Villain Archetypes by Sarah Raplee

Those of you who know me well, know as a reader, I have one important rule. Don’t annoy me. Annoyance will pull me out of your story in a nanosecond. One of the things that annoy me is villains who have no real motivation.

Being “evil” or “insane” is not motivation. Even serial killers have reasons for what they do, as the television series, Criminal Minds, demonstrates.

Mental illness creates a vulnerable population of potential victims for villains. The ‘crazed killer’ stereotype is not in line with crime statistics. Please don’t add to this false narrative that creates fear and prejudice against a group that includes one in five Americans.

In order to be relatable and believable, a villainous character must be as well developed as a heroic character. Anything less is lazy writing.

There’s an old saying, not sure who first came up with it, feel free to tell me in the comments: The villain is the hero of his own story. If you can’t imagine writing the story from your villain’s point-of-view,” to paraphrase Thriller Author Matt Buchman, “start over.”

One of my favorite resources for developing villains is Tami Cowden’s book, Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Villain Archetypes. These archetypes give you a place to start. Blending two of them in your character is challenging but awesome when done well.

Another method I like to use is to give the hero and the villain the same major character trait (such as arrogance/cockiness; control freak; charm; not a team player) but show how the hero’s character arc leads to change/transformation, while the villain’s does not. In other words: the hero has an epiphany/learns his or her lesson, but the villain does not—at least not in time to save himself/herself.

If none of this makes much sense to you, I recommend you read the craft book, Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon. This classic reference will help you with character development and plotting.

What is your favorite resource for developing characters?

Happy Writing! ~ Sarah

In Search of a Hero!

By Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

The dictionary defines heroes as men admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

In romance novels, the hero is the main male character in the book. He is usually bigger than life and gorgeous, (at least he is to the heroine) and he usually comes with baggage. This is where conflict comes into play. And he is flawed, but by the end of the book, he changes in remarkable ways and the heroine is the only woman he truly wants. By then he’s climbed a mountain to get her.

A recent survey lists the qualities women found to be most endearing in heroes. Surprisingly, at least surprisingly to me, the number one quality a woman is looking for is protectiveness.

Even today, women still want their men to take care of them. This doesn’t necessarily mean she’s looking for her knight in shining armor, or she sits at home waiting for him to bring in the bacon.  This is about emotional support.  And as one woman puts it, “What it comes down to is a hero's ability to make the woman feel cherished, and safe, without doing anything that would qualify for a restraining order.”

Second up, he needs to be intelligent. Smart men turn the ladies on.  It’s not about qualifying for Mensa; it’s what led up to his success that makes him so appealing. Intelligent men have curious minds. They are eager to learn new things, and that includes finding out everything about the woman who has his attention. Smart men make their heroines feel important, cherished, respected and loved.

A sense of humor comes in third.  We all love to laugh, and laughter in a man who doesn’t take himself too seriously, is particularly appealing.  When times get tough, break out the sense of humor.

Our hero has to be in control. Note, I did not say controlling.  This is a man able to make decisions. Some may call him alpha, I call it taking the lead, and going after what he wants, both personally and professionally. There’s nothing sexy or attractive about a namby pamby man.

Generosity of spirit is another big turn on.  And that’s not about buying the heroine, diamonds or furs. It’s more about providing her with the things money can’t buy. It’s about his willingness to give of himself and share thoughts and feelings with her. In other words it’s called selflessness. 

And surprise, surprise, it’s definitely about sex. At least 62% of readers want it hot and steamy, and this is where all the qualities of the hero tie in. In matters of the bedroom, proactive as the heroine might be in getting him there, the hero needs to take the lead. He’s protective of the heroine in bed, and despite how kinky they get, he makes her feel safe and cherished.

He’s also intelligent enough to know how to please a woman. This is not all about Neanderthal sex. Me Tarzan you Jane. You will submit. He takes his time making her feel special and really wanting him. He’s smart enough to know the sex will be off the charts this way and they’ll both feel fulfilled

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The hero breaks out his sense of humor. His sense of adventure comes to the fore when things don’t go smoothly. If they fall out of bed,  he laughs with her. If his leg cramps when they are in a compromising position, despite his discomfort, he makes fun of himself.  He’s in control and generous with his attentions.

Not so surprisingly, and as mentioned before, he’s flawed. He’s human after all.

Take Zach Mayo, our lovable hero in the oldie but goody, An Officer and a Gentleman.  It took him a while to come around, but come around he did. Women also fell in love with Jack Dawson in the Titanic because he took care of the heroine though he died in the end. Both were Cinderella stories, and although the second ended in tragedy, both celebrated love in its purest form. Both are reminders that men and women are made stronger by loving each other. 

