Writing the Characters For Millie Bobby Brown's Netflix Film - Part 2
Annotated Page from DAMSEL - Queen Isabelle's Messy Inner Thoughts (she's played by Robin Wright in the movie)
Hello, lovelies!
Today I’m going to show you a page from Damsel featuring one of my favorite characters, Queen Isabelle, with my handwritten notes about why I wrote what I wrote.
But first, you should know—Isabelle is messy. You know those people who look like perfectly coiffed ice queens? But on the inside, they’re actually a slushy mess like the rest of us. It’s just that they don’t show it for one reason or another—afraid to be vulnerable, afraid what people will think, or convinced that being a fortress of glacial emotion is their duty.
I bet you’ve known someone like that at some point in your life, haven’t you?
So yeah, that’s Queen Isabelle.
This page is from early in the book. Twenty-year-old Elodie has arrived from her impoverished land to the golden island Kingdom of Aurea, and she has agreed to marry Prince Henry.
This scene takes place after the rehearsal dinner, in the private chambers of Prince Henry. It’s written from Queen Isabelle’s point of view.
» there’s a downloadble pdf version below if you prefer
I like writing messy characters, because no one in real life is purely good or evil. Most of us are flawed and carry heavy burdens that people on the outside can’t see. But in recent years, we’ve been trained by overly-filtered social media to look only at the surface level of people and their lives.
As much as we want to hate the ice queens, I think it’s actually important to try to step into their shoes and try to understand what’s made them the way they are—both for fictional characters and real life people. I’m not saying it justifies how Queen Isabelle acts, but it makes her human, just like the rest of us. (Well maybe not just like the rest of us, because to my knowledge, none of the readers of WORDPLAY are queen of a small island kingdom.)
I haven’t seen the final cut of Damsel the movie, so I’ll be very interested to see how Robin Wright’s Queen Isabelle is the same or different from my version in the book1!
»If you know someone who is excited about the Damsel movie, or someone who loves books and would be interested in this behind-the-scenes peek into an author’s thoughts while writing, please pass on this post!
Autographed Damsel Bookplates! (Exclusive Gift for my Newsletter Subscribers)
Do you want a signed bookplate for your copy of Damsel?
If you don’t know what a bookplate is, it’s a custom-designed sticker that the author autographs, and you can adhere it to the inside of your book (on the inside cover or the title page, wherever you like).
My publisher is hard at work designing and printing them now, so I’ll have a photo of one to show you soon.
Only 400 bookplates are available, so when I run out, I’m out! Bookplates will be mailed out in the beginning of March.
To get a bookplate, fill out this form with your mailing address. I will ship internationally! (Your address will only be used for sending you the bookplate. I would never sell your personal info.)
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Come see me in Paris!
My lovely French publisher, Hugo et Cie, is bringing me to le Festival du Livre de Paris, April 12-14th to celebrate the French translation of Damsel!
If you happen to be in Paris then, I hope you’ll come to the festival to say bonjour and get an autograph. I can’t wait to meet my French readers (and anyone who isn’t French who just loves book festivals!)
Reading: What’s on my Nightstand
I was right that The Vaster Wilds (which I read last week) was grimmer than my usual fare. It was beautifully written and I’m glad I read it, but now I want something a bit lighter.
So I’m reading Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens. It’s a cute rom com about two people who pick up the wrong (each other’s) suitcases at the airport and might just end up being perfect for each other. It’s set on the quaint island of Jersey between England and France—the author actually lives on Jersey—and I’m excited to learn more about a new place.
Get your copy of DAMSEL!
Book and Movie Release Calendar: 2024
March 5th - Damsel movie tie-in paperback edition
March 8th - Damsel movie releases on Netflix
May 7th - The Hundred Loves of Juliet summer paperback edition
July 30th - One Year Ago in Spain - NEW RELEASE
Based on a screenplay by Dan Mazeau