(The enchanting Spirit, once of Hunter's Lair, and compensation for a summer re-run...)
In my travels I came across this website on “How to create a credible villain in fiction.” It was so absurdly namby-pamby, I have to share it with you with a few reactions. Come laugh along with me as we rebut:
1. Start by reading Create a Fictional Character from Scratch. This will give you a foundation on which you can create any type of character.
2. Choose the degree of evilness or just plain "ick" you want to place into your villain. Some tales require the viciousness of a serial killer, while others only call for a bully.
>>>>> How tedious. Grading villainy on a scale of 1 to 10 is like saying I like Jackson Pollock because he used a lot of grey. Villains have to be fun!
3. Create a single, traumatic incident for your villain. It could be as devastating as seeing his parents murdered or as sublime as seeing a prized rosebush destroyed by the whims of nature.
The reason for this is to create a turning point in the villain's life.
>>>>> I loved Seth Evil in the Austin Powers movies. Inherited villainy. Just like real life. Perfect! This turning point idea – as if goodness were the natural state of the human condition. Rubbish!
4. Expand on this singular incident. Exaggerate it, twist it, and distort it until it becomes the rotten core of your villain.
>>>>> No. Better idea. Take a normal hobby – exaggerate that, twist it, and distort it until it becomes the rotten core. That’s closer to the honest truth. Example: butterfly collecting. Make the villain's attentions turn, for example, to collecting pretty damsels in glass cases, anaesthetized into a state of aware living death, and held captive and in chains. Why? Just because.
5. Choose a single thing that the character adores without greed or malice. It doesn't have to be a big thing--in fact, it's better if it's not. For example, the villain may enjoy strolling in a rose garden in order to clear his/her head. Or, even smaller, the villain enjoys the simple pleasure of cracking open a sunflower seed on his tongue and enjoying the saltiness of the meat inside.
>>>>> Oh spare me this cliché. Every villain adores a pretty girl. A bit too much. And not in a socially acceptable way. Why should the villain be this twisted? Making him quite normal on the surface makes him all the more dangerous when provoked.
6. Combine the "turning point" and the "single thing" and bounce them back and forth in your mind. How are they related? Why does the villain love one thing so much and is still filled with malice, hatred or just plain "ickiness"?
>>>>> If you have to think about this, it’s over.
7. Take into account the hero of the story. How does the hero fit into the villain's life? How do his wants mix, match, and collide? How are they similar, how are they different?
· The creation of a truly villainous character can become especially intense. Try writing about him in smaller chunks than you ordinarily would. If you don't take a small break every half-hour or so, you may find yourself absorbing a portion of the villain's negativity, which can affect your relationships with the people you care about.
>>>>> Whaaaaat? Hey, listen: being a villain is my good side, an escape from my negativity!
· Avoid the temptation to start a villain from one of the deadly sins. If you do, you'll end up with a parody of a bad guy instead of a true villain. It is one thing to end up with a character that is the epitome of a deadly sin. Just don't start there.
>>>>> No kidding. I love the line in Serenity where the high-minded villain (called simply The Operative) asks all his victims “Do you know what your sin is?” before he assassinates them. The hero replies, “I’m a pretty big fan of all seven, but right now I’m going to go with wrath.” Then he proceeds to beat the crap out of the villain.
OK, I need to detox. Some lyrics from They Might Be Giants:
I look like Jesus, so they say,
But Mr Jesus is very far away
Now you’re the only one left who can tell me if it’s true
That you love me, and I love me
I built a little empire out of
Some crazy garbage called
The blood of the exploited working class
Now they’ve overcome their shyness
And they’re calling me “your highness”
And the world screams “Kiss me, Son of God.”
Bleeeech!
ReplyDeleteMy own path to villainy was a lot easier. I was just "being myself", ... then I exaggerated.
If we're honest with ourselves, all of us have that little dark corner in our soul, which we keep under control in proper company. Let it out, and see where it leads you.
Villainy, for most of us, is about IMAGINATION. It won't come in a cookie-cutter, like the 'authors' seem to think.
Since I write a lot of my own adventures, I have to create villains. But usually I start with a concept-or his villainous DEEDS before I start describing the villain. He could be an obsessed meglomaniac, a sincerely deluded do gooder (I like these a lot)or just someone who has the hots for pretty, flying women.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't think you have to explore his complete inner demons to make a villain real, or even convincing. Oh it HELPS, but a villain is a villain just as a hero is a hero. It appears to be hardwired.