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I agree with Hope. Good villains aren’t just villains with lots of soft spots, humor, tough pasts, or good intentions. Good villains have to be absolutely evil. Using my good buddy Kylo Ren again, he killed the jedi, killed his dad, was fine with the first order completely obliterating ten planets and everyone on them, had fits of rage, and tried to kill the two heroes.
Dreamlander is another good example. The villain’s only goal was to return home, to be among his people, and to be their hero. In order to do that, however, he shamelessly did the one thing that would set his entire world on the road to absolute obliteration.
It’s vital for the reader to sympathize with the villain, but the villain should also seem a helpless case. Kylo Ren’s attraction to the light side worked because of how evil he was, but if he gave into that attraction in even one case, his role would need to change. He couldn’t be a villain anymore. It’s important for the reader to fear the villain too. You can’t have that if the villain is always falling for compassion and things of the like.
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@dragon-snapper – Yes along with all my metal thingys in my pockets I usually have paper and a pen and pencil. I don’t carry notebooks in my pocket because they get bent. You carry a saddlebag around? I carry a backpack to basically everywhere, even church, but it’s so cool! @corissa-maiden-of-praise has the same one I do, and instead of things like chapstick, tissues, hair stuff and things like that I carry pliers, band-aids, screwdrivers, knives, and wire. For a while I was carrying a hammer in my bag!
I tried to write a modern-times story once. It’s still half-way done, sitting in a box under my bed.
@the-bean – You HAVE to read it! It is sooooo amazing! I never have to worry about spending the time I should be writing on the internet because since I only have internet at the library on Mondays and at my grandparents house *(like now) and I never write at those places because my laptop is busted so I can’t take it with me.
@sleepwalkingmk – Actually a lot of inspiration I get comes from @hope ‘s pinterest page. I’ve actually taken all of her ‘writing prompts’ and said I was going to write a short story based off of all of them. I have 3 done so far, all first person. But… they’re on the afore mentioned crashed laptop so I can’t continue.
@hope – I don’t really have that much costumes. I have the makings of a gypsy costume cause I have a bright red skirt, crazy shirt, and lots of fancy scarves, though I’ve never actually tried it out. I also have a colonial type dress, you know, with the big v in the neck and the criss-crossing threads. It’s actually for a play at our church we’re working on. I hoped to find a cloak or cape after Halloween at Goodwill or something because I am dying for one. @corissa-maiden-of-praise has one. And I could do a modern day assassin archer or something with blackpants, shirt, jacket, and my brother has a cool looking modern bow. (But it hurts like the dickens to draw it; it’s tough)So this is a question for you all. Which person (if that’s the right terminology) do you most write in, or like to write in the most. I used to write all third person, but then I wrote my novella Dawn in first person. I love it, and now, whenever I get a story idea, I immediately start planning it to be written in first person. @Daeus @hope @corissa-maiden-of-praise @dragon-snapper @writefury @Bluejay @kate-flournoy @emma-flournoy @the-bean @sleepwalkingmk @ehtryndal @his-instrument @winter-rose @sarah-h @Mark-Kamibaya @anne-swiftblade
ENFP - "One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."
@ethryndal. Blerp.
ENFP - "One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."
Yes to the villain things, @Hope @Daeus. Also the Kylo Ren example is a little more drastic than we usually deal with— after all, we’re usually dealing with humans, not jedi, and humans can have compassion without completely ruining their reputation as a bad guy because compassion is just compassion, not ‘the light side’. But good example just the same.
@Anne-of-Lothlorien third person. Always. I love the freedom of range and exploration it gives me to be able to hop from one character to the next.
@Hope I don’t know if I have any costumes, actually… I have this really cool staff my brother made me with leaves and vines burned on it, though. 😀 And a black cloak that I made for the purpose of playing ‘spies’ at night with my siblings.@hope @Daeus – Yes, I agree with the villain things you said. I always like the point that villains aren’t born with an insatiable desire for world-dominance. Something has to instigate it. Besides being born with sin-nature like everyone else, we don’t really have villains from the cradle.
@kate-flournoy – I do like being able to hop from people to people and I did do Fourth Rule that way. Can someone explain more in depth what 2nd person writing is like? Has anyone ever done that? @Daeus @hope @corissa-maiden-of-praise @sarah-h @winter-rose @the-bean @dragon-snapper @writefury @kate-flournoy @emma-flournoyI’m leaving now. Bye.
ENFP - "One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."
First and third person usually. It seemed to be the best for the two stories I’m writing. @anne-of-lothlorien
@anne-of-lothlorien I write in both first and third person. I love them both. Some stories fit first person and some third person. Then there is Scarlet Rose where I flip between first person, present tense, and third person past tense. It works really well. 🙂
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
I agree. That does work well @hope.
