Last week I took a trip to Orlando with one of my daughters. She was running in some of the Disney races and I went along to be her cheerleader. And of course we spent time playing at the parks and visiting Disney Springs. We had a fabulous time - of course I always have fun when I spend time with any of my kids.
But keeping in mind that this blog was coming up, I kept my eyes open for writerly lessons I could take home to share with you.
With that in mind, I present the following:
- Disney is Overwhelmingly Positive
When
you’re at Disney World, you’ll see there's always a smile on people's faces, be
they characters, vendors, waiters, bus drivers or greeters. And if problems do crop up
(we had to wait two hours for our room to be ready) they maintain an upbeat, empathetic attitude and put your comfort at the top of their list.
Writer Takeaway: Life is going to throw
you curves, whether it be health issues, family issues, writers slump, bad
reviews or something else. But there’s no upside in deliberately airing these
to your readers, especially if you’re just trying to garner sympathy. Your
contract with your readers is to entertain and engage them, perhaps even challenge them, and most of all to provide them with a
world they can immerse themselves in to forget their own cares for a while.
- Managing Expectations
If you’ve
spent any time at Disney World you know that you spend a lot of time standing
in lines waiting to get into the rides and attractions. In fact, for one of the more
popular rides, my daughter and I spent two hours in line. But there are electronic
signs posted outside of each ride letting you know what the expected wait times
are so you know up front what you're letting yourself in for and there are no surprises. And every time we stood in line, those numbers
were right on the money.
Writer Takeaway: Always let readers know
when they can expect to receive the next release from you and then make sure
you meet your deadlines if at all possible.
- Keep The Illusion Going
Speaking of
standing in lines, one of the things I noticed was that even in the area set
aside for those waiting, Disney was doing their best to keep us entertained.
There was special artwork, scenery, flora, audio, etc. to hold your interest,
and every bit of it was designed to fit within and support the story world of
the ride/attraction.
Writer Takeaway: There are lots of
things I can do to keep my readers engaged between releases, be it newsletters,
short stories, bonus content, blog posts or teasers from upcoming releases. But
whatever I do, it should fit within my personal brand.
- Details Matter
The 4 Disney World Parks are divided into different areas – for instance Animal Kingdom has
Pandora, Africa, Dinosaur Land, as well as others. In each of these areas the
landscaping, employee clothing, restaurants, shops, etc. – everything down to
the tiniest detail - is themed to match the story world you’ve entered. It is
to the extent that an elaborate system of tunnels run under the park so
characters from one story world never step into a different story world to risk shattering
the illusion.
Writer Takeaway: All of the details and
subtext I put into my stories should be chosen with care so that no author
intrusion slides in to spoil the reader immersion into the world I am building
for him/her.
- Understand And Respect Your Audience
Before I left
for my trip I read somewhere that all employees of Disney World are taught that
when you point, for whatever reason, always do it with two fingers. That’s
because folks from all over the world visit the parks and in some cultures
pointing with one finger is extremely rude. I kept an eye out while I was there
and found it to be true, the workers and cast members do this consistently. This is just one small example of how Disney treats their audience as cherished guests.
Writer Takeaway: Understand who your
readers are and what expectations they have for the books they read and the experience
each will bring, and be aware of this in your writing. This doesn’t mean you can’t
deliver surprises, just that you remain mindful of how you deliver them.
When you’re at Disney World, you’ll see there's always a smile on people's faces, be they characters, vendors, waiters, bus drivers or greeters. And if problems do crop up (we had to wait two hours for our room to be ready) they maintain an upbeat, empathetic attitude and put your comfort at the top of their list.
Writer Takeaway: Life is going to throw you curves, whether it be health issues, family issues, writers slump, bad reviews or something else. But there’s no upside in deliberately airing these to your readers, especially if you’re just trying to garner sympathy. Your contract with your readers is to entertain and engage them, perhaps even challenge them, and most of all to provide them with a world they can immerse themselves in to forget their own cares for a while.
If you’ve spent any time at Disney World you know that you spend a lot of time standing in lines waiting to get into the rides and attractions. In fact, for one of the more popular rides, my daughter and I spent two hours in line. But there are electronic signs posted outside of each ride letting you know what the expected wait times are so you know up front what you're letting yourself in for and there are no surprises. And every time we stood in line, those numbers were right on the money.
