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Writerly Ways
Dec. 6th, 2020 10:01 pmI decided to do a little continuation on writing a good villain. You all gave some good ideas last week so thank you. Also I've been watching Swamp Thing (Not entirely sure. I know it was canceled after a year on whatever 'cable' channel it was on and now it's on CW and it's entertaining enough but not memorable). I bring this up because it has more than one villain (literally it's a town of sucky people) but two of the main villains are interesting.
The rich town benefactor - he definitely sees himself as the hero of the story. He loves the town and does what he can to help but on the other hand he's definitely a Me Me Me character, he'll kill you if it benefits him.
More interesting is the research doctor. He knows he's doing bad things but he is motivated by the idea of an instant cure for his wife who has early onset alzheimer's which is a terrible disease to be sure. He wants to save his wife. That is certainly a good motivation but of course it's taken him to the ends justify the means sort of path and the means are dark. It does make for a good villain though because you sympathize with him and what he wants to achieve. He doesn't want it for the money he'll make off a cure (rich dude does though) he wants to save his wife.
And of course we have Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son. He's charming, he's debonair, he's a manipulative bastard. He made a very telling comment early on, that saving lives as a doctor should give him a pass on those he murdered. Does he really believe that the scales balance (and in fact tip to the good with the amount of life saved vs life taken)? We don't know. He might. He might just be saying that to put on a good face. He's mentally ill when it suits him really, as an excuse for his actions. On the other hand, does someone who isn't mentally ill carved up two dozen people? There is something wrong him. By definition serial killers would have something wrong with them mentally.
On the other hand I'm reading another novel that I'm nearly done with but it sounds like his OCD might be used as an excuse. That to me is a poor villain. Maybe there will be a different m otive as I go but right now it's uncomfortably looking like that.
Have some articles on villains that I don't think I've shared before.
How to Write an Unforgettable Villain: Tips for Writing a Great Villain for Your Novel or Short Story (from Masterclass)
What Makes a Great Villain? Your Checklist for Writing a Good Bad Guy
5 Steps to Craft a Great Villain.
How to Write Villains Readers Love to Hate
Have some links from Betty too
What Is Dreamzoning? (7 Steps to Finding New Story Ideas)
How We Wrote & Promoted a Multi-Author Book Series
How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing
How & Why You Should Consolidate Your Story
How Do I Make a Verbal Conflict Exciting?
PODCAST
303 – Internal Conflict
Lesson 9 - Blocking!
Don’t ever ask somebody whether you should keep writing
The rich town benefactor - he definitely sees himself as the hero of the story. He loves the town and does what he can to help but on the other hand he's definitely a Me Me Me character, he'll kill you if it benefits him.
More interesting is the research doctor. He knows he's doing bad things but he is motivated by the idea of an instant cure for his wife who has early onset alzheimer's which is a terrible disease to be sure. He wants to save his wife. That is certainly a good motivation but of course it's taken him to the ends justify the means sort of path and the means are dark. It does make for a good villain though because you sympathize with him and what he wants to achieve. He doesn't want it for the money he'll make off a cure (rich dude does though) he wants to save his wife.
And of course we have Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son. He's charming, he's debonair, he's a manipulative bastard. He made a very telling comment early on, that saving lives as a doctor should give him a pass on those he murdered. Does he really believe that the scales balance (and in fact tip to the good with the amount of life saved vs life taken)? We don't know. He might. He might just be saying that to put on a good face. He's mentally ill when it suits him really, as an excuse for his actions. On the other hand, does someone who isn't mentally ill carved up two dozen people? There is something wrong him. By definition serial killers would have something wrong with them mentally.
On the other hand I'm reading another novel that I'm nearly done with but it sounds like his OCD might be used as an excuse. That to me is a poor villain. Maybe there will be a different m otive as I go but right now it's uncomfortably looking like that.
Have some articles on villains that I don't think I've shared before.
How to Write an Unforgettable Villain: Tips for Writing a Great Villain for Your Novel or Short Story (from Masterclass)
What Makes a Great Villain? Your Checklist for Writing a Good Bad Guy
5 Steps to Craft a Great Villain.
How to Write Villains Readers Love to Hate
Have some links from Betty too
What Is Dreamzoning? (7 Steps to Finding New Story Ideas)
How We Wrote & Promoted a Multi-Author Book Series
How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing
How & Why You Should Consolidate Your Story
How Do I Make a Verbal Conflict Exciting?
PODCAST
303 – Internal Conflict
Lesson 9 - Blocking!
Don’t ever ask somebody whether you should keep writing
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