Negative Traits = The Perfect Villain by Connie Vines

Looking for the perfect, or not so perfect, villain for your story?

Finding a hero, well that is perfectly simple.  A dash of Prince Charming, a sprinkle of Albert Einstein, a quarter cup of Fred Astaire, a hint of Hans Solo. . .well, you get my drift. A quick whisk or two and TADA!  You have a hero!

Not so, with a villain, that is an entirely different cup of (hemlock) tea.

Deeply flawed, and driven by: dark forces, questionable morals, a wounded soul, or simply bad fashion sense, villains must connect with readers in some realistic way.  A strong villain forces the hero to step up, demanding more moral fiber than he, the hero, knew that he possessed.  Remember, there is no “Happily Ever After” without the twists and turns supplied compliments of the villain!

Remember unless your villain is a serial killer, or the embodiment of pure Evil, he—the villain, must possession a rich and complex character and past.  He must be a worthy antagonist for protagonist (aka: Our Beloved Hero).  So, how exactly do you plan to come up with the perfect villain?

I like to start with back-story (of course for most of the novel this is known only to me). I pepper hints and drop in a few clumps of info.  Later, the reader will say, “Of course!  I should have guess sooner!” The reader may harbor sympathy (which I like to develop in my Tween stories).  Everyone can relate to an event, which made a profound change is his/her life.  Sometimes this even makes a person better/stronger.  Other times (as in the villain’s case) it drives them to the edge of insanity, or damages them beyond (mental/emotional/physical) recover.  However, in the beginning, the story all about the hero.

It is not until the middle of the story; we appreciate the villain’s ability to set those nasty plot twists into motion.

Your villain can be your hero’s mirror.  Oh, you can go for the classic blonde vs brunette, if you are looking for campy.  Or, you can look to character traits.  The hero may be shy, fearful of horses, and a back-words sort of dresser with a gentle way with those in need.  While the villain is confident, articulate (with a sexy accent), owns a stable of show-horses, wears Armani suits, and (at times the veil slips) he sees gentleness as weakness.  He discovered as a child, only the strongest survive!

Give him quirks, sensitivities (remember the movie “Red Dragon”), an awareness of himself. Your villain must evolve also.  He may escalate into pure Evil, or see the light.  Or, perhaps, reside somewhere in between the two places.

Remember to open his old wounds.  Something, be it a place, event, smell, or sound must trigger his behavior.  Show the villain trying to avoid a situation, event.
I can’t divulge too much about my “villains” due to the manner in which they tie into a story’s plot.  However, I will give you a hint, or two.

Whisper upon the Water, my YA/Tween novel set in the late 1880s in a Native American boarding school deals with the aftermath of the Indian Wars.  The story also addresses the way the children were treated and forced to become “White”.  My villain is Sister Enid.  The reader will discover that Sister Enid as a story of her own.  My romance and romantic suspense novels, Lynx and Brede (Rodeo Romance Book 1 & 2), also have carefully constructed villains.

My next BWL release, is an anthology, Gumbo Ya Ya has five separate stories.  And, a myriad of delightful villains to boo and hiss at!
·        “Marrying off Murphy” my villain is a friend who shoves my hero into an ‘unwelcomed situation’.
·        “Love Potion # 9” brings us two villains: “element of magic” and. .well, that’s enough of a hint.
·        “A Slice of Scandal” is a murder mystery where villains abound.
·        “The Ghost of Gombi Island” we have a pirate, a ghost, and a witch on the high seas (I will let you ponder the villain’s identity.)
·        “1-800-Fortune” (a T.A.R.A. and Fool for Love, finalist). Brings us an unnamed villain (at least until the final pages—remember, no peeking when you purchase the book).

What character traits.

Or what I’ve discovered usually irritate me, and, consequently, my hero the most.  Remember, just like the menu at “Denny’s” you can mix or match your selection.
Abrasive, Antisocial, Catty (one of my personal faves), Confrontational (perfect for a co-worker when combined Catty and Devious).  Or, Obsessive (no wait, that’s me!), Paranoid, Perfectionist, Self-Destructive, Vindictive.  These are just a few traits, I am certain you can name many, many more.

Does you villain need the limelight? Alternatively, does he prefer to hide in the shadows?  Does he have a driving need to belong? To be loved?

Your villain did not just crawl out from beneath a toadstool.

Write that backstory and make certain your villain is the worst that he can be!

Reader, who is favorite villain--the person you love to hate?  Why?


