Writing Evil Characters

[Barbara]

Found this. Found it useful. Found it can also apply to heroes.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

Found this. Found it useful. Found it can also apply to heroes.

Excellent

 

[RK Wallis]

That was brilliant! I'm coming back for more

 

[Mythobeast]

My take on villains involves how much they value the in-group over the out-group. A sane person will always balance the in-group good vs. the out-group good. At the extreme end, this develops people who think they are good people because they treat their slaves well.

And then there's just-plain-evil, which actually works in the right environments.

 

[ADBren]

Thank you for this. It had me thinking of Chigurh in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. A seriously bad guy, but he had his principals, and he adhered religiously to them. Something human we can relate to, despite his dark cruelty. I agree there's something here for protagonists as well. What is the failure, or the loss, or the weakness...something to overcome, something less than heroic?

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Brandon Sanderson and friends had a podcast on this. Fifteen minutes because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart. Their tag line.

Writing Excuses Episode 7: Villains

Are flaws necessary for villains? What traits make for a really good (err… evil?) villain? What’s the difference between Sauron and Gollum? (“That’s the LAST time I send you…

writingexcuses.com

 

[James Charles]

Found this. Found it useful. Found it can also apply to heroes.

Oh my. I took a class with Richard Walter! So many years ago...

 

[Matthew WP]

I'll be back.

I can't partake now, but I will in the near future