@kate-flournoy I guess that’s true. The Hans scene still works though, because the whole thing was how much compassion Ben felt for him, but he still killed him anyways. I guess that’s how I should have phrased my point. Make the villains feel their consciences very strongly and then go out and deny them.
@anne-of-lothlorien Second person is “you”. An example of third person writing would be, “You get tired of all the bickering and decide to go next door to the coffee shop.You don’t like coffee but you do like coffee shops. This particular shop has that mahogany feel, with impressionist paintings of soft swirling colors. A man meets you as he is leaving and comments on the weather. He has a smile much like your grandfather’s that makes you sociable. You respond with comments about the how you like the new park down on Westland avenue. The man leaves and you feel a sudden warmth in your chest. You feel the urge to explore as if this coffee shop is not a coffee shop, but an old castle with dusty armor and trap doors and crowns. You walk up to the girl at the counter with a brisk pace, only to realize that she will probably expect you to say something. You don’t, and instead pretend your purpose in coming to the counter was to examine a ceramic figurine of one of those little chubby angels like you saw on those paintings in the museum.”I’ve heard that novels have been written in second person, but they are extremely extremely rare. After writing that little example though, I think they seem pretty cool. I might just have to write one some day.
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@Daeus yes, that’s better. Great point. Did I mention I love Kylo Ren? 😀
@Anne-of-Lothlorien I don’t think I have any lung problems…but thanks, I’ll try not to get bronchitis. 😛 Oh, and that is SO CUTE about your two year old brother!! And yes, I’ve been following Blank Mastermind since the fourth installment. 😀 For awhile.
Did you see the BM topic @Writefury started?
I generally like reading third person best, but the first person narration in BM is great. I never understood what second person is. 🙁
@Dragon-Snapper Hm, I never thought of the water pressure being a problem; I always feel wonderfully light in the water.Everything all of you said about villains=YES. 😀
Oh @Daeus that example is second person writing? Okay, that makes sense now. How convenient. 😀
What? That’s crazy, Kate. Can’t believe it.
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Ha. Ha. Ha.
@daeus @kate-flournoy Huh. That sounds like such a good idea. I’m gonna try that tomorrow. 🙂
@kate-flournoy Yes! I think of many things in my own life as a story. I base characters off of my family members without realizing it, include pieces of dialog from our conversations. I’m gonna have to start carrying a notebook more often, though. I always have one in my backpack/purse, but I only go to certain places with those. Haha. I should seriously try that sometime. 😀 I like to observe people in cars for ideas about characters, but they *usually* don’t notice I’m watching them. I’m a ninja 😉
@anne-of-lothlorien I’m 14, too 😀 Haha. Oh my goodness. I only write about fantasy, too. I mean, most of it is portal fantasy, but there are barely any scenes in my stories in the real world. I know I do have a lot of world experiences, but I can’t seem to write anything on earth realistically. 😛
I write more human villains. The one I’m working on right now is actually very similar to my main character (a fact that, when my MC realizes it, helps her change). I love writing relatable villains, because everyone has human feelings (unless, maybe, the villain is insane)
@dragon-snapper Oh, yes. I totally agree. If that annoying selfish character is going to change, it has to be believable. I’ve seen too many rushed/fake redemptions in movies, especially Christian ones.
Oh, cool. Then kind of spontaneous ideas. That describes me, too 🙂
@hope Exactly! My MC and villain are very similar (they both ruthlessly want revenge for something the other has done), but the MC eventually realizes that forgiveness is better.
I have a camouflage wooden dagger that my brother and dad made for me (that makes it twice as special :), a Prince Caspian costume for when I’m feeling medieval, the wiseman and King Herod costumes my mom made for a Christmas play, various tunics (not technically mine though), and some assorted materials like skirts and shawls. My preferred costume, though, is a fuzzy blanket tunic/cape. It looks ridiculous, but I don’t care 😛
@anne-of-lothlorien I started reading Blank Mastermind, but I took a break to get on here 😀
I like writing in 3rd person limited best, but I don’t like to head-hop. I also love 1st person. I’m trying it out in one of my WIPs. 🙂 I’ve never written in 2nd person, but it seems to be interacting with the reader. I’ve never read a novel that was in 2nd person, but sometimes writers switch into it by accident. Some books I’ve read that are in 2nd person are about a historical time period where you’re the main character (I can’t remember the name of the series). So you start on page 1, and it gives a little exposition. Then you have to choose what to do. If you choose choice A, you flip to the page it tells you to go to and see what happens; if you choose choice B you flip to another page, etc. I hope that wasn’t confusing 😛Read to explore worlds, write to create them.
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