When my kids were little, they loved watching the Disney Pixar film The Incredibles. During this film there is a scene where the villain, Syndrome, defeats Mr. Incredible with his terrible machine and then when he’s telling Mr. Incredible about his evil plans Incredible throws a log at him. Syndrome dodges it, traps Mr. Incredible inContinue reading “3 Ways to Keep Your Villain from Monologuing”
Tag Archives: villains
Why Should Readers Care About Your Protagonist?
My current WIP has sent me through several psychological states: first elation, then dread, then depression, then elation again, and then probably bi-polar disorder. I spent nearly 6 months designing five separate solar systems complete with flora and fauna, alien races, cultures, history, and tons of other things that probably would bore you to death.Continue reading “Why Should Readers Care About Your Protagonist?”
New Podcast Up: Villains and Walking Dead Spoilers
On this episode we discuss villains. What makes a great villain? What are the ingredients for excellent and engaging villains that readers will love to hate and love to somehow empathize with? We also discuss the AMC debacle with the Season 5 mid-season finale goof where AMC actually spoiled their own program for West CoastContinue reading “New Podcast Up: Villains and Walking Dead Spoilers”
New Podcast Up: Killin’ Like…A Villain
In this episode, we discuss the strange trope of killing a villain off midway through a novel. What are the consequences of such a daring act as a writer and what might our readers think if we do such a thing? Do we really need a “villain” anyway? Roger talks about Natasha Wittman’s new bookContinue reading “New Podcast Up: Killin’ Like…A Villain”
New Podcast Up: Villains and Characterization
In this week’s podcast Ryan McKinley and I discuss our favorite villains in fiction and in pop culture and also what makes a great villain. What must a writer do to create interesting, powerful villains? Find out in this episode!
Hubris: How to Write Great Villains Into Your Novel
Why do my students love the Joker so much? The guy has absolutely no redeeming qualities. He is completely mad, is an agent of chaos, loves to torture the innocent, has brought Gotham City to its knees on countless occasions, yet all the kids seem to love him. It is because he has what theContinue reading “Hubris: How to Write Great Villains Into Your Novel”
Writing Is Hard Work 