Learning From Writer Sunbaes: MDL Articles Revisited Part 2

INTRODUCTION

Picking up from where I left off in Part One of this article series, I contacted 83 writers for their consent. As of the time when this article is ready to be submitted for editing, 55 writers replied and gave their permissions. Some were surprised and gave happy comments like: "This almost makes me laugh, cry, idk. This article was SO long ago I can't believe you are able to find it!!" [SeRose] Most of them expressed their excitement as represented by this comment: "I worked so hard for these articles and I wouldn't want them to get buried." [Yoon Na Rae] As I am experiencing writing articles I can only agree with the writer's statement. Now I can appreciate how every MDL writer poured out their heart, mind, creativity, and time creating each of their articles.

In Part 2, the articles are from VIP_Nerd, Old_Anime_Lady, Brownie, JojoOnDatBeat, KatiaSchwarz, twinklelie & SeRose, Akage Girl, azyjtevol, Kate, and Lumiere. Clicking on the picture or the title takes you straight to the article. Clicking on "Writer's articles" takes you to a list of articles they wrote.

by VIP_Nerd  April 23, 2013 Reflective Article ideas: PPL from other countries, weirdest or funniest PPL examples

Product Placement in Korea "VIP_Nerd researches the frequent use of product placement in Korean dramas. Is it cleverly done or overused to the point of brainwashing? More opinions inside!" In this article, the writer took the time to analyze a drama feature we have a hate-love relationship with product placement (PPL). We hate it as they can be shown blatantly in every episode, but we 'love' them because they funded the drama production. Side note: I was amazed she did not mention Subway sandwich PPL, the ultimate rendezvous place for many drama lovebirds! Of course, PPL is not exclusively in Kdramas. In Thai's The Sand Princess, the FL is gifted a sponsored bra to look sexy for the ML. In historical C-dramas Oh! My Emperor: Season One and Season Two, the time traveler FL seems to have never-ending modern facial masks in her tiny backpack for her fellow ancient friends. You can write funny and weird examples of PPL like this in dramas from every country you watch. Probably only Hong Kong and Japanese dramas do not mix PPL into the stories.

by Old_Anime_Lady November 13, 2018  Informative Writer's articles Article ideas:  adding crews, new features, which oneself add which one request to add

Trailers, Articles, People, Episodes, And Titles: 5 Ways To Help! "How to add content to MDL and raise your Total Edits and Karma score. Oh, and make MDL more awesome!" The writer wrote about five features in MDL and called all of us to contribute. First, she gave step-by-step guidance on how to add drama/movie titles and people. This information is important up until today since I still see people asking for certain titles and people to be added, not knowing that they can add the information themselves. Second, the writer gave an example of articles types MDL members can write: Currently Watching, Weekend Movie Reviews (I have not seen this for a long time, the last one was in January this year), and Stalker's Guide (now it's called Ultra Fan Guide). Lastly, she also explained how to add trailers and episodes. Personally, out of these five features, adding episodes is still a mystery for me, and I noticed that the Episode Guide is rarely used. It seems we are still unsure of what is spoiler what is not, thus we are reluctant to add anything in the Episode Guide.  Though we can ask or search around, articles about MDL features (especially after updates) are sincerely welcomed.  Writer's Note: Her 2018 article My Drama List: A Users Guide will be updated with new features.

by Brownie  February 20, 2019 Reflective Writer's articles Article ideas: personal journeys on switching countries, genres, subgenres, forms

My Appreciation of Thai Lakorns "A look at why I feel more people should watch Lakorns." This article was about the writer's personal journey on how she discovered lakorns (Thai dramas). Although the article was written in early 2019, the writer has stayed faithful as a resident lakornian (avid lakorn watcher) until now. In her article, she gave reasons for what to like in Thai dramas and why we should try them. Besides this article, the writer also wrote about her personal experience on another country's shows we perhaps rarely or even have never ventured into: My Journey of Discovering Filipino Movies. I actually envy the writer. While I, and I'm sure many of us too, keep adding dramas/movies into our never ending PTW list, she is able to zero out hers. I think she, and others who have zero entries in their PTW list, can write articles on how they are able to have nothing on that list, while still be able to pick dramas to watch. Writing articles on personal adventures on how we 'converted' from one country/genre/subgenre/forms to another are always fun to read. By reading those articles, we can also reflect on our own journeys in dramaland.

by JojoOnDatBeat  March  7, 2019 Informative Writer's articles Article ideas:  historical figures from other countries, movies/dramas from different cultural backgrounds

