Flawed or Evil Characters in Your Story--.What Part Do They Play? By Connie Vines #RR 102, #WritingTips, #Amazon Bestselling Author,

Connie's Tuesday Kitchen: Potato and ... November is Electric With Writing Ene...

Flawed or Evil Characters in Your Story--.What Part Do They Play? By Connie Vines #RR 102, #WritingTips, #Amazon Bestselling Author,

Nov 20, 2021 -- Describe a flawed or evil character you have or might use in a story.

How did they become so flawed? What part will they play in the story, and what will happen to them?

Thank you, Rhobin, for this month's topic.

I find that to utilize the true impact of a flawed or evil character on a storyline, an author must have plotted either a series or a novel comprised of 80,000 words or more.

I would be inclined to choose a series if I was writing a contemporary or YA historical novel. I'm undecided on attempting a historical fiction comprised of 80,000 words plus.

Of course, I'd need to ensemble a multidimensional cast in my fictional drama series. Starring a patriarch/ matriarch of a powerful, complicated family.

A generational homesteader/ rancher/ business owner/ and devoted father/mother (or controlling). Rags to riches could be the start of the story or backstory. However, poverty needs to be skimmed over, and the family must also be powerful. The hero can't be corrupt, but he can walk the line only killing/harming if 'forced' or has no other choice.

Perhaps he/she operates in a corrupt world where politicians are compromised by influential oil and lumber corporations, and land grabs make developers billions.

Plot twists are rampant: shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect; add constant conflict with those it borders -- an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and whatever else might cause another layer of trouble.

Everyone has flaws or a blind spot that can lead a person down the wrong path.

Examples in my own stories?

All of my novels have flawed characters. Sometimes it's the hero/heroine; other times not. Disclosure will compromise my storyline or create a spoiler alert.

Cowboys Make Great Complicated/Flawed Heroes