Writer Takeaway: Always let readers know when they can expect to receive the next release from you and then make sure you meet your deadlines if at all possible.
Speaking of standing in lines, one of the things I noticed was that even in the area set aside for those waiting, Disney was doing their best to keep us entertained. There was special artwork, scenery, flora, audio, etc. to hold your interest, and every bit of it was designed to fit within and support the story world of the ride/attraction.
Writer Takeaway: There are lots of things I can do to keep my readers engaged between releases, be it newsletters, short stories, bonus content, blog posts or teasers from upcoming releases. But whatever I do, it should fit within my personal brand.
The 4 Disney World Parks are divided into different areas – for instance Animal Kingdom has Pandora, Africa, Dinosaur Land, as well as others. In each of these areas the landscaping, employee clothing, restaurants, shops, etc. – everything down to the tiniest detail - is themed to match the story world you’ve entered. It is to the extent that an elaborate system of tunnels run under the park so characters from one story world never step into a different story world to risk shattering the illusion.
Writer Takeaway: All of the details and subtext I put into my stories should be chosen with care so that no author intrusion slides in to spoil the reader immersion into the world I am building for him/her.
Before I left for my trip I read somewhere that all employees of Disney World are taught that when you point, for whatever reason, always do it with two fingers. That’s because folks from all over the world visit the parks and in some cultures pointing with one finger is extremely rude. I kept an eye out while I was there and found it to be true, the workers and cast members do this consistently. This is just one small example of how Disney treats their audience as cherished guests.
Writer Takeaway: Understand who your readers are and what expectations they have for the books they read and the experience each will bring, and be aware of this in your writing. This doesn’t mean you can’t deliver surprises, just that you remain mindful of how you deliver them.
And of course music
from Disney movies is everywhere - parks, resorts, buses. And I found 5 takeaways from those as well.
- You’ve Got A Friend In Me (from Toy Story)
Writer Takeaway: Writing can be a lonely, solitary
business. Savvy writers will take the time to make personal connections, to be
supportive of other writers and to maintain connections with friends outside of
the writing community.
- Bare Necessities (from Jungle Book)
Writer Takeaway: Most of us are working with limited
resources when it comes to finances and time. But we all bring a special resource
to the table – our creativity and storytelling abilities. That is the true ‘bare
necessity’ it takes to succeed in this business. As for the rest, work with
what you have and know that, if you stay alert to opportunities, you can go a
long way on your God-given talent.
- A Whole New World (from Aladdin)
Writer Takeaway: Take the time in your worldbuilding to
transport your reader to someplace they’ve never been before or to see the
familiar in a whole new light, and make sure there are things to make them feel
wonder and surprise over.
- Let It Go
(from Frozen)
Writer Takeaway: There are things that will come your way
– story ideas, promo opportunities, project participation offers, etc. - that
you won’t be able to pursue/take advantage of. Hard as it is to let them go,
you have to accept that they were not to be and don’t let regrets weigh you
down.
- Go The Distance (from Hercules)
Writer Takeaway: No one promised it would be easy or
quick – persistence is key to making it in this business. As is the proper
training – the best writers know that they never reach the point that they know
it all.
Writer Takeaway: Writing can be a lonely, solitary business. Savvy writers will take the time to make personal connections, to be supportive of other writers and to maintain connections with friends outside of the writing community.
Writer Takeaway: Most of us are working with limited resources when it comes to finances and time. But we all bring a special resource to the table – our creativity and storytelling abilities. That is the true ‘bare necessity’ it takes to succeed in this business. As for the rest, work with what you have and know that, if you stay alert to opportunities, you can go a long way on your God-given talent.
Writer Takeaway: Take the time in your worldbuilding to transport your reader to someplace they’ve never been before or to see the familiar in a whole new light, and make sure there are things to make them feel wonder and surprise over.
Writer Takeaway: There are things that will come your way – story ideas, promo opportunities, project participation offers, etc. - that you won’t be able to pursue/take advantage of. Hard as it is to let them go, you have to accept that they were not to be and don’t let regrets weigh you down.
Writer Takeaway: No one promised it would be easy or quick – persistence is key to making it in this business. As is the proper training – the best writers know that they never reach the point that they know it all.
