I am an Independent Author of middle
grade sci-fi. When I was conjuring my villain, I couldn’t help but draw from
the movies, books and characters I already loved.
The first draft of my MS was actually
about 70,000 words, and for middle grade that is considered long. I had a manuscript service that suggested I
had included a great deal about the villain, more so than the protagonist.
You see, I had dreamed up an entire
world that this villain inhabited, with fairly intricate details, but I had
made the mistake of including all of his backstory. I was on the right track
though, because although I cut 20,000 words before publication, I had a
convincing villain with a bio that I stayed true to.
So true that I have had quite a few
readers express how much they loved Alexander222.
Oh dear, I should be shaking my head you
might be thinking, but actually, that’s how I wanted it to be…. You’ll see why.
So let’s take a look at how to craft a convincing villain.
What is the
function of a villain?
- Drive your plot forward.
- Create a problem / tension
- Up the stakes.
- Reveal a universal truth. ie Good and Evil.
Let’s Start
With Some Inspiration:
Where do we draw from?
- Multimedia: TV, movies, YouTube, games
- Books
- People you know
- Universal Themes: ie Good v Evil
- Concepts: ie Corporate corruption
Let’s look
at some:
Let’s look
at some examples from Children’s literature.
- “The
Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman: Page 3-5The Man Jack is upfront on the first
page, there is no doubt about who this villain is.
- “The
Wishbird” by Gabrielle Wang: Page 23-25Panther bullies Boy into stealing from
the Demon Monster’s House. He we have two villains revealed in one
conversation.
- “Spiderwick Chronicles” By Toni Diterlizzi;
Holly Black Page 373-5
Mulgareth is alluded to throughout the
book, until Jared finally meets the hideous creature about half way through.
- “May Bird and The Ever After” Jodi Lynn
Anderson Page 82-83. Page 95-98
Bo Cleevil is alluded to throughout the
book. Few have seen him, but everyone has a story about him.
Alexander
Gordon Smith says: from his book “Writing
Best Selling Children’s Books”
“A common pitfall for the new author is
not matching villain to hero. He suggests try giving your villain the same
personality but twists it.”
He also suggests that we get into the
mind of our villain.
Get in the
mind of your villain
In J.K Rowling’s
“The Prisoner Of Azkaban,” Harry confides in Sirius that he is
terrified that he will become like Voldemort. Sirius responds that we all have
darkness and light.
Start with a
mission statement
Practice first on a few all-time, down-right dirty villains: Write a mission statement for him or her: just a couple of lines. Here are some examples, or how about you try
writing one for your own villain.
- Darth Vader
- Ursula The Sea Witch
- Voldemort
- The Wicked Witch from Snow White
- Bowler hat guy
- Cruella Deville
- Muntz from Up
Refer Back
To Your Mission Statement
So now you have your mission
statement: If you are wondering how your
villain is going to behave and speak, keep referencing your mission statement:
- Would my villain stop for directions and
pay for gas? NO
- Would my villain take what is not
rightfully his/hers? YES
- Would my villain stand around and gloat
about his plan, before it has succeeded? YES
- Does my villain have a sense of humour?
YES/NO This may impact at some point, so decide now.
A little
Note To Beware:
Remember, villains who like to announce what they are going to do, can sometimes appear like you are telling not
showing.
If you are going to have a villain tell
your protagonist his/her plan, make sure the dialogue flows, so it appears like
the protagonist really wanted to know why, how and when.
Try not to be too Scooby Doo-like. “And
I would have gotten away with it, if wasn’t for those pesky kids.”
Hang on just
a second:
Before you get starting on the evil
exploits your villain is going to perpetrate:
- Decide how transparent or translucent
you are going to make them.
- Does the reader know from the get go
that they are the baddie?
- Will you reveal their identity slowly over
time, leaving the reader guessing?
Create a Bio
for them:
- What events happened to them to change
them or bring them to a place of evil?
- What's their motivation?
- Think about their actions and describe
what they do as the villain.
Try not to
drive the reader’s insane
- Having a villain wax lyrically out loud or
in thought, will definitely convince your readers that the villain is bonkers,
but it will also drive your reader bonkers.
- Keep it to a minimum, and find ways to
dialogue or show instead through actions.
Consider adding
a sidekick
Just as our hero can have sidekicks or
supporting characters, so can our villain:
The aim of the side kick is to help
reveal the villains character and motivations.
Do this in dialogue.
Do this in action: ie How the villain
treats the side kick, gives us a great deal of insight into his character.
Don’t Box
Yourself In
When conjuring a side kick, they don’t have to be the traditional Batman/Robin.
A side kick can also be a collection of incidental
characters:
Note: Be careful not to introduce too many, as kids will lose the plot completely as to who is who.
