Q&A #3

Keep them coming Anna. I've got four more days to go!

Q: Got any advice on how to write really awesome villains? They are so hard! The one I have now also has a pretty dumb name. I think my plot is improving though, and the over the past couple of weeks I somehow came up with some really good plot twists. Surprising, but I did.

A: Keep working on that plot. Remember, it's easier to go back and edit later, than to get the momentum back if you stop and rewrite all the time.

The key to good villains is giving them real motivations. Just like your hero needs a noble quest, your bad needs a reason for being bad, other than that he/she is evil. For example, in the first chapter of Farworld, I have a dark wizard named Bonesplinter. He is going to meet with the head of The Dark Circle. In the first draft I had him simply be scared of the Master. But in rewrites he turned into a power hungry schemer. Even while he is groveling before the Master, he is thinking about what he would do with that kind of power. By adding more depth to him, it makes him more real and gives me options down the road.

The other thing to think about?especially in a fantasy series?is the hierarchy of bad guys. If I start with the top bad guy in the first book, where do I go from there? As my hero/s become stronger, I want my bad guys to become worse, so I need to use balance and restraint in the first book.

Another thing to consider is language. I am writing a YA novel so I don?t want my bad guy to be cursing up a storm. But I do want the reader to get how bad he is. So I use imagery in his language that makes you go, ?Oh, this guy is creepy.?

For example:

Marcus says, ?What are you going to do to me??

Bonesplinter answers, ?I?d like to spend a little time getting to know you. I?d like to study you like a fine watch and see what makes you tick.?

And later

?Unfortunately,? Bonesplinter whispered, ?it?s not up to me. It won?t be long before the others come looking for you, and my orders are quite clear. I?m afraid, little bird, that you won?t be returning to your nest.?

See, I don?t use bad language, but the reader hopefully will get that this is a bad dude.

So what do you like to see in your villains?