Important Figures in Korean History and Their On-Screen Portrayals "From the pages of history books to the pages of drama scripts, a look into the people who placed Korea on the map." Important Figures in Korean History and Their On-Screen Portrayals (Part 2) Being only a year into Asian dramaland, I have missed watching some great historical Kdramas. Among my short list of sageuks watched, I only recognized Splash Splash LOVE and Live Up to Your Name mentioned in these articles. Therefore, it was a pleasure reading both articles and learning about Korean history, with the bonus of seeing familiar faces of actors and actresses. In addition, I got to see treasured artistic paintings, literature, and ancient musical instruments from a specific era in Korean history. Besides Korea, other Asian countries we watch dramas from are rich in history and culture. Writers may pick up any historical or cultural attribute from one or several dramas: historical figures, events, places, buildings/homes, literature, paintings, costumes, food, and many others. For example: in costume C-drama Joy of Life, main character Fan Xian recites 100 poems that are real literature pieces from different renowned poets in Chinese history.

by KatiaSchwarz  September 18, 2019 Informative Article ideas: supplemental elements on drama/movie besides the main element of plot and character.

The Art of Light and Colour: Rurouni Kenshin "There are many visual tools in the movie maker's arsenal - and two of them are lighting and colors. In this article, we're going to analyze some shots from the movie Rurouni Kenshin, and see how much a simple beam of light can say about a person!" Most of us enjoy a drama/movie based on the plot and/or the characters/acting. In addition, there are other ways we may enjoy a show. In this particular article on Rurouni Kenshin movie, the writer chose a different way to look into a drama/movie: lighting and colors. She discusses the dark and light color palettes, the light in the dark, and the character's emotion thru color and lighting representation. Commenters then chimed in with other drama/movie examples connected to the topic. This article, which analyzed the lighting and 'coloring' of a show, and another article in Part One of my article on visual cues, showed us a variety of supplemental elements that added to our enjoyment as a whole. Writers may obtain any writing ideas on editing, costume, makeup, props, film set, music, or even how the production teams marketed their dramas/movies.

by twinklelie and SeRose  October  5, 2013 Entertaining Twinklelie's articles SeRose articles Article ideas: different country's dramas, overseas filming, reused locations

A Detective's Corp. Journal in Dramaland "Seen that house before? Or that castle? Or that park? Thought it looked familiar? Join the Rose and Twinkie Detective Corp. as we investigate locations in Dramaland (in a little Blue Box) " Following these two writers (or as they called themselves, detectives) is so much fun with their hilarious dialogues. They even were able to 'catch' a glimpse of our MDL admin Skye! Though I wish that the pictures with their logos were bigger, maybe because I am just a traveling aficionado wanting to see those beautiful places in Japan and South Korea. Side Note: I wonder what happened to their travel plan to Taiwan they mentioned at the end of the article? When you watched lots of dramas from a certain country, eventually you will be able to recognize familiar places used more than once for location settings. For example, I fell for the lovely house used in Thai drama in Wannueng Jaa Pben Superstar. I was not surprised when I could recognize the same house used in Leh Game Rak. Writers can get a similar ideas on 'investigating' the filming locations used in Taiwanese, Chinese, and Thai dramas, overseas filming locations, or even the reusing of the same filming locations in different dramas.

by Akage Girl  October 22, 2019 Reflective Writer's articles Article ideas: Other characterization, dialogues, the art of conflicts, moral values as personal favorites. Other aspects that define watching style

Characterization: A Case Study "According to the Oxford Dictionary, characterization is the “creation or construction of a fictional character” which is an incredibly limited and boring way to describe something so magical. Who doesn’t love or hate a good character?" After one year in Asian dramaland, the writer found four defining drama characteristics that guided her decision to keep watching a drama or drop it: characterization, dialogues, the art of conflicts, and moral of the story. In this article, she discussed how heroes/heroines, villains, antiheroes, couples, supporting cast either enhance the plot or become the sole reason for her to keep watching. Below are her other articles discussing the rest of the aspects: More than Just Words: Dialogue 3 Asian Dramas that Master the Art of Conflict Entertainment and Edification - 3 Asian Dramas that Nailed It The first year of someone's drama journey is likely to be memorable, as it basically formulates the person's watching style (what dramas, the reasons, the habits, etc.) that will establish later in the years. Writers have extensive options to write about their personal memorable characters, dialogue quotes, conflicts (fights, war), and lessons learned from dramas they watched.

by azyjtevol  November 20, 2019 Entertaining Writer's articles Article ideas: other drama's or country's parody, inside jokes, quirky naming, satirizing ads or dramas/ movies, etc.

