Comments on: The Villain: Crafting Scoundrels, Sinners & Substance of Legends

By: The Evil Has Landed: Villains Could Be Much Like You...or Even Me

The Evil Has Landed: Villains Could Be Much Like You...or Even Me — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 21:43:21 +0000

[…] The Villain: Crafting Scoundrels, Sinners & Substance of Legends […]

By: Craig Ballantyne

Craig Ballantyne — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 05:34:14 +0000

I always had trouble dipping into my dark side and creating villainous characters. When I published my first novel, I had the plot and character arcs ready. It was a struggle to flesh out the villain and I am still learning. Even my beta readers and reviewers at https://usabookreviewers.com loved the story and the protagonist. The anti hero was lacking in character. He was weaker and not as impactful. Trying to read some dark mystery and horror novels for inspiration. My take away from this blog is to make the villain more human with shades of grey.

By: V.L.M.

V.L.M. — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 17:49:13 +0000

“The novella is a fantastic place to hone those skills (and also a lot of modern readers have the attention span of a crack-addicted fruit fly).” This last part is now one of my favourite quotes! I ran into the living room and repeated it to my husband. We both broke up laughing! Lots of great ideas in this post and a wonderful collectible line to pull out in the future! Thank you, for the info and the laughs. ???
V. L. Murray (Natter and Review)

By: Top Picks Thursday! For Writers and Readers 11-14-2019 | The Author Chronicles

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 06:36:11 +0000

[…] a dream, Chris Winkle has 18 ways for protagonists to contribute, Kristen Lamb discusses crafting a villain of legendary substance, and Sharla Rae gives us a comprehensive guide to writing about […]

By: mrharrybuns

mrharrybuns — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 14:48:39 +0000

Oh boy, villians. They can be some of the most complex and interesting characters to write. But how much “screen time” they receive, ultimately depends on the nature and setting of the story you’re writing. Are there other elements which provide just as much conflict, such as social mores and attitudes, past history between main characters, or perhaps a loss someone is still overcoming?

My H/h are dealing with all three, with the added complication someone tried to abduct my heroine in her teens and seriously injured her. As she and the hero are reconnecting with each other and trying to establish a positive relationship, it appears history is trying to repeat itself. Only the villain doesn’t move in the same circles they do, and is only able to engineer a couple of encounters with the heroine. The rest of the time, he’s a stalker. Which is more frightening? The villain who is always in your face? Or the one you know is out there somewhere, and you never know when they will strike?

By: Nina M

Nina M — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 06:48:19 +0000

Love this post about the villains. Thank you Kristen.

My favorite Villain? John Milton (Satan) played by Al Pacino in The Devil’s advocate comes to mind.

By: Jan C Johnson

Jan C Johnson — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 02:34:24 +0000

In reply to Kristen Lamb. Thank you! I shall organize my thoughts ASAP.

By: Kristen Lamb

Kristen Lamb — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 02:02:02 +0000

In reply to Jan C Johnson. Sure. Email me at kristen at wana intl dot com and I will pass it on :) .

By: Jan C Johnson

Jan C Johnson — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:43:37 +0000

Hi, Kristen! Taking a shot here… you mention the Novella plotting class. I’ve registered for the class, but now it turns out I won’t be home to participate live. Do you have an avenue by which I can submit a question ahead of time?

By: Kathryn J. Bain

Kathryn J. Bain — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 22:55:27 +0000

Whenever I think of a good villian, I think of Norman Bates. You ended up feeling sorry for the guy though he was a killer. Great article.