This week I'm starting a series of posts on writing good villains. My goal is to get a good discussion going so we can all share our ideas on what makes a good villain and on how to write those good villains. I'm looking forward to hearing opinions from all of you!
I thought I would start out by sharing a list of my 'favorite' villains. Not all of them are fictional, but I tried to get a good cross-cut of the world of evil and villainy. So here they are:
-Captain Hook (from Peter Pan)
-Professor Moriarty (from Sherlock Holmes)
-King Herod (from the New Testament)
-Emperor Nero (from Rome)
-Queen Jadis (aka the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia)
-Rim Sin (from Fallen from Babel)
-Jaquenon Shalen (the villain from my novel-in-progress.)
*~*~*~*~*~*
Let's get this conversation started, guys! Who are the villains that you think best represent their category in the world of character roles?
February 28, 2011
February 11, 2011
Role Models in Writing
I know what you're thinking--and you're wrong. This post isn't going to be about great writers to pattern yourselves and your writing after. This post is about role models to pattern your characters after.
Now, I'm not talking about copying other writers' already-developed characters or basing all of your fictional characters on real people. Both of those plans are recipes for big-time legal trouble. What I'm talking about is learning from example what people in certain roles or circumstances are really like, and basing your characters on those true-to-life facts.
The idea dawned on me this week while I was snowed in after last week's blizzard (and to think--I used to fantasize about living in the Arctic. I'm officially over that now!). Since going outside wasn't an option, I spent an unseemly number of hours sitting in front of the fireplace watching episodes of Combat!, a '60s TV series about WWII (fabulous show, if any of you need something good to watch).
How, you may wonder, does this pertain even remotely to the work of a fantasy writer? Well, I'll tell you. Several of the central characters in my novel-in-progress are very high-ranking military leaders. To be honest, I've had trouble writing characters who are down-to-earth and humble while still maintaining and exercising their authority--and doing it all convincingly. My characters seem to be either all humility and no authority, or all authority and no humility. Where is the balance? How does a man exercise his authority without 'lording it over' the other characters?
Those questions weren't even at the forefront of my mid this week while I was watching Combat!. But as I watched the main characters (a Second Lieutenant and a Sergeant) interacting with the men under them and with the officers ranking over them, and developing a tentative friendship in spite of their differing ranks, my problem with my leader characters suddenly came to mind. "Oh..." I thought, "So that's how they do it!"
While their personalities were completely different from those of my characters, the characters of Combat! demonstrated the balance of authority vs. humility and friendship vs. getting the job done that I was looking for in my characters.
So now I'm thinking--if it worked in that circumstance, it would work in another. Having trouble developing a convincing character in a position you don't know a great deal about? Find characters (real or fictional) in a similar position and learn how they do it, what it's really like.
What are your thoughts? Have you used a similar formula to develop your characters, or do you have a completely different method?
Now, I'm not talking about copying other writers' already-developed characters or basing all of your fictional characters on real people. Both of those plans are recipes for big-time legal trouble. What I'm talking about is learning from example what people in certain roles or circumstances are really like, and basing your characters on those true-to-life facts.
The idea dawned on me this week while I was snowed in after last week's blizzard (and to think--I used to fantasize about living in the Arctic. I'm officially over that now!). Since going outside wasn't an option, I spent an unseemly number of hours sitting in front of the fireplace watching episodes of Combat!, a '60s TV series about WWII (fabulous show, if any of you need something good to watch).
How, you may wonder, does this pertain even remotely to the work of a fantasy writer? Well, I'll tell you. Several of the central characters in my novel-in-progress are very high-ranking military leaders. To be honest, I've had trouble writing characters who are down-to-earth and humble while still maintaining and exercising their authority--and doing it all convincingly. My characters seem to be either all humility and no authority, or all authority and no humility. Where is the balance? How does a man exercise his authority without 'lording it over' the other characters?
Those questions weren't even at the forefront of my mid this week while I was watching Combat!. But as I watched the main characters (a Second Lieutenant and a Sergeant) interacting with the men under them and with the officers ranking over them, and developing a tentative friendship in spite of their differing ranks, my problem with my leader characters suddenly came to mind. "Oh..." I thought, "So that's how they do it!"
While their personalities were completely different from those of my characters, the characters of Combat! demonstrated the balance of authority vs. humility and friendship vs. getting the job done that I was looking for in my characters.
So now I'm thinking--if it worked in that circumstance, it would work in another. Having trouble developing a convincing character in a position you don't know a great deal about? Find characters (real or fictional) in a similar position and learn how they do it, what it's really like.
