I'm very much enjoying the Malice Domestic convention here in Washington D.C. One of the things I love about this convention and others is that I always pick up writing tidbits and "food for thought." Today's tidbit has to do with writing/creating villians, i.e., the antagonists or "bad guys" in mysteries ... a tidbit that I'm going to share with you.
Author Anne Perry, who is receiving the Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement, had this bit of advice about getting to know the bad guy in your story:
"Write your story from the antagonist's point of view."
What a great way to see if the actions and the motivations of the "villain of the piece" make sense and ring true.
Something I'm going to try in the future!
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11 comments:
Oh, lucky you! Enjoy the convention! Looking forward to reading more of what you are learning from the presenters there!
NA Sharpe
http://nancysharpe.blogspot.com
Sounds like a fun convention. Please share the wisdom!
Lynnette Labelle
http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com
Okay, you're forgiven for forgetting the camera, but hopefully someone there will post some photos on their blog!
Dani
http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com
Hello Nancy and Lynnette --
My goal is to continue to add tidbits over the next few days, so stay tuned. :-)
Hi Dani!
I do believe that photos will be a-poppin' up hither and yon. I'll link to them as I find them. :-)
I found that very good advice, Ann. In my WIP I have a very bad guy with a lousy temper and a tendency to use vile language. When I'm writing the scenes and dialogue for this guy from his point of view, I feel my expressions and my mood change. Downright creepy. http://www.patriciastoltey.blogspot.com
Have fun at the convention.
That's good advice. Even if none or only some of it goes in the book, it can help to see things through his or her eyes.
Helen
http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com
I learned fiction writing from Dr.Randy Ingermanson of AdvancedFictionWriting.com - and on his blog there's an example of this style of writing that you refer to.
He outlined the Star Wars story - from the perspective of Hans Solo, who naturally downplays the role of Luke Skywalker and others, and makes HIMSELF the hero of the narrative!
Thanks for sharing that tid-bit from the convention. Hopefully many more will follow? :-)
All success
Dr.Mani
Author: "Think, Write & RETIRE!"
http://ThinkWriteRetire.com
This is an interesting perspective. I find that I character-hop, that is, the character speaking in my head is the one through whom I'm seeing the story. However, that's kind of micro. I think what you're talking about here is a more macro approach. I'll have to try it.
Best Regards,
Galen
http://GalenKindley.com
Glad you're enjoying Malice Domestic. I had a good time there when I went last year. I hope you'll post more about some of the highlights.
Hello all,
Yes, this little comment from Anne Perry really got me thinking about how I work through what motivates the bad guys/gals in my stories. I don't usually do this in a very focused manner (more intuitive approach). But I think I'm going to try it for the next book in the Silver Rush series.
Also, I'm planning on adding little tidbits throughout the week, so stay tuned!
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