tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post140119116094929681..comments2023-07-18T04:32:44.951-04:00Comments on The Thrill Begins: CREATING A WORTHY ANTAGONISTCathyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04671747592743029540noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-49579533120269477492011-11-18T10:28:43.554-05:002011-11-18T10:28:43.554-05:00This is a great article. Thank you for sharing.
Is...This is a great article. Thank you for sharing.<br />Isabella<br />http://bookgardenreviews.blogspot.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-36177107992407904262011-11-11T21:15:40.493-05:002011-11-11T21:15:40.493-05:00Thanks Miranda!Thanks Miranda!P.I. Barringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05225260434926598041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-1081009807865356222011-11-11T18:10:32.902-05:002011-11-11T18:10:32.902-05:00lol P.I.
This discussion is interesting. What do...lol P.I. <br /><br />This discussion is interesting. What do readers want in a villain? How sympathetic do we make them? <br /><br />Thanks for sharing your books with us. Will check it out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02577552858891249213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-40968554512136620232011-11-10T14:20:43.778-05:002011-11-10T14:20:43.778-05:00I thought all my villains had a back story in my n...I thought all my villains had a back story in my novels, but thinking back over Future Imperfect, only the first villain in the first book, Crucifying Angel, was given a back story. I had an uber villain throughout the trilogy who was never given a real back story either and one villain through books one and two who was the literal catalyst for the plot lines but had virtually NO back story! But their personalities did a lot of the work in making them bad dudes so somehow it worked. (I'm surprising myself here, lol!) Personally, I like a villain with a back story otherwise they'd be a cardboard box. They engage your reader just as much as the hero/heroine!P.I. Barringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05225260434926598041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-57088885463796743292011-11-10T12:50:57.732-05:002011-11-10T12:50:57.732-05:00Thanks, Miranda, for your comments. I think, depen...Thanks, Miranda, for your comments. I think, depending on the novel,either approach, backstory or no, can be very effective and satisfying to the reader.<br /><br />- Jodie RennerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-82294455055078995322011-11-10T10:45:48.951-05:002011-11-10T10:45:48.951-05:00Right, Jenny.
I think it depends on what's b...Right, Jenny. <br /><br />I think it depends on what's best for the story. I watched this movie, "The Last House on the Left." It was frightening, more so for me, because the villains were sociopaths. The leader of those horrible people obviously had a malignant personality. He was drugged out. Full of rage. Horrible!! Although I don't condone murder by the time the movie turned in the owners of that house's favor I wanted them to kill them badly. I didn't care about the villain's backstory. I didn't care why they were batty out of their mind. I wanted them dead. lol. <br /><br />However, one of my favorite novels is Tosca Lee's Demon: A memoir. It's the story of a demon who shares his story with a struggling editor of a publishing house. Although empathy for the demon, I understood why they hated humans and wanted God's attention. <br /><br />For my novel I gave my character a backstory. I know I have women readers, especially mothers. We tend to want to know why they act they way they act. We want to find some kind of saving grace for people who do bad things. But in my second novel that releases next July I have both a villain with a backstory and someone who is evil for evil sake and that scares me in a good way. <br /><br />thanks Jodie for this post. there is a lot here to talk about and think about.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02577552858891249213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-12963266439886277682011-11-10T10:22:45.807-05:002011-11-10T10:22:45.807-05:00Thanks, Jenny. I'm away right now on a Caribbe...Thanks, Jenny. I'm away right now on a Caribbean cruise with limited internet access, but will definitely try to check back later.<br /><br />JodieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011399615565681742.post-30492772562518626362011-11-10T08:41:15.123-05:002011-11-10T08:41:15.123-05:00Great food for thought, Jodie. I think the answer ...Great food for thought, Jodie. I think the answer comes straight from reality--in real life people have self-justifications, and they believe in them. Pure evil doesn't exist in the sense of the person's own self-perception. And those layers need to be in our story for it to have the most resonance.<br /><br />Although having someone shot down by the end whom to *us* registers as just plain bad is a whole lot of fun!Jenny Milchmanhttp://suspenseyourdisbelief.comnoreply@blogger.com