What are your thoughts? Have you used a similar formula to develop your characters, or do you have a completely different method?
January 28, 2011
Some Free Resources!
Looking to improve your craft without shelling out the bucks? Here are some great resources for writers, and they're perfect for the starving artist's budget too!
Fiction Writing Tip of the Week from Jeff Gerke: 96 thorough, practical, and entertaining articles that walk you through a lot of the most important elements of quality Christian fiction, from writing to editing to publishing!
Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine with Randy Ingermanson: every month's issue comes right to your inbox and brings three articles (one on organizing your writing life, one on writing craft, one on publishing) that break down that sometimes intimidating world of writing into simple, understandable, doable processes.
I hope you all enjoy these. How about you? Are there any good resources you enjoy that I missed?
Fiction Writing Tip of the Week from Jeff Gerke: 96 thorough, practical, and entertaining articles that walk you through a lot of the most important elements of quality Christian fiction, from writing to editing to publishing!
Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine with Randy Ingermanson: every month's issue comes right to your inbox and brings three articles (one on organizing your writing life, one on writing craft, one on publishing) that break down that sometimes intimidating world of writing into simple, understandable, doable processes.
I hope you all enjoy these. How about you? Are there any good resources you enjoy that I missed?
January 21, 2011
A Little Test of Character
Anyone following this blog doesn't need to be told the utmost, earth-shattering importance of character development, so I won't repeat what you already know. (But just on the off-chance that you don't know: IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT!!!)
We've all spent those long hours studying a character's nervous tics, or their accent, or the way they choose their words, or the reason they have that aversion to certain things. That's all important stuff to know, too.
But today, try something a little more fun:
Empty your pockets. I'm emptying mine on the computer desk right now. Let's see:
2 pocket knives
1 cell phone
1 cough drop
1 ponytail holder
1 2GB flashdrive
some little balls of styrofoam stuffing that leaked out of my lap desk earlier and are now static-stuck to absolutely everything
Got your pockets emptied now? Good. Now, empty your character's pockets (If your character doesn't have pockets for whatever reason, then empty her purse or his saddle bags--you get the idea).
What do you find? Is it all pretty ordinary, just the kind of things you would expect such a character to carry around? Are you surprised by anything your character shells out? Is there a particular item that he or she is embarrassed or reluctant to show you? Is there something they're carrying that is unique to them--something that only they and no one else would have? What do the contents of their pockets tell you about their personality, backstory, desires, or fears?
As always, feel free to share your finds or thoughts!
We've all spent those long hours studying a character's nervous tics, or their accent, or the way they choose their words, or the reason they have that aversion to certain things. That's all important stuff to know, too.
But today, try something a little more fun:
Empty your pockets. I'm emptying mine on the computer desk right now. Let's see:
2 pocket knives
1 cell phone
1 cough drop
1 ponytail holder
1 2GB flashdrive
some little balls of styrofoam stuffing that leaked out of my lap desk earlier and are now static-stuck to absolutely everything
Got your pockets emptied now? Good. Now, empty your character's pockets (If your character doesn't have pockets for whatever reason, then empty her purse or his saddle bags--you get the idea).
What do you find? Is it all pretty ordinary, just the kind of things you would expect such a character to carry around? Are you surprised by anything your character shells out? Is there a particular item that he or she is embarrassed or reluctant to show you? Is there something they're carrying that is unique to them--something that only they and no one else would have? What do the contents of their pockets tell you about their personality, backstory, desires, or fears?
As always, feel free to share your finds or thoughts!
January 14, 2011
This Crazy Language
We all talk about writers' tools: strong verbs, few adverbs, concise adjectives, descriptive nouns... you get the idea. We spend enormous amounts of time and effort learning and studying the best ways to construct compelling stories out of the building blocks we've been given, namely, the words in the English language.
But have you ever stopped and really taken a look at just how confusing, random, and--well, just bizarre the English language can be? In some cases, it's just downright self-contradicting. And that can make life really hard for us writers! Here are some of my most 'favorite' examples.
~You can act 'nonchalant,' but you can't act 'chalant'.
~You may need to 'recuperate' after an illness... but when did you 'cuperate' in the first place?
~The word 'colonel'. And 'rendezvous'.
~'Noisy' means making lots of noise. 'Noisome' means irritating.
It's a wonder we even manage to learn to read, much less master the beast that is the English language enough to create a great story full of subtlety and subtexting and all those great and high arts of craft.
What are some of the English anomalies that give you trouble, make you laugh, or just leave you scratching your head?
But have you ever stopped and really taken a look at just how confusing, random, and--well, just bizarre the English language can be? In some cases, it's just downright self-contradicting. And that can make life really hard for us writers! Here are some of my most 'favorite' examples.