Gru is a
great example
From Despicable me: Gru is kind of a
mish mash of good and evil and as a result, he has sidekicks that actually
demonstrate the polar opposites of his character.
The girls he adopts help to show his
warm and soft-hearted side.
The minions do his bidding, provide
loads of comedy and help to further the plot of the evil genius.
And the old guy that does his
inventions, helps to validate him as a criminal and spur him on.
Use your
sidekick to reveal your villains character
- Through
dialogue and how they speak to them: ie Condescending,
giving orders
- Through physical interactions ie How they treat them?
- What does the villain make the side kick do?
- How loyal or disloyal they are to their sidekick?
OOPS! How
serious are we?
According to Alexander Gordon Smith, “If you want readers cowering under the doona,” then comedy is not indicated.
Remember: Refer to your mission statement: Does your villain have a
sense of humour.
If you are willing to let the readers route for the villain just a
little….Pop in some comedic
moments.
NO VILLIAIN
IS AN ISLAND
What THE?
If
your villain is completely and utterly bullet and fool proof, what hope does
your protagonist have of defeating them.
They
must have some flaws, which the protagonist can use to outsmart, outwit, or out
perform.
Leave a
little room for….
REDEMPTION: Think of the great villains that weren't as
bad as you thought: Shout them out to me
Let’s look at an all time classic:
Remember:
Villain’s come in all walks
- They don't have to be just super natural
beings with limitless power.
- Think of the people you disliked as a
kid, your teachers, your class bully's, the other kids, your older siblings.
- Always bring it back to their mission
statement.
- Would they do this to achieve their
goals?
Time to
check in on our villain:
- Appropriate for age range?
- Absolutely no sexuality.
- Are all their actions in keeping with
the rating of your book?
- Avoid excess violence.
Beta readers
are key:
In my first book, my 10 year old beta reader pointed out the level of
violence. She suggested the 9 year olds might not cope with it…LOL!!!!
Put on the
parent glasses:
- Do I want my child to read retaliation with weapons as standard?
- Is there another way to portray this without bullet weapons?
- In my books, I decided on stun guns that could revert to bullet weapons.
The only time a bullet is fired, is accidental.
Don’t forget
the protagonist:
If
your villain’s actions are so heinous
that they require, blatant retaliation and use of weapons by children:
You
are not writing for children.
If
your child protagonists have no empathy at all for the villain, when he/she is
at their lowest, and they retaliate with equally heinous actions like murder:
I suggest you rethink the amount of violence included in your book.
Some folks
can get away with it:
H---ger G--es
What would
J.K Rowling say?
In her interview with Oprah, she
mentioned a communication she had with her editor after certain worldwide
event.
“And they say we shouldn’t write
about evil in children’s books.”
One last
thing before we go:
You are the creator of this world that
you have been dwelling in.
You can change your mind on your villain if you like:
Just remember, there is no going back
once you do.
There has to be an entire plot and
justification behind it.
Sometimes
Cliché’s work
As clichéd as it is, villains are often
forced into action by terrible circumstances.
Alexander Gordon Smith says,
“Nothing turns a plotline on its head
and wakes the reader up like a villain who simply had to do what he did.”
“The better the
villain, the better the hero.”
Keep Moving Forward
In all things, here is my parting advice…
http://youtu.be/TNXr5Alytg4
References
- Smith, Alexander Gordan. Writing Best Selling Children’s Books: 52
Brilliant Ideas For Inspiring Young Readers. Oxford UK Infinite Ideas Company
Ltd. 2007. Print
- Buccieri, Lisa Rojany, Economy, Peter. Writing Children’s Books For
Dummies. Hoboken NJ Wiley Publishing Inc. 2005. Print
- McDougal, Jill. Become A Children’s Writer, Insider Secrets. 2008 Kindle Edition.
- Rowling. JK. The Prisoner Of Azkaban London Uk Bloomsbury.1999. Print
- Anderson, Jodi Lynn. May Bird And The Ever After. New York. Aladdin
Paperbacks. 2005. Print
- Anderson, Jodi Lynn. May Bird Among The Stars. New York. Aladdin
Paperbacks. 2006. Print
- Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. London. Bloomsbury. 2009. Print
- Wang, Gabrielle. The Wishbird. Australia. Puffin Books. 2013. Print
- Diterlizzi, Tony, Black, Holly. The Spiderwick Chronicles. The
completely fantastical edition. New York. Simon & Shuster. 2009. Hard
Cover.
- Oprah Interview with J.K. Rowling http://youtu.be/Uv1O6JJMC5o
Julie Anne Grasso is an Australian independently published author with a background in pediatric nursing. She spent many years literally wrapping children in cotton wool. Every day she witnessed great courage and resilience from the tiny people she cared for, which inspired her to write stories about a little girl elf just like them. The Adventures of Caramel Cardamom Trilogy was the result.
Where to find me:
