Characters matter. In fact, some folks say that there are the only thing that matters in writing. While I don’t agree with that, compelling characters are one of the things that keeps me reading. And characters that bore me or who have little dimension don’t hold my attention. Further, I’m unlikely to read a second novel featuring characters that don’t engage me.
Developing our Characters
I’ve referenced my novel characters in several posts on this site, speaking about how I developed them and detailing their backstories. Whether I was talking about Raina Wolfe’s decision to leave the Central Federation to work with the Star Alliance, or the stress Stephanie Hart felt in the military police, every dimension of a character including their wants, desires, and conflicts gives us something with which we can identify.
On March 20, I attended an excellent workshop entitled “Creating Believable Villains” conducted by Maria Snyder. Maria is an award-winning writer and creative writing teacher who led us through a wonderful exercise to flesh out the villainous characters in our work. The workshop was sponsored by the Maryland Writers Association, (MWA), and gave participants the chance to explore dimensions of villainy and to strengthen our characters. As Snyder presented the framework she uses to developed her villains, it occurred to me that while I’ve developed extensive backstories for my protagonists, I’ve never put together extensive bios for my villains. That changed on March 22.
The Process
Snyder spoke about the features of compelling villains, as we considered the villains in our own novels. For example, we all know that the most compelling villains are those who have some positive or benign feature that isn’t negative or evil. And we can point to villains like Darth Vader as a clear example of a villain who—while evil—had a redeeming quality in his care for his wife, however twisted that desire made him. As noted in a post from Master Class: “After all, every villain believes they are the hero of their own story.”
Snyder offered us a series of questions to help us identify and understand what drives our villains. I won’t share the list here without Snyder’s permission. (I suggest you find one of her workshops and get it from her directly!) But Snyder suggests flipping your thinking to developing the ins and outs and back stories, etc., of your villain as you would your protagonist. For the better developed your villains is—especially in relation to your hero or heroes—the more dimension your work will have. Master Class recommends exploring questions to identify:
- What your character wants
- What your character needs
- Your character’s personality traits
- How your character thinks
- How your character feels
- What big events are in your character’s life and backstory
- Your character’s quirks
Snyder cautions against making the villain the hero of the story—unless that’s your intent. But she implores writers to understand that the texture, complexity and conflicts of our villains can add as much to the quality of story than the background of the hero.
‘Nuff said.
