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writers_loftVillains: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The villain is a very important character or force and can make or break a good story. What makes a good villain and what just doesn't work for you?
1. What makes a villain villainous?
2. As a writer, how would you show your villain is villainous? (Try to think beyond the typical and easy nutbar, rapist and or child molester).
3. What do think makes an interesting and believable villain and what are the things you like best in a villain?
4. What do you think makes a lame/crummy villain, what things drive you crazy in a villain and what are some of your most hated stereotype villain characteristics?
5. Why are so many villains surrounded by stupid henchmen/women? How can a villain operate successfully with stupid Henchmen/women?
6. Who are your favorite villains? What did you like about them?
7. Who are some of your least favorite villains? Why do they not work for you?
The villain is a very important character or force and can make or break a good story. What makes a good villain and what just doesn't work for you?
1. What makes a villain villainous?
2. As a writer, how would you show your villain is villainous? (Try to think beyond the typical and easy nutbar, rapist and or child molester).
3. What do think makes an interesting and believable villain and what are the things you like best in a villain?
4. What do you think makes a lame/crummy villain, what things drive you crazy in a villain and what are some of your most hated stereotype villain characteristics?
5. Why are so many villains surrounded by stupid henchmen/women? How can a villain operate successfully with stupid Henchmen/women?
6. Who are your favorite villains? What did you like about them?
7. Who are some of your least favorite villains? Why do they not work for you?
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Date: 2008-03-28 06:43 pm (UTC)my answer(s):
Evil occurs when a person decides to believe they are justified in hurting humans, animals, their world, etc., in order to satisfy their desires, achieve their goals, etc.
It makes the villain more believable when you show the reader how very much they want to be rich/famous/King/Queen/the greatest scientist ever, etc., and the bad things they will do to get there, --which they themselves believe are justified and balanced by the "greater good" that will occur when they are in charge, etc.
Question #4
my answer:
Lame villains, in my opinion, are ones that the author never gives us a chance to sympathize with. If the author can't show how the feelings of the villain drive them to do bad things, and consequently show us how we might be evil ourselves if we ever let our goals seem more important to us than the lives and feelings of others, the villain accumulates lameness points.
Beyond that, I don't really have any most hated characteristics, other than plain bad writing.
Q&A #5: It follows that only very misguided people would follow a villain. Maybe not stupid, but limited in compassion, awareness, or focus. Villains use them anyway because to the villain, any other person is a limited tool, only useful for a limited set of circumstances.
I don't really have any thoughts on 6 or 7 today. I've blathered on too long anyway.