oh, i've also got the anti-valedictorian campaign crowd i could still cower and cringe about. (thankfully my family claims they didn't hear them booing during my speech.)
i've got the cousin bullies of my only-childhood, too.
but mostly, i often think i'm my own villain. stressing instead of doing. volunteering instead of protecting my own creativity. learning instead of trying. actively avoiding the deep work for the sake of the easy and the guaranteed results.
What are your thoughts on grudges? I feel like a grudge seems like something you'd hold against a villain in your life, but really, most of the time holding a grudge is actually what makes you a villain. Especially if it gets so great that you cannot see the other point of view. But at the same time, grudges can also provide you with a righteous sort of anger, in which case you would be the hero again. I am curious whether you think revenge-focused characters are the ones readers root for, or root against? Or how to write morally grey characters that are still sympathetic?
Sometimes, villains may not seem to be villains by some people (or/and themselves), but they are villains by others. And sometimes, you might even (unexpectedly) be the villain yourself. You never know how others view you as because it’s not like that they’re telling you every single thing about their view on you. Honestly, I think it’s actually not only about what we do, it’s also about what we said.
Depending on the perspective, we can all be villains in somebody else's story, so what I do is try to look at the story from both (or all) the sides if possible to have a general picture of all the dynamic and relationships going on.
I like the idea of villains being righteous and thinks what they are doing is right. Isn't that what most of us do (or want to be) all the time? I have had a "villain" in my life too, who meets exactly every point you said, like secretly claiming my efforts as their own, secretly isolating me from other people, and thinking they were right for doing so. And after finding out about all of that, I still think this person is such an interesting case that I want to continue observing!
The common thing between fiction and real life is that villains make everything much more interesting (after we finished dealing with the problems they bring to our lives), I think.
Two things, backwards order. Re forgiveness: People have a distorted view of what it REALLY means to forgive. The description of "transcendance" is closer to real forgiveness; to forgive is to intentionally let go of the hold someone else has on your headspace and get that higher perspective until it doesn't weigh you down anymore, and that can take time and work depending on just how bad the offense was. Re chaotic energy from "villains": I am reminded of a very old animated short about a romance between a Dot and a Line, and how at first the Dot is enamored of a Squiggle, all chaotic energy, until the Line first learns to bend and make angles, then shapes, then patterns, and presents himself back to the Dot in beauty and order, after which the Dot rejects the chaos of the Squiggle. Like you said, only less elegant and more direct :-)
This is the perfect post at the perfect time! I've just started plotting my next two books and this is the exact sort of villain I want! Each of your descriptions brought to mind people I've known! You've given me so much to think about and draw upon! Thank you for being so inspiring and honest in your posts!
oh, i've also got the anti-valedictorian campaign crowd i could still cower and cringe about. (thankfully my family claims they didn't hear them booing during my speech.)
i've got the cousin bullies of my only-childhood, too.
but mostly, i often think i'm my own villain. stressing instead of doing. volunteering instead of protecting my own creativity. learning instead of trying. actively avoiding the deep work for the sake of the easy and the guaranteed results.
I love the idea of the self-villain. Because that's the one we fight the most, surely.
(also echoing my excitement for NEW NOVEL with RELEASED title. whoop whoop soman!!!)
What are your thoughts on grudges? I feel like a grudge seems like something you'd hold against a villain in your life, but really, most of the time holding a grudge is actually what makes you a villain. Especially if it gets so great that you cannot see the other point of view. But at the same time, grudges can also provide you with a righteous sort of anger, in which case you would be the hero again. I am curious whether you think revenge-focused characters are the ones readers root for, or root against? Or how to write morally grey characters that are still sympathetic?
Sometimes, villains may not seem to be villains by some people (or/and themselves), but they are villains by others. And sometimes, you might even (unexpectedly) be the villain yourself. You never know how others view you as because it’s not like that they’re telling you every single thing about their view on you. Honestly, I think it’s actually not only about what we do, it’s also about what we said.
Yay! Something nice on a sick day.
I love this take on villains and even I have a bunch that think they are doing right or are more fun for me to write than the protagonist.
What do you think about a protagonist that actually DOESN'T act like the hero for their evil or morally gray parents but endorses them? (Idea hehe)
I'm excited to see what Young World has to offer in terms of villains!
Depending on the perspective, we can all be villains in somebody else's story, so what I do is try to look at the story from both (or all) the sides if possible to have a general picture of all the dynamic and relationships going on.
I like the idea of villains being righteous and thinks what they are doing is right. Isn't that what most of us do (or want to be) all the time? I have had a "villain" in my life too, who meets exactly every point you said, like secretly claiming my efforts as their own, secretly isolating me from other people, and thinking they were right for doing so. And after finding out about all of that, I still think this person is such an interesting case that I want to continue observing!
The common thing between fiction and real life is that villains make everything much more interesting (after we finished dealing with the problems they bring to our lives), I think.
Two things, backwards order. Re forgiveness: People have a distorted view of what it REALLY means to forgive. The description of "transcendance" is closer to real forgiveness; to forgive is to intentionally let go of the hold someone else has on your headspace and get that higher perspective until it doesn't weigh you down anymore, and that can take time and work depending on just how bad the offense was. Re chaotic energy from "villains": I am reminded of a very old animated short about a romance between a Dot and a Line, and how at first the Dot is enamored of a Squiggle, all chaotic energy, until the Line first learns to bend and make angles, then shapes, then patterns, and presents himself back to the Dot in beauty and order, after which the Dot rejects the chaos of the Squiggle. Like you said, only less elegant and more direct :-)
This is the perfect post at the perfect time! I've just started plotting my next two books and this is the exact sort of villain I want! Each of your descriptions brought to mind people I've known! You've given me so much to think about and draw upon! Thank you for being so inspiring and honest in your posts!
I'm happy it resonated with you! Villains truly are the most fun...