Connie Vines

MAKE YOUR FEMALE VILLAIN STRONGER THAN HER GUN BY RITA KARNOPP

One of today’s hottest plots is the female villain.  Really?  The killer is always the jilted male, the psychotic male, the bomber male, the fired male, etc.  Now we are introducing the really bad villain female.  She is cunning, touch, intelligent, and twisted.

There’s nothing typical about the female villain, yet she’s believable in every way.  Don’t make her the male version of a ‘bad guy.’   Once you get past that - you have liberty to create her however you want.

The reader hasn’t had a lot of experience with the really bad woman.  We (the writer) have an opportunity to use that lack-of-experience and allow – even manipulate our readers to underestimate what she’s capable of.  Make her believable and the reader is in for a lesson in ‘bad.’

You should make your female villain stronger than her gun.  Keep this in mind and it’ll affect how you present your female villains.

You could easily make your female villain seem weak and vulnerable, yet underneath she’s intelligent, savvy, and coy; fooling everyone.  I would refrain from making her the female Hannibal Lecter unless you can make her believable. 

Your female villain can be tough, as threatening as any man, but don’t let the reader forget she’s a real woman.  You can allow her to be hard on the exterior, but when she’s alone show her vulnerability.  Readers identify with a character that cries in the shadows of her closet or under the sheets at night when she’s totally alone.

Like any male villain, the reader wants to know what makes your female villain tick.  Was she a victim of rape?  Did she feel responsible for killing her mother at birth?  Was she blamed for a sibling’s drowning?  Victimizing the female villain lends realism that the reader can relate to.

One last way to make your female villain real is by giving her a fear.  What?  Yep, think about it.  Indiana Jones hated snakes and we all got off on seeing him squirm every time he had to face one or a pit of them.  Relatable fears or phobias make characters seem real and give you an opportunity to use them to present obstacles and the human side of your female villain. 

TODAY’S VILLAIN BY RITA KARNOPP

Yesterday’s villain was shifty-eyed, dressed in black clothes, illiterate or portrays a lack of education, hair unkempt to his shoulders . . . let’s add Snidely Whiplash’s waxed moustache. 

Today’s villain is savvy, handsome, the boy next door, stylish, polite and very educated.  Most likely his IQ is above average and he gets-off on his abilities to outsmart his victim(s) and the law.

Readers love guessing – playing private detective – speculating on who the ‘bad guy’ is.  Thing is, we’re even more excited when he’s hiding in plain sight and we are completely surprised.  He was the kind neighbor, the trusting brother, the lovely step-sister.

Bear in mind – the villain should be foreshadowed and the reader must be able to say, oh . . . yeh, I missed that.  I thought he might have been the villain and I dismissed it.  Never . . . never . . . never . . . have the villain be a complete surprise … the ‘red herring’ because your reader will not read another one of your books. You’re not being clever. 

Our modern-day villain will appear to be trusting, endearing, even loving and making the ‘butler’ the killer just won’t hack it today.  A character in the background for 180 pages and suddenly is the killer, won’t put you on the best seller’s list.  You might surprise the reader, but you won’t win him/her. Disbelief will trump surprise every time unless you’ve left shrewd and even cunning clues along the way.

I’m one of those writers that usually knows who the villain is at the beginning, although there’ve been a book or two that surprised me.  I start with a situation, most likely a murder and then the story unfolds around this main plot.  My characters bring the story to life by their emotions and reactions.

I started my book Atonement with the villain.  The first line sets the scene and tone for the book.  “He bent her finger back . .  . all the way back.  It cracked loud and final.”  The reader doesn’t know who the villain is – but they definitely know a lot about him from those first two sentences.  Although we know about the killer, we don’t know who ‘he’ is.

There are times when I believe I know who the villain is . . . only to be surprised I was wrong.  You see, while we write the characters take over and develop the story. 

In the book I just finished, Whispering Wind, I was certain the youngest brother was going to be a problem, while his savvy older brother was going to sweep my heroine off her feet.  Things just didn’t work out the way I planned.  Never force who the villain is.  The reader will feel it every time.  I’m a firm believer that my characters will inevitably resolve any predicament or challenge I give them.

There are two ways to write the villain; one is to know from the start who he is and the other is really not knowing until the story unravels.  Whether you write knowing who your villain is or not, make sure you go back and rewrite, leaving a trail of clues that reveal a believable villain at the end. 

Which way is better?  You must decide which works best for you and your writing style.  But I might add, when you don’t know at all (you don’t really have a clue in your mind at all or you don’t have a plan – you could end up writing yourself into a corner or find yourself with chapters of rewriting before your story is believable. 

Tomorrow we’ll continue – I had no idea I had so much to say about villains!  J  We’ll pick up discussing why ‘our villains must be special.’