Writing Tips from Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit is one of those movies I never expected to like. I was afraid they were going to ruin the tales that were my childhood when I saw that it was coming out. But then I watched it and fell in love. They managed to take the stories and keep the characters and heart but update it for a modern audience. My whole family loved it, even my dad (which is saying something).

Obviously, it was a perfect candidate for a writing lesson post. So what can we learn from this comedic flick? (Besides you need the perfect cast and the most cuddly looking bunnies.) Let's find out.

1. Stay true to your characters

Peter Rabbit is a mischief maker. McGregor wants to keep him out of his garden. But the filmmakers managed to take these classic characters and bring them to life in a way we understand. Even better, both Peter and Thomas (McGregor) change over the course of the movie, but both of them still remain true to their personalities. (Although Cottontail is my favorite rabbit. She's so over the top.)

The important thing about character arcs is making sure you keep to their personality even though they change. Parts of them might change, but you need to keep to who they are through it all. Even Scrooge, one of the biggest character changes in fiction, is still recognizable as Scrooge in the end.

2. Actions have consequences

Most kid's movies don't highlight the fact that sometimes we make bad choices, do something wrong, and we have to pay for it. This movie does. Peter gets so caught up in trying to get rid of McGregor that he even blows up his tree home by accident and nearly loses the love of the person he was trying to keep. I think it's an important lesson for kids to learn and I'm glad that show that Peter's being naughty is not always a good thing.

Does your protagonist ever pay for their actions? Do they make bad choices that they regret for the rest of their life? It's not only a good life lesson, it works well for a story because they we get to see how they react to failure and mistakes.

3. Why they do what they do

Peter's actions are driven by a need to protect his family, like his father did. This is shown early on in a masterful bit of backstory and helps you understand why he's so against McGregor and trying to protect Bea. McGregor, on the other hand, is driven by a need for perfection, which is why he and Peter are so against each other. Plus the fact they both like Bea (in different ways).

Knowing why your character acts the way they do is important. They can't be doing random things without good reason. This can be part of their flaw, their ghost, or personality. That's why developing your characters well is so important.

4. Comedic timing

This film is also incredibly funny, and most of that is due to well timed jokes. Sure, there's a bit of crass humor (because movies can't seem to get by without it these days), but most of it is good old fashioned slapstick. Some of my favorite parts include the running joke with the rooster and the part when the animals take over McGregor's house.

Humor isn't the same in a book as a movie, obviously, but the way to make any joke funny is timing. If you're going to write a good punch line, you'll want to make sure that it falls in just the right place. Not being super great at humor myself, I can't give much instruction in this area, but with some practice, humor can be just as funny in books.

5. It's all about POV

Because we follow Peter's point of view throughout the movie, we see McGregor as bad, ruining everything Peter loves. He can't see that through Bea's kindness, McGregor is transforming, while Peter stays the same. And since he can't see it, we can't, or at least not until everything falls apart during the Dark Night of the Soul part of the movie.

POV is powerful. Everything that we are told by the narrator is something that they chose to tell us. They can omit details and events and we don't know until they do tell us. That's why you need to use it well. Properly used, it can increase tension, keep secrets, and make us see things differently.

Have you watched this movie? What's your favorite part of it? Tell me in the comments.

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