Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "sympathize"
Villains
Recently, I read R. Michael Phillips, Along Came A Fifer. In the story, Mr. Phillips created a villain who reminded me of Joan Collins from Dynasty and Larry Hagman from Dallas. I couldn't read the book fast enough, nor did I miss an episode of Dynasty and Dallas, because I couldn't wait to see what these evil characters were going to do next, which got me to thinking about these people and why we love to hate them.
There is no denying that Alexis Carrington Colby and JR Ewing were despicable people. They were cold-hearted, back-stabbing, egotistical snobs who wouldn't hesitate to pony up a member of their family if it meant the different between success and failure in one of their over-the-top deals. Very rarely, was their something likeable about either one, yet we faithfully tuned in to their wheeling-and-dealing every week.
Alexis was consistently at odds with her ex-husbands, her children and her current spouse. She married a man on his deathbed for the sole purpose of gaining control of his money and his company, kept secret a daughter from her first husband, and very rarely had a kind word for anyone she met. JR always duped sweet, loveable Bobby in one scheme or another. He nearly lost his mother's beloved home and he constantly cheated on his wife. It seems the more outrageous the plot these two were involved with, the more we couldn't turn away from our television sets. Or talk about them the next day with co-workers, family and friends. Translation: the writers did an awesome evoking public emotion for these two characters. But how did they do it?
Just like developing a likeable hero and heroine, a writer must develop something good about the villain; something that tugs at the audience's heartstrings as to why this person is so miserable and selfish. Alexis might have been at odds with her children, but she was also quick to come to their defense, help them with a problem and lend emotional support when a love life lay in ruin. What female, especially one who is a mom, can resist that little tug of the heart when watching another mom grieve with and care for her child?
And who could forget the depth of pain JR suffered when Bobby was killed off for a season? Larry Hagman brought some powerful scenes of grief to the tv screen. He treated us to a JR's vulnerable side, and we couldn't help but mourn right alongside of him. We caught a rare glimpse inside his soul and learned how much he really did love and respect his brother. The same held true for the heartfelt scenes where he interacted with his son, mother and father.
We all love to watch, or read about, a villain's evil prowess; the plotting, the cheating, the swindling, the lying, and the affairs. It's what makes them interesting and a fun escape from the hum-drum of our own lives. But what makes a good villain a great villain is his emotional side, his weaknesses and his fears. Without them, we can't identify with this person, feel sorry for him and maybe even like him. He becomes someone we don't care about, not to even to see him meet with sweet justice in the end. So when creating your villain, make him or her as real as possible. Give him weakness, vulnerability and a good reason for your readers to sympathize with the things he does. Make him believable and folks just may talk about your book around the water cooler one day.
And btw, my favorite villain was Abby Ewing on Knots Landing.
There is no denying that Alexis Carrington Colby and JR Ewing were despicable people. They were cold-hearted, back-stabbing, egotistical snobs who wouldn't hesitate to pony up a member of their family if it meant the different between success and failure in one of their over-the-top deals. Very rarely, was their something likeable about either one, yet we faithfully tuned in to their wheeling-and-dealing every week.
Alexis was consistently at odds with her ex-husbands, her children and her current spouse. She married a man on his deathbed for the sole purpose of gaining control of his money and his company, kept secret a daughter from her first husband, and very rarely had a kind word for anyone she met. JR always duped sweet, loveable Bobby in one scheme or another. He nearly lost his mother's beloved home and he constantly cheated on his wife. It seems the more outrageous the plot these two were involved with, the more we couldn't turn away from our television sets. Or talk about them the next day with co-workers, family and friends. Translation: the writers did an awesome evoking public emotion for these two characters. But how did they do it?
Just like developing a likeable hero and heroine, a writer must develop something good about the villain; something that tugs at the audience's heartstrings as to why this person is so miserable and selfish. Alexis might have been at odds with her children, but she was also quick to come to their defense, help them with a problem and lend emotional support when a love life lay in ruin. What female, especially one who is a mom, can resist that little tug of the heart when watching another mom grieve with and care for her child?
And who could forget the depth of pain JR suffered when Bobby was killed off for a season? Larry Hagman brought some powerful scenes of grief to the tv screen. He treated us to a JR's vulnerable side, and we couldn't help but mourn right alongside of him. We caught a rare glimpse inside his soul and learned how much he really did love and respect his brother. The same held true for the heartfelt scenes where he interacted with his son, mother and father.
We all love to watch, or read about, a villain's evil prowess; the plotting, the cheating, the swindling, the lying, and the affairs. It's what makes them interesting and a fun escape from the hum-drum of our own lives. But what makes a good villain a great villain is his emotional side, his weaknesses and his fears. Without them, we can't identify with this person, feel sorry for him and maybe even like him. He becomes someone we don't care about, not to even to see him meet with sweet justice in the end. So when creating your villain, make him or her as real as possible. Give him weakness, vulnerability and a good reason for your readers to sympathize with the things he does. Make him believable and folks just may talk about your book around the water cooler one day.
And btw, my favorite villain was Abby Ewing on Knots Landing.
