Let's talk villains and heroes

cj Sez: Let’s talk about how to write a “real” villain. Theantagonist, like the protagonist, needs a yen and a yang to be a whole person—i.e.,a personality where seemingly opposite forces may be complementary, where,together, the dual personalities make the whole.

The yin yang symbol is often referred to as "taijitu"
 —a Chinese symbol that represents the interconnection of two opposites.
  Captivating stories requirethat both protagonist and antagonist need some kind of flaw to make thecharacters interesting. Perhaps the villain’s flaw is that s/he is notthoroughly evil but hides some spark of sympathetic “good” inside. Maybe s/hesends money to an animal rescue shelter because of the memory of a cherished childhoodpet. Or the antagonist supports an invalid mother with the money earned fromdoing evil deeds. 
  Like theprotagonist, the antagonist needs motivation, a goal, and some psychologicalreason for that motivation. A perfect villain is the same thing as a perfecthero, a cartoon of a character. You have to ask the same questions of theantagonist that you do of the protagonist; the questions that lead to the plotand theme: What does s/he want, why, and what will s/he do to reach the goal?
  Maybe s/he wants todo something as benign as to cause a little family ruckus in order to getattention. Or maybe s/he wants to kill someone. But why? The answer to that iswhat helps to give the character dimension as s/he pushes toward their goal.
  Depending on howinvolved they are in the story, it follows that tertiary characters require a bit of similardevelopment.
  Authors really have toknow their characters. I write little bios for all my characters, including thevillain. When I’ve created their background worlds, I know what makes themtick, how they will react, and what they will say in the situation I create.Their backgrounds are never inserted as an info dump, though pieces and bitsmay surface during their dialogues. Knowing my characters inside and out alsohelps me develop deep point of view scenes.
  As readers, what doyou expect from the characters? As writers, how do you get to know yourcharacters?
§§
  In last week’s post, LP wrote aboutauthor brands. Mobile author Carrie Dalby has such a signature brand. She writesSouthern Gothic stories, incorporating the historic architecture of Mobile,Alabama, in her settings. Her latest effort is ALLIANCE: WASHINGTON SQUARESECRETS 2, which launches on Tuesday, December 5…it’s available for pre-orderthrough your favorite bookstore/app.
  Carrie says: “ALLIANCE isa fast-paced paranormal Southern Gothic as opposed to the slower pace of myfamily sagas. There is a new cast of diverse characters, as well as a fewfamiliar faces and locations. I hope you'll find time during this holidayseason to read. The main section of the book is set December 1912-January1913 with Christmas and New Year's scenes.”
§§
  A book signing is inyour future should you choose to stop by The Haunted Book Shop on Dec. 8, from 6p.m.to 8 p.m. during Mobile’s LoDa Art Walk. Local authors, Rebecca Barrett andCarrie Dalby are being featured, so if you’re in the Mobile, AL, area, you arecordially invited to stop by and say “hey!”
§§
  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on,and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.cj
Now some words from my sponsors:
  Christmas is THE gift-giving holiday of the year, and booksare always great suggestions for gifts—they don’t require daily watering, they’renot fattening, and they are very easy to wrap, even two or three at a time. 
  Ihave stories in several anthologies with Christmas as the theme. Here are twoto put on your shopping list:
Christmas Through aChild’s Eyes   This anthology has70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmasmemories. 
  Written under mymaiden name of Marilyn Olsein, my short story is titled “Dancing with Daddy,”and relates how, after a major upheaval in our lives, six-year-old mereconnected with the Swedish father I could no longer understand.  The anthology is free on Kindle.  Buy Now   
§§

FINALLY HOME brings you eight Christmas stories all aboutour four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, tosad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings. 
  Myshort story, "Puppy Love," is included.
  BuyButton:: 



* Price IncreaseAlert:  My novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA will be going up in priceon Jan 1, 2024. Right now, they are priced at only $2.99.
  The novels arefast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with sassy banter and a smidgen ofromance. The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer andbookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Little note: AngelaTrigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has afew signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

  If she happens to be sold out, shoot me anemail. I have a small stash (with a discounted price plus shipping). ➜ Follow me on . . .  
➜ Amazon:    AmazonCentral Author Page
➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6