So where did I find the inspiration to write a
ROM-COM story set amongst the high drama of a hen party going off the rails?
The writer’s juice came from two unexpected places;
a piece of news from outback Australia
and a sprinkle of movie magic.
Add numerous “are you a crazy woman or what?” shakes
of the head, and viola, the whacky ideas came to life. Here’s the low down on what
really happened behind the scenes of the Hen Party story;
Back in 2012, I was busy researching Victoriana on
the internet; the prim and proper bits about society etiquette and social
norms. Tra-la-la...doo-ditty-doo…and then I came across a piece of current affairs
news that got my giggle up.
One night in July…east of Darwin, something jaw-dropping
happened at a hotel in the Northern Territory of Australia (the home state of
the Crocodile Dundee movies, if you've seen or heard of them).
The original news headline that I read went like this;
NT Cops Mistaken For Strippers.
Northern Territory police officers have managed to
escape with their dignity intact after being mistaken for strippers by women at
a hen's party.
Don’t believe this is real? Here’s the link to another
ABC news article I found on the web. The video clip in this link doesn't work
for me so I've posted a youtube version after this.
And here’s the short youtube news video (it might be
a bit blurry, sorry about that, re-hooking this 2012 news story is like trying
to catch a slippery fish— it keeps wiggling out of reach);
So what was going on at the pub in the town of Humpty
Doo? A doo-wah-wah case of mistaken identity? Yep, a group of partying women
were most excited about strippers, tearing their shirts off and running amok
but unfortunately they picked the wrong blokes, the policemen. Have you heard
the saying; “the truth is stranger than fiction?” Ooh yeah, that’s what I’m
talking about here.
Thank goodness for all concerned that the police
officers left the hen’s party with their dignity intact.
As I read the news, party scenes flashed through my
head. I couldn't stop the laughter wobbling my belly. Afterwards, I went back
to my historical writing and didn’t think much more about the news piece...for
a little while, at least.
During the next year, I wrote a few paragraphs here
and there about a women’s party. Nothing serious or committed, it was more a
jotting down of some ideas that might never grow into a story. Then a character
called Mad Maddy dropped into my mind for a chat. She was bristling with raw
energy but still I resisted writing the Hen Party story. I didn’t think I could
write funny, rowdy or racy enough.
Then in 2013 along came, “The Heat”, a buddy cop
movie starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. The on scene chemistry
between the two talented actresses was a lot of fun. I also noticed and enjoyed
some moments of female humor.
Like the night the two women spend getting drunk in a
bar, chatting to men, dancing terribly and bonding. There was another scene
where they are on a street, fighting each other for possession of a cell phone.
Or when Melissa McCarthy pulls the knife out of Sandra Bullock’s thigh causing
much pain and wincing and then they hear the footsteps of the bad guy coming
back. The knife has to go back into the wound so they don’t look like they’re
planning an escape.
Cogs were turning in my mind from the effects of the quirky
female humor, which is not often seen in Hollywood movies. The two, odd buddy
girls wowed me. They were fresh, I could relate to them, and sometimes they
were downright hilarious.
After watching “The Heat”, I could see a bigger story
for Hen Party, female humor, Mad Maddy’s motivations for playing up at the
girls’ night out. More of the story world soon followed with the arrival of the
heroine and her gorgeous-looking, but bad-ass hero. Their past relationships
wounds to overcome. Their sizzling attraction to each other that I couldn't slow down. Eventually a whole cast of misfit characters appeared to bring the
good, the bad and the ugly to one riotous evening at a hotel lounge.
In late 2014, I committed to writing Hen Party, even
if I had to type parts of it with a beetroot red face and feel like I was at
the wrong writer’s party. What the heck? I broke my own writer’s chains and had
some fun. I've giggled to myself, and laughed out loud. Family members have dashed into
the room to see if I was okay or if I had finally lost my marbles. Maybe I came
close because writing Mad Maddy pushed me to a sharp edge of resistance.
So I’m excited about Hen Party in a crazy sort of a
way. I can’t wait to make the story world videos to show you more. If I had the
artistic talent myself, I’d make the whole story into cartoons. Forget about
being serious, cut loose for some down-time with the Henriettas', the naughty
laadees at the party.
Before I go, I thought I’d leave you with the
official trailer for “The Heat”, mind the bad girls. That’s what I’m talking
about!
Until next time,
Share a giggle with someone you love!
Ashlyn
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