingers tapping against the marble.

One. Two. Three. Four.

One. Two. Three.  Four.

Outside, the toddler ran along the freshly mowed grass, falling over and leaving a green stain on his light khaki trousers. The woman scowled. Another pair meant for the trash. The man with the toddler just picked him up and threw him up in the air before catching him and squeezing him tight in a big hug. She saw them laugh, and the toddler was back on the ground chasing the soccer ball around.

Moving away from the window, she untied the apron from around her waist and hung it in its rightful spot inside the walk in pantry. She let her hand settle over her stomach for a few moments as she stood there wondering of what might have been.

But it was no use thinking back to the past so instead she looked at the pantry and grimaced at the sight. The sterile whiteness, bland and boring. Toaster, microwave, even the cans of tomatoes neatly stacked, each item with the designated spot that could not be altered.

She lingered a minute longer wondering how in the hell did she end up in that house spending her days slaving away in the kitchen, watching from a distance a life that could have been hers. At what point had she made the decision to be someone else? To forfeit her hopes and dreams.

But enough was enough.

Beth walked into the pantry, standing on her tiptoes she reached above to the back of the top shelve, pulling out a tiny vial hidden behind a packet of corn flakes, she smiled and allowed herself to daydream for just a moment about all the possibilites that were about to present themselves.

Now it’s your turn. Show don’t tell. Feel free to share in the comments.