Have you ever disliked someone, then one day they come to you asking for help? You're not exactly sure why you help them or why your impression of them changed. I'll tell you why: Exposition.
In life it is difficult, if not impossible, to like someone whom we do not know. But when someone is self-revealing we (usually) are drawn to him. In any event, honesty about oneself is a positive quality. It takes courage to take a hard look inside.
Perfect example is a girl named Valerie. She was my ex-roomate's "sex-buddy" that couldn't keep it just sex buddy. She basically lived with us for months, and she was completely guppy-eyed over John. And yes, I thought she was a complete and utter bimbo. I don't really like bimbos. He cheats on her. She comes to me for help, and if I do say so myself, by the end of the night John was ignoring his new eff buddy and going nuts over Valerie. Then the bimbo went against my advice and effed him that night.
My opinion changed right back to the initial thought. Three months later, John has an affair with a married woman with a child while sleeping with Valerie. When she finds out -- devastated. Back to me for help. So I tried. What happened? Same exact thing. She goes back to him, only this time he tells her it's over.
Morale of the story: People don't change, but when they allow us to see how the feel exactly, we connect with them. It doesn't matter if they're a whoring bimbo. You still connect. Which is your number one goal for your character: connect with the reader.
Make sure the protagonist reflects and self-examines. Allow them to talk about what's happening to them/how they feel. You yourself have all kinds of ideas, observations, opinions, and gripes, don't you? Well, so does your main character.
Question of the Day:
Honestly, it was easy. My main antagonist is one second favorite character in the entire book. In the first book she has very little depth. She's there as a symbol of power and evil. Second book you crack into her. Her past. Why she became what she is. And you find probably one of the most brilliant flash backs I've ever written.
After I finish the last book of the quartet, I'm going to go through the books and write from a second character's point of view. This character is going to be the main antagonist, and hopefully readers will see more of the political strains while learning more about the devils.
If you're looking to give your bad guys appeal, I'd suggest the following:
In life it is difficult, if not impossible, to like someone whom we do not know. But when someone is self-revealing we (usually) are drawn to him. In any event, honesty about oneself is a positive quality. It takes courage to take a hard look inside.
Perfect example is a girl named Valerie. She was my ex-roomate's "sex-buddy" that couldn't keep it just sex buddy. She basically lived with us for months, and she was completely guppy-eyed over John. And yes, I thought she was a complete and utter bimbo. I don't really like bimbos. He cheats on her. She comes to me for help, and if I do say so myself, by the end of the night John was ignoring his new eff buddy and going nuts over Valerie. Then the bimbo went against my advice and effed him that night.
My opinion changed right back to the initial thought. Three months later, John has an affair with a married woman with a child while sleeping with Valerie. When she finds out -- devastated. Back to me for help. So I tried. What happened? Same exact thing. She goes back to him, only this time he tells her it's over.
Morale of the story: People don't change, but when they allow us to see how the feel exactly, we connect with them. It doesn't matter if they're a whoring bimbo. You still connect. Which is your number one goal for your character: connect with the reader.
Make sure the protagonist reflects and self-examines. Allow them to talk about what's happening to them/how they feel. You yourself have all kinds of ideas, observations, opinions, and gripes, don't you? Well, so does your main character.
Question of the Day:
How do you give your bad-guys appeal?
Honestly, it was easy. My main antagonist is one second favorite character in the entire book. In the first book she has very little depth. She's there as a symbol of power and evil. Second book you crack into her. Her past. Why she became what she is. And you find probably one of the most brilliant flash backs I've ever written.
After I finish the last book of the quartet, I'm going to go through the books and write from a second character's point of view. This character is going to be the main antagonist, and hopefully readers will see more of the political strains while learning more about the devils.
If you're looking to give your bad guys appeal, I'd suggest the following:
- Have them have a real reason. Crazy is boring. Unpredictable is a bit better. But real meaning and determination -- sounds like someone we could connect with.
- Don't have them talk like mouth breathing morons. Have you ever seen a bad guy that sits there before destroying the hero and laughs at his own genius? Let's pretend it doesn't exist and find another way to have the reader know what the hell your protag is doing.
- Make them bad. Sure you can show goodness in them. You can show them having inner conflict. But all in all, when it comes to them pulling the trigger on the five year old girl. They do it. No one likes a pansy.
- All in all, make him believable. As much as I adore Harry Potter, I sometimes wondered why he-who-must-not-be-named wouldn't just ignore Potter's existence and continue with his plans. I mean, he really went out on a limb way too much. Most the time, I just felt it was unnecessary.
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