Got Writer’s Block?
Yeah, it happens to
the best of us. Life gets in the way and your brain is taken in another
direction and before you know it, it’s been days or weeks since you last looked
at that book you’re trying to write. You’ve forgotten little details.
What eye color did you give your hero? What town was your heroine born
in? Perhaps you need to jumpstart your creative mojo, and that's what
this series is designed for. Not to explain writer's block, but to help you
move in a different direction.
This is one of my favorite cards because I’ve
always advocated that the bad guy should be complex and real. Why do readers
love Snape (Harry Potter)? Or Loki (Thor)? Because they had emotions and real
flaws. They weren’t perfect bad guys but believable ones. Their motivations
drove them to commit bad things, but there was always a thread of goodness
somewhere buried deep that made them redeemable.
Villains should never be bad just for the sake of
taking over the world. They should never be omnipotent. A one dimensional bad
guy doesn’t engage the reader and heighten the stakes for the hero. Make the
reader love the bad guy, knowing he has to fall, and his eventually defeat will
be bittersweet. This is draw the reader in and make them pick up your next book,
because the characters will stay with them.
#6
Every Villain is a Heron
Your antagonist probably thinks he’s the good guy.
Imagine the story from his perspective.
>Plot out what would happen if your hero never
showed up. What would the villain/antagonist do? Would a different hero rise
up?
> What is your villain’s greatest fear? Who
does he love? Can either of these cause him to take action in your story?
> Brainstorm three moment in which your villain could be surprisingly heroic.
What is the villain trying to do? Beyond the
hero, what other obstacles are in his way?
Don’t stop at the villain’s motivation(e.g.,
revenge, greed, survival). Rather, look for what the journey is. We might only
see a small part of it from the hero’s perspective, but knowing the whole arc
gives us more to push against.
Let your villain struggle and win a few times
along the way. After all, he doesn’t know he’s the bad guy.
Happy Writing!
***John August
designed these cards to help writers fix plot holes, spice up stock characters
and rethink your themes. They, of course, do not guarantee you’ll get
published or that you’ll become the next J.K. Rowling, and of course they are
only a tool to help you think outside the box. I make no monetary gain with
them nor do I expect anything in return. I do not own the contents in
these cards. If you're interested in them, here's the amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Writer-Emergency-Pack/dp/B00R6ZLIOY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502046610&sr=8-2&keywords=john+august
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