You can be anything! — Barbie
With its loveable and vivacious characters, its unexpected and unique storyline, its dance-along songs, its mesmerising and perfect set, and its awe-inspiring conclusion, Barbie captured my heart.
This fantasy comedy, directed by Greta Gerwig, crossed the $1.2 billion mark globally.
It exceeded my expectations, delighting me with its fairy magic!
As a writer, it made my veins burn with the fire of inspiration and joy, compelling me to jump on my desk and write furiously. After all, you can write anything!
Go pink, go unconventional.
Here are five learnings from the movie for writers.
Pink tip 1: Be silly
As the name and the trailer suggest, the movie is filled with silly moments.
After all, Barbie is a mere toy in the real world with which nobody after the age of seven or eight bothers. You comb her pretty golden hair, make her wear dazzling dresses, rotate her limbs, and, as you age, you move on.
The movie wisely used silliness for its gain.
Barbie’s high expectations from life, Ken’s undying love for her, and Barbie Land’s workings were hilarious, making the cinema erupt with laughter and granting the movie lavish ratings.
As writers, we want to sound mature.
Yet, this can backfire.
We shouldn’t pretend to be someone we are not. If Gerwig had rather imposed a serious tone in the movie, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable. Know the required tone for your story, and go along with it.
Embrace the silliness. It can add life to your book.
Another example is The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien!
There are moments of gravitas and villains of serious stature, but I see it as a book on the journey of a silly Hobbit with a silly bunch of dwarves, a silly wizard, and some silly villains.
Pink tip 2: Torture the characters with glee
Barbie had a perfect life. She had a cherished social life, people who loved and venerated her, and an eminent career being the Stereotypical Barbie.
Then the trouble came.
I won’t spoil the movie for you, but I can assure it Barbie’s life took a 180-degree turn. From her comfortable cushions and automated food, she now was desperately running like a maniac to make her life as it had been.
Her struggles made the audience bite their nails (and occasionally laugh).
Don’t wait too long! Impose the conflict as soon as possible.
After all, you have to keep the ball rolling.
Pink tip 3: Have fun with the process!
Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) had a great time filming the movie.
“The days go by so fast because they’re working morning to night but they’re having so much fun while doing it,” a source said. “It’s going to be epic.”
And epic it was!
It can be hard to write, to act, to create. Writer’s Block always seems around the corner, and the ideas dry up when you sit down to pen them. Yet, don’t give up.
Try to enjoy the process than sludge through it.
Get a fancy pen (if you are old-school) and make the environment inviting so you are motivated to give it a shot. Play some songs in the background to get you moving.
Action begets motivation begets action.
Pink tip 4: Have a touching message
Barbie wasn’t only about silly scenes, flashy dances, and some troubles. Gerwig also passed a great message through it: Neither patriarchy nor matriarchy is good for society. We should strike a balance.
“Humans only have one ending. Ideas live forever.” —Ruth Handler from the movie ‘Barbie’
The movie also briefed about the double standards a woman has to face.
I am sure the audience related and felt heard. The way Gerwig conveyed the parable touched my heart and made me agree with her ferociously.
Similarly, your book should have a touching message the audience takes home.
No, I am not talking about quotations like “Honesty is the best policy”, but messages which can make the readers think and heartily take home.
Pink tip 5: Ordinary idea + extraordinary execution = Success
Barbie isn’t a novel idea.
The movie followed the journey of a toy and its struggles. It had typical characters and expected falls and rises.
Yet, what made the movie grand was the execution.
Never cut a slack there as a writer. Sparkle with energy as you create and have a firm hand when you edit. There are a thousand reused troupes around, but if you are assured that you can work on them well, don’t hesitate to pick them up. Introduce twists and a touch of novelty.
As said,
Good artists borrow; great artists steal.
To conclude: Go pink, go unconventional
Barbie made me want to dance with euphoria.
The movie taught us various lessons. Being silly is not a crime — it’s a fun way to keep the audience entertained. Make the characters face the harshest of journeys. Give a touching moral. There are similar ideas everywhere, but your execution makes them memorable.
Lastly, enjoy the process.
Love writing.
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5 Pink Writing Lessons From Barbie was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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Author: Saanvi Thapar