~You can act 'nonchalant,' but you can't act 'chalant'.
~You may need to 'recuperate' after an illness... but when did you 'cuperate' in the first place?
~The word 'colonel'. And 'rendezvous'.
~'Noisy' means making lots of noise. 'Noisome' means irritating.
It's a wonder we even manage to learn to read, much less master the beast that is the English language enough to create a great story full of subtlety and subtexting and all those great and high arts of craft.
What are some of the English anomalies that give you trouble, make you laugh, or just leave you scratching your head?
January 7, 2011
Breathe... and move forward.
It's been a long time since I've posted, I know (though probably not as long as it seems). I could blame the holidays, but that would only be partially accurate. Those of you who know me personally know that for the last seven months I've been living with my grandmother (a dementia/Alzheimer's patient) as her caretaker. As her condition progressed and got worse, my mom started staying with me since I was no longer able to move and care for 'Moofy' single-handedly. Over the last couple of weeks Moofy became gradually more and more unresponsive; last Wednesday she slipped into a coma, and went to be with the Lord Thursday morning, December 30.
I won't lie--it's been hard. Caring for an Alzheimer's patient has thrown challenges at me that I never expected and, frankly, had no idea how to deal with. What do you say when your grandmother asks you "Are you going to marry that boy that's been seeing you?"... and you haven't been seeing anybody? How do you convince someone that there's no one in the house when they're pointing saying "Who's that?" Even adjusting to simple things like brushing her teeth once she was no longer able to stand up created big challenges that I had to learn to help her overcome.
But all in all I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. My grandmother's declining condition taught me to be creative in overcoming physical challenges. Her hallucinations and loss of short-term memory taught me a lot about patience. Helping her take care of more and more personal needs as she lost the ability to do it herself taught me compassion on a very deep level. My grandmother was able to spend her last days in the home she loved, surrounded by family, even if she didn't always know we were there. And now we can all rest knowing that she's at home with the Savior she spent her life serving, and she's not sick or hurting any more.
It's going to be hard getting used to life without Moofy. Frankly, after seven months of my life revolving around someone else's needs, it's going to be hard getting used to just looking after my own business. But I'm happy knowing that I gave Moofy the best care I possibly could, and I'm thankful for everything that God has taught me through these experiences.
I made it through the last challenge God gave me, so now, while we're still in the first few days of the new year, I'm looking forward to whatever new challenges and adventures He might be ready to send my way!
Do any of you have big things you've learned in 2010 or big challenges you're undertaking in 2011? I'd love to hear about them!
I won't lie--it's been hard. Caring for an Alzheimer's patient has thrown challenges at me that I never expected and, frankly, had no idea how to deal with. What do you say when your grandmother asks you "Are you going to marry that boy that's been seeing you?"... and you haven't been seeing anybody? How do you convince someone that there's no one in the house when they're pointing saying "Who's that?" Even adjusting to simple things like brushing her teeth once she was no longer able to stand up created big challenges that I had to learn to help her overcome.
But all in all I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. My grandmother's declining condition taught me to be creative in overcoming physical challenges. Her hallucinations and loss of short-term memory taught me a lot about patience. Helping her take care of more and more personal needs as she lost the ability to do it herself taught me compassion on a very deep level. My grandmother was able to spend her last days in the home she loved, surrounded by family, even if she didn't always know we were there. And now we can all rest knowing that she's at home with the Savior she spent her life serving, and she's not sick or hurting any more.
It's going to be hard getting used to life without Moofy. Frankly, after seven months of my life revolving around someone else's needs, it's going to be hard getting used to just looking after my own business. But I'm happy knowing that I gave Moofy the best care I possibly could, and I'm thankful for everything that God has taught me through these experiences.
I made it through the last challenge God gave me, so now, while we're still in the first few days of the new year, I'm looking forward to whatever new challenges and adventures He might be ready to send my way!
Do any of you have big things you've learned in 2010 or big challenges you're undertaking in 2011? I'd love to hear about them!
December 21, 2010
Book Review: Epic
The Story God is TellingBy John Eldredge
The book begins with Sam Gamgee's quote, "I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?" From there Eldredge proceeds to remind us just exactly what kind of a tale it is that we humans have been born into. We have been born into a world at war, into the midst of an epic story of beauty and devastation, trust and betrayal, good and evil, love and sacrifice. People love sweeping, epic stories conveyed through movies and books, and it is because those stories echo the nature of the story we live in... the story we were created for.
Eldredge discusses the basic plot structure that every great tale more or less follows, and you may be surprised to realize that it is the exact structure of the story of our world.