Over the years women’s roles have changed as they have taken on more “manly responsibilities,” yet sensitive, take charge men with the characteristics of  heroes, still reign.

 http://amzn.com/B019RYLW24

Who are your modern day heroes and why? 

Is it someone like Alexander Neale, survivor of a personal tragedy, and the hero in my book, Just You?   Or is it the person you’re with?

 I’d love to hear the qualities  you've found in your hero. Please comment.

Romantically yours,

Marcia

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A Plotter's Process For Writing a Novel - Part 1

by Madelle Morgan

On deck is the third in my contemporary romance series Hollywood in Muskoka.

This is the seventh time I've started a new novel. From countless workshops and craft books over the years, I've distilled a story development process that works for me.

In my March and April posts I decided to share what I put together before I type Chapter 1 on that blank page. It's the most creative and fun part of writing for me. I imagine and reject many possibilities before deciding on key elements of the book such as...

Who, What, When, Where

I nail down a target word count, the romance sub-genre, a setting, the time of year, the hero and heroine's names, ages, professions and appearances, and a title (which might change anytime before the cover is final).

Whose Story is it?

Which of the two protagonists has the most to win or lose? In a romance, is it the hero or the heroine who has the greatest character growth? I can't start writing without answering these two questions.

Hero/Heroine's GMC

I'm indebted to Debra Dixon for her book G M C: Goal, Motivation and Conflict, which I've reread so often I practically memorized it. She proposes that an author create a summary sentence for each character's internal GMC and external GMC:

H/H wants (goal) because (motivation) but (conflict).

I customized Debra's summary sentence by adding a "C" for consequences. That is, what bad thing will happen if the hero or heroine does not achieve the goal?

H/H wants (goal) because (motivation) or else (consequences) but (obstacles/conflict).

Either the hero and heroine's external goals have to be in opposition, or, if they have a common goal, their motivations conflict. Recall the film Romancing the Stone. The heroine and hero both want the jewel, but the heroine wants to use it to save her sister, and the hero wants to buy a sailboat.

What happens when GMC is not in a book's back cover blurb or online description? The prospective reader has no idea what the book is about. Here's the description for Caught on Camera, the first in the series. It's the heroine's story. Rachel has the most to win or lose - a career in Hollywood.

To achieve her dream of working on Hollywood film sets (motivation), star struck chambermaid Rachel Lehmann (heroine) needs $35,000 for film school tuition (goal) by the end of the summer (time pressure). 

When she's asked to fill in for a missing bridesmaid at a movie star's wedding, it's her big chance to take candid photos and sell them to the entertainment media. 

Then groomsman Mickey McNichol, agent to the stars (hero), sweeps her off her feet. 

Mickey's bitter experience (wound) is that everyone in show business fakes emotions. When he falls for the stand-in bridesmaid, he thinks he's finally met a beautiful woman he can trust. But if Rachel betrays his celebrity friends' privacy, Mickey will ensure she never works in Hollywood (conflict).

In "imagineering" the hero and heroine, I identify for each:

• External GMCC (basis of the main plot)
• Internal GMCC (basis of the romance plot)
• Wound - what's stopping the character from committing emotionally
• False persona (who s/he believes herself/himself to be, or pretends to be)
• Character Arc to Essence (his or her transition to the true, best self)

I learned about the concept of essence at screenwriting teacher Michael Hague's workshop. It was the craft keystone I didn't realize I lacked. The hero and heroine fall in love with each other's essence - his or her true self. The romance plot is a journey to heal wounds and become the whole person the other falls for.

I also develop an external GMCC for each important character other than the protagonists; e.g., the antagonist/villain, and the characters in the subplot.

Theme

My interpretation of theme is that it's the emotional/moral thread underlying the plot. The main plot and any subplots should illustrate different aspects of the theme. In Caught on Camera, I used "deception leads to heartbreak". In my debut romantic suspense, the theme was "betrayal". Note that each reader's interpretation of a story is unique, and the reader may connect with a different theme from the one the author intended. That's rich, layered storytelling!

Whew. All that prep and still not a word on the page! 

Finally it's time to imagine what happens in the story. In Part 2 I'll describe my plotting approach using the screenwriting Three Act Structure.

Authors, how does your story development process differ? What do you add?

Readers, do you consciously look for a character's GMC in the description before deciding to read a book?

Madelle

Madelle's debut romantic suspense,  DiamondHunter, was turned into an action/adventure screenplay by screenwriter Marie Lilly. The novel is available in ebook format on Amazon and Kobo for $0.99 USD and £0.99 GBP.

Madelle tweets and posts about Hollywood, film-making, the settings for her stories, and, of course, writing. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to her blog at MadelleMorgan.com .