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Question: Fantasty novel - baddie advice needed!
Well I've finally made a start writing that fantasy novel that has been buzzing round my head for the best part of three years!.Mainly because I've finished my A levels now and have found myself with spare time ect, plus it has always been my dream!.
Anyway!.!.
I've gotten started and it's flowing really nicely!.It is set in modern day with a female heroine!.There is also a male main character and male side character!.
The baddie however,is also female and I just wanted some advice on characterizing a really good baddie!.
Besides the heroine the characters are mostly faries although this is not the main aspect of the novel!.It is quite comical though I intend it to become more serious later on and there will be romance going on too!.
Of course I would like to get published although I understand it's difficult for anyone ecspecially a teen writer but I'm just writing for pleasure at the moment anyway and see where life takes me after!
So yes baddie advice would be fantastic,any advice at all would be appreciated actually =]
Thanks in advance!
xWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Obviously, this is all my opinion!. However, I really dislike Ultimate Evil type baddies, who are evil for the sake of being evil!. It's been done and done and done to death, and it was never really that interesting to begin with!. Even Sauron has a backstory, but too many writers, especially fantasy writers, don't bother to come up with anything reasonable!.
The rare exceptions are mostly Chaotic Evil characters, like the Joker as played by Ledger in The Dark Knight, and then the driving force isn't so much evil (directly) as chaos and anarchy!.
You have to be careful with backstory, too, though!. There are lots of cliches, like the woman who's been raped and turns into a frigid b*tch because of it, or the person who loses a loved one and turns evil from grief (with female characters, this is especially dangerous if combined with lesbianism - the Evil/Dead Lesbian cliche is notorious and even feminist shows like Buffy and Battlestar Galactica have gotten lots of grief from fans for perpetuating it!.)
You can learn more about cliches to avoid at TV Tropes, which focuses on tv cliches, but is just as useful for novelists: http://tvtropes!.org/pmwiki/pmwiki!.php/Ma!.!.!.
Otherwise, read the Evil Overlord's Handbook, and have fun!
http://www!.eviloverlord!.com/lists/overlo!.!.!.
Some villainous inspiration:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Umbridge, not Voldemort!)
A Song of Ice and Fire series
Season Three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Measure For Measure
The Alienist
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Rebecca
Lolita
The Age of Innocence (no real villain except society at large, but watching society crush the aspirations of the characters is quite chilling enough)Www@QuestionHome@Com
The really nastiest baddies are those who are convinced that what they are doing is right, good and necessary!.
Not out for mere selfishness or greed, but driven by a sense of duty *as they see it*!.
A person intent on killing 90% of the earth's population, because they are sure that's the only way mankind will survive at all!.!.!. would be a simple example!.
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction!." Blaise PascalWww@QuestionHome@Com
So, if by baddie, you mean villain, then I can help!. Villains are living things too (even though its fantasy)!. They should eat, sleep, breath, anger, love, and all that like living creatures!. Your villain should have a moral reason for become bad, like- being abused as a child!. They can't just be bad for the hell of being bad, it makes the book unrealistic!. They need emotions, and they should display them!. Just!.!.!. create a normal person- good looking, bad looking!.!.!. get them in your head!. After that, throw a horrible past behind them, something that would make YOU go slightly insane and want revenge to help satisfy yourself!. After that, add up the years between that bad event occurred to them, and when the story is taking place- say, 20 years!? Put 20 years of not caring for self into their normal appearance!.
Be creative about how you create this character- people need to see them as realistic, believable!.!.!. and maybe even likable!.
Good luck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I have a book called 'The Good Fairies of New York' with the cityscape on it, by Martin Millar!. It has a great review by Gaiman!. Anyway, you want 'baddie' advice!. I haven't read Millar's book yet!. But!.!.!.
I really like what Gibson has his favorite anti-heroine have, among other things, and that is surgically-enhanced fingernails that hide ten very sharp and extendable knives!. But that is Gibson's copyrighted idea!. I tell it to you because there are subtle but deadly ways a woman can be a 'baddie!.'
Maybe something in her hair, down her back!. Something she'd have to be preternaturally fast using!. You will think of it from here if you haven't already!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I believe that the baddy should be like a mean girl!. Pretend to be your friend, then backstab you! They should also be devious, mysterious, and their plans will have to make you think, so it seems like they are so smart, it's scary :P!. They should also have frienimies; the same mean girl concept!.
For publishing, go to Amazon!.com!. It's a great place to start!. They have this virtual book thing; you publish your book, and people can read it on their little book tablets once theyy buy it! After you've started that, you can get a deal with Chapters or something!. :PWww@QuestionHome@Com
Wow, that's awesome!. I'm a teen fantasy writer as well and yeah, it is definitely difficult to get published!. Your novel sounds interesting from what I've read, and for advice on the "baddie", I would say create a character who is very similar to the heroine, but at one point, the "baddie" made a wrong decision and couldn't turn back!. This even offers the plot twist of redemption!.!.!. On a side note, I'd be interested checking out your novel!.!.!. If you're interested and it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you email me a bit of it!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
I really don't don't understand what your asking!. Are you asking for help with a bad villain or something!? If you are make her a faerie that's an exile or something!. And they want revenge, for being banished!. And the main female/male character's have to fight her from destroying a the kingdom that banished her!. Or have them have to stop the bad guy from gaining a sacre powerful power/object for destroying the kingdom that banished her!. And do you want names for your good/bad guys!?
Here's a list
Bad guy names: Scarlet, Evileana (spell how ever you want, but I thought it sounded cool), I don't know that many bad guy names but that's all I could think of sorry!.
Good girl names: Melody, Vitoria, Monica, Helena, Tina, Polly, Nicole, Samatha, Gwen, Ginger, Wanda, and Rachel!.
Good guy names: Greg, Alexander, Jean, Ivrin, Hillner, Tim, and that's all I can think of!.
Hope I helped ^_^!Www@QuestionHome@Com