While this book was intended as a resource for Christian living, I am also going to recommend it as a resource for Christian writing. "Every story we tell is out attempt to put into words and images what God has written there, on our hearts," Eldredge says in the book.
That kind of helps it all make sense, doesn't it? The reason that books like Lewis' The Last Battle or Tolkien's Return of the King can reduce us to tears, the reason heroes like Aragorn and sacrifices like Boromir's have so much power to move us... the reason we writers have this overpowering, unexplainable longing to write a tale of that caliber: a truly epic story that will move people the way these tales move us.
I suspect I'm not the only one who sometimes thinks "Is writing (fantasy, sci-fi, etc.) really what I should be doing with my life? Isn't there some way that I can serve God even more?"
But after reading this book, I don't think you'll wonder that any more. Yes, God may tell you at some point that your time as a writer is over and it is time to move on to something else that He has for you. But until then, just remember: it may be a fictional story you're telling, but dragons, sorcerers, warp drives and all, every epic tale is an echo of the true epic tale we're living in.
December 16, 2010
Let's be the change we want to see!
Writers, especially those of you just beginning your journeys, and especially those who have chosen to take your journey into the speculative realms of Christian fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, etc.), I'm sure you're painfully aware that the Christian publishing market doesn't seem to have much room for us these days.
I can't count the number of times I and one or more of my writing friends have lamented to each other that "No one seems to be publishing the kind of things we write!". It's true that the speculative genres, while growing slowly and by very small increments, are not exactly big in the Christian publishing industry right now. It's not the publishers' faults. What logical reason is there for them to spend money publishing something that only a tiny minority of people are reading?
Unfortunately, that problem is just the tip of the iceberg. In the midst of a national economic crisis, the publishing industry as a whole--Christian and secular--is facing tough times. Financial risks have gotten riskier, and no one wants to take them. Sadly, rookie writers and speculative genres are financial risks.
So what are we to do, up-and-coming writers of speculative fiction? Shall we hunker down and wait for the current crisis to blow over, hoping to emerge on the other side to find the industry more willing to gamble on us? Shall we commit that great literary sacrilege and change what we write to follow the market trends? I say: "Not on your life!"
Literary agent Rachelle Gardner has a great post up on her blog today, from guest blogger Marcus Brotherton. As well as being entertaining and humorous, his post is extremely encouraging and inspiring. Read it! He proposes that writers help the publishing industry they depend on by buying one hardback book a month in 2011. The figures he has come up with illustrating the impact this would have on the market are astounding.
But I would like to take his theory a little further than that. Writers of Christian Speculative fiction, let's take the initiative and be the change we want to see in the Christian publishing market. Let's be the ones waiting at the bookstore for the release of that new fantasy book; let's be the ones standing in line at that Christian sci-fi author's book signing; let's be the ones making speculative fiction and its authors not quite such a big risk for publishers.
It won't happen overnight, and our efforts alone won't turn the massive USS Christian Fiction around. But we can be the start, the leaders, the pebbles bouncing down the mountainside gathering speed and followers until--hopefully--they become a landslide.
What are your thoughts on the market for Christian speculative fiction and what we can do to influence it?
I can't count the number of times I and one or more of my writing friends have lamented to each other that "No one seems to be publishing the kind of things we write!". It's true that the speculative genres, while growing slowly and by very small increments, are not exactly big in the Christian publishing industry right now. It's not the publishers' faults. What logical reason is there for them to spend money publishing something that only a tiny minority of people are reading?
Unfortunately, that problem is just the tip of the iceberg. In the midst of a national economic crisis, the publishing industry as a whole--Christian and secular--is facing tough times. Financial risks have gotten riskier, and no one wants to take them. Sadly, rookie writers and speculative genres are financial risks.
So what are we to do, up-and-coming writers of speculative fiction? Shall we hunker down and wait for the current crisis to blow over, hoping to emerge on the other side to find the industry more willing to gamble on us? Shall we commit that great literary sacrilege and change what we write to follow the market trends? I say: "Not on your life!"
Literary agent Rachelle Gardner has a great post up on her blog today, from guest blogger Marcus Brotherton. As well as being entertaining and humorous, his post is extremely encouraging and inspiring. Read it! He proposes that writers help the publishing industry they depend on by buying one hardback book a month in 2011. The figures he has come up with illustrating the impact this would have on the market are astounding.
But I would like to take his theory a little further than that. Writers of Christian Speculative fiction, let's take the initiative and be the change we want to see in the Christian publishing market. Let's be the ones waiting at the bookstore for the release of that new fantasy book; let's be the ones standing in line at that Christian sci-fi author's book signing; let's be the ones making speculative fiction and its authors not quite such a big risk for publishers.