Pegasus Market: Finding the Easter Eggs! "Here's a little analysis of Pegasus Market, the K-drama that highlights some of the best Korean inside jokes some of you might have missed out on. ;)" Honestly, by just looking at the modest poster of a group of people standing and unpopular cast, Pegasus Market was almost off my radar. I only added it to my PTW list since actor Kim Byung Chul was in it. Commenting on the article, I wrote that I would look for the 'hidden objects' discussed by the writer. By the time I picked it up to be watched for my first drama in 2020, I completely forgot about the 'eggs', as I was busy laughing my head off at its hilarious story. Anyways, this unusual perk (the inside jokes) became an attractive topic of this article. It indirectly recommended this drama to be watched. The writer categorized three of her findings: quirky names, a parody of Korean ads, and tribute to older dramas and movies. Any writer can use similar attributes from a different drama(s). For example: in Cdrama My Unicorn Girl, the Male Lead (played by Darren Chen) told the Female Lead that there was a famous CEO named Dao Ming Si who said: "If apologies worked, why would we need the police?" That was an inside joke poking Meteor Garden, where the actor also acted in as Dao Ming Si's best friend.

by Kate November 28, 2019 Reflective Writer's articles Article ideas: romantic drama endings that appear happy but unsatisfying due to the toxicity of the relationships. Inconclusive drama endings that are open to watcher's interpretations.

[SPOILER!] Extraordinary You: Ending from a Different Perspective "When in stories the main characters end up together, we are led to believe it's a fairytale ending that will make everyone happy but is it always the case?  What if the end is just yet another beginning, and what the future holds is unknown and scary?" Since I haven't watched Extraordinary You, though I read the article, my thought here is about drama endings in general. As mentioned by the writer that "a fairytale ending will make everyone happy", we see in any romantic drama pages questions/comments such as: is it a happy ending? who ends up with whom? when did they get together? etc, etc. But honestly, do we really want every romantic drama to end up happily? Drama endings may become an interesting subject to discuss and articles to write about. How about unhealthy romantic relationships? Writers may choose to write about toxic relationships in dramas with happy endings. Are fairytales unrealistic and unrelatable? Of course, we can always use the classic example of Boys Over Flowers, however, there are newer dramas as options. For example, without spoilers, the recent popular Cdrama Go Ahead. Additionally, I linked an interesting article here as an informational source to help anyone writing an article on drama boyfriend/girlfriend. Lastly, other drama endings that are meant to have many interpretations may also be another interesting article topic to write. For example, the popular Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day. The ending is inconclusive, and there are a lot of discussions in form of review and comments on the drama page to be utilized for writing an article.

by Lumiere  June  3, 2013 Entertaining Writer's articles Article ideas: Any drama/movie watched based on favorite actors/actresses and pretty features, not the quality or rational/logical reasons

The Fangirl vs. the Brain: Why Did I Watch This "This is a pathetic rant between a fangirl and her own brain who blames her for making him watch dramas he doesn't approve of. *Note: The writer claims she's mentally stable.*" This article is hilarious and although it was written 7 years ago, it's still relatable. Anyone who at least once watched a drama/movie only for its beautiful cast, is guilty of doing "a noble sacrifice of a loyal fan-girl" as coined by the writer. I haven't watched any of the dramas mentioned by the writer, so I couldn't relate to her fangirling. I don't remember watching The King: Eternal Monarch and admiring Lee Min Ho's pretty hands. But I remember watching Super Star Academy and Jade Dynasty 1 as Xiao Zhan's fangirl, though the drama is bad as it was the XNINE group's first idol drama, and the movie is a prequel with an open ending which I usually wait for the sequel for a complete story. And I will still watch his upcoming drama Heroic Years, though I don't like military/war genre! Any fan can use a similar idea and write an article based on personal confession watching bad movies/dramas just because of pretty things! And if the battle between heart and brain for watching drama also includes beautiful cinematography, then anyone who loves costume C-dramas (including me) may be guilty too.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3 WITH DIFFERENT WRITERS

Image credits: I do not own any of the images used. Credits go to the respective owners. The cover image is an official film still of Chicago Typewriter. To honor the writers' effort in searching, choosing, and reformatting pictures, I used their original articles' cover images.

_{editors: BrightestStar (1st editor)}