It won't happen overnight, and our efforts alone won't turn the massive USS Christian Fiction around. But we can be the start, the leaders, the pebbles bouncing down the mountainside gathering speed and followers until--hopefully--they become a landslide.
What are your thoughts on the market for Christian speculative fiction and what we can do to influence it?
December 14, 2010
Seeing Christ
I did not write this story. My pastor used it as an illustration in his sermon last Sunday; I do not know who the author is.
A great artist painted a picture of the Last Supper. When he was finished he called in a friend to look at it, and asked for his opinion. After gazing at the painting for a few minutes, the friend said "Those cups on the table are the most magnificent cups I have ever seen."
Much to the friend's surprise the artist picked up a brush and some paint and methodically painted over each cup, shaking his head and saying "I failed."
Dismayed, the friend asked the artist what he was doing. The artist replied "I wanted you to see Christ, but you saw the cups."
Writers, does your work show Christ to people? Do they read your writing and see God's grace, love, and sovereignty reflected in your poems, essays, even your fictional stories?
I would like to challenge you all to think about that when you pick up that pen or put your fingers on that keyboard--today, tomorrow... every day.
It's not about us. It's not about the stories. It's about Who the stories point to.
A great artist painted a picture of the Last Supper. When he was finished he called in a friend to look at it, and asked for his opinion. After gazing at the painting for a few minutes, the friend said "Those cups on the table are the most magnificent cups I have ever seen."
Much to the friend's surprise the artist picked up a brush and some paint and methodically painted over each cup, shaking his head and saying "I failed."
Dismayed, the friend asked the artist what he was doing. The artist replied "I wanted you to see Christ, but you saw the cups."
Writers, does your work show Christ to people? Do they read your writing and see God's grace, love, and sovereignty reflected in your poems, essays, even your fictional stories?
I would like to challenge you all to think about that when you pick up that pen or put your fingers on that keyboard--today, tomorrow... every day.
It's not about us. It's not about the stories. It's about Who the stories point to.
December 6, 2010
One of those days, and a 'Writer' moment
This weekend was a long one for me--I am a teacher and staff member of a student orchestra, and this weekend was our Christmas concert, so Friday was spent plowing through dress rehearsals, and Saturday was the big day! It went off really well, all things considered (practicing and performing in a strange church building we're not used to, and trying to explain the extremely complex dress code "Black and white" to three hundred kids). I also got to be in the alumni orchestra for the first time this year, so that was a big blessing and ton of fun for me! I didn't realize how much I've missed being in orchestra.
The 'Writer' moment came shortly after I dragged myself into the house at 8:30 Saturday night, cold, weary, and convinced that high-heeled dress shoes were originally invented as slow-onset torture devices. There was a letter in the mail for me... oddly, addressed in my own handwriting with no return address. (?) I quickly thought through everything I had submitted, sent away for, or requested during the last couple of months, but came up with nothing that matched this. I opened the envelope to find three of my poems that I had sent away to a magazine four years ago and had long since forgotten about, along with a polite little note thanking me for my submission, but regretting to inform me that they couldn't use it.
And no wonder! The poems that, four years ago, I considered fabulous were downright embarrassing to see printed up so professionally, a painful reminder that I had actually had the gall to submit them. The whole situation was too ridiculous for me to feel very badly about the rejection--after rereading those poems, I knew I deserved it! It was a good learning moment, though, a good reminder of the progress I've made during the last four years as a writer.
How about you? What is a recent Writer Moment you've had, and what have you learned from it?
The 'Writer' moment came shortly after I dragged myself into the house at 8:30 Saturday night, cold, weary, and convinced that high-heeled dress shoes were originally invented as slow-onset torture devices. There was a letter in the mail for me... oddly, addressed in my own handwriting with no return address. (?) I quickly thought through everything I had submitted, sent away for, or requested during the last couple of months, but came up with nothing that matched this. I opened the envelope to find three of my poems that I had sent away to a magazine four years ago and had long since forgotten about, along with a polite little note thanking me for my submission, but regretting to inform me that they couldn't use it.
And no wonder! The poems that, four years ago, I considered fabulous were downright embarrassing to see printed up so professionally, a painful reminder that I had actually had the gall to submit them. The whole situation was too ridiculous for me to feel very badly about the rejection--after rereading those poems, I knew I deserved it! It was a good learning moment, though, a good reminder of the progress I've made during the last four years as a writer.
How about you? What is a recent Writer Moment you've had, and what have you learned from it?
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