Villains

The villain has to be one of the main ingredients of a story. Just as cookies or bread won't rise without flour, neither will your story if there isn't a resistance to your hero's journey. It's also like biking. Yes, you can bike a few miles, but it won't really be an interesting story if you don't encounter glass, roadkill, branches, or (worst of all) hills.

Villains come in all shapes, sizes, approaches, and even species. Scar from the Lion King isn't any less a villain than Mr. Wickham or Lady Catherine DeBourgh from Pride and prejudice, and vice-versa. The question is: What type of villain do you want? They need to be a solid fit to your story, and a hard obstacle for your hero to face.

Let's examine the parts of a villain's role:

1. Basic personality.
            A. Strength.
            B. Flaw.
            C. Skill or hobby that may be useful later on.
2. Motivation.
Why do they want to get the girl, steal the painting, or destroy the world (or all three at once)?
3. Lifestyle.

Basically, look at the hero's template, and fill it in with the villain's answers. But you can do all this, and the villain will still turn out flat. One way to solve this is their approach. The modern Sherlock's Moriarty is a cold-hearted murder, but he isn't all bluster and anger, in fact he can be very awkward (besides the fact that he sounds like an old British woman).

Here are some tips on making a villain stylish:
Make them sympathetic:
"That’s how villains get you, she (heroine) knew. You feel badly for them, and next thing you know, you’re tied to train tracks." - Catherine Valente, The girl who fell beneath fairyland and led the revels there.
Make them see them have their own philosophy:
"Fair is foul and foul is fair." -William Shakespeare, Macbeth.
"Shakespeare's villains are fabulous because none of them know that they are villains. Well, some of them do."  -Ian McKellen.
Make them capable of being a hero:
"History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep changing parts." - Ian Flemming.
Either make them entertaining and loveable, or someone you really want to kick in the mouth:
Which would you rather hang out with, Loki or Ronan?
Establish their personalities:
If they're quiet and only resort to violence as a last resort, when they start yelling and swinging battle-axes around you'll know that they (A) mean business, (B) have broken out of character, or (C) have lost their minds.

As a side-note, not all villains have to be alive. Take the storm in The Day after Tomorrow. It isn't a living creature, or the weapon of a living creature, it's just a storm. But it poses extreme threats to the hero's quest of going to New York City to save his son and his son's quest to survive and keep the people around him safe. The storm even makes some problems that aren't exactly part of it's weather pattern, such as releasing a pack of hungry wolves from the zoo.

So have fun!
(P.S. If you run out of ideas, just find a fluffy white cat and start stroking it.)

  

Creating a setting

You've probably heard the expression "All the world's a stage".

Well, in writing, it really is. Any amount of the world can be your book's stage. It doesn't even have to be in this world. It doesn't even have to stay in one place.
Setting, besides being pretty cool sometimes, is also a good way to influence the mood of a story. Going through Mirkwood wouldn't be so depressing if it hadn't been so repetitive. It seems like you're going in circles, and that there's no end to the dark forest. In contrast, the Shire is like the perfect home. Friendly neighbors (except for the Sackville-Bagginses), simple moments, peace and plenty, it's everything a hobbit could ever want, so readers identify with Bilbo and Frodo in wanting to protect (and return to) the Shire.
There are various approaches to setting, one of which is to go all out (Victor Hugo), or to just give a basic description (C.S.Lewis) and leave the reader's imaginations to work out the details. But It's not really profitable to skip out on description.
We want to know where we are. The events should be influenced by the setting. A battle on a mountaintop is going to be different from a battle in the catacombs of Rome. A man proposing to his girlfriend in the rain near a subway tunnel in New York City is going to evoke a different mood from him proposing on a beach in the Bahamas.
Here are some pointers on putting setting into your book:
1. Consider what type of scene is happening and who is going to be there. Would this particular combination of characters clashing be more dramatic here or there? Would a detective unknowingly meeting a bank robber in a park be as interesting as them meeting in a bank elevator?
2. What is happening outside the character's situation?
Present: Is there a lady with a couple of screaming kids in the same area as the detective and robber? Is there a fugitive running from the police?
Grand scale: Is there a shortage of money or food happening? Has the unemployment rate gone up? Review your story line.
3. What is the weather?
Is it raining, snowing, or is it sunny and in the eighties? Is the river flooded, or is there a drought?
4. What time of day is it?
A sword fight at midnight, with either dim lighting or no lighting at all, is going to influence the fight differently than a sword fight in broad daylight.
5. What is the state of the setting?
Is it a daily-cleaned mansion or an abandoned warehouse?

Where your characters hang out also defines their personalities. The goblin king, Gollum and Thranduil live in caves, yes, but very different kinds of caves.

Where would your characters hang out? Where would they be uncomfortable? Where is home?

Heroes and heroines

 Hero (hir-o):
1. A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.
2. The chief (male) character of a story, play, movie, etc.

Heroine (hir-o-in):
1. A woman noted for courage and daring action or special achievement in a particular field.
2. The principle female character in a novel, poem, etc.


We all have heroes. Whether they're real or not isn't the question.
If you're writing, fiction, or non-fiction, chances are you have a hero you're writing about. Or maybe you still need a hero. Above I've listed the dictionary's definition of a hero, but shouldn't it go a little deeper? From different points of view, the person whom thousands despise could be counted as a hero by the above listed rules. So what really makes a hero?

1. Basic personality.
Sad. Confused. Witty. Just pick an adjective and build off that for a personality. It's actually very effective to put some of your own personality into a character.
           A. Strength.
           B. Flaw.
           C. Side abilities that may be of interest at a later date.

(A tip from Tolkien: The hero has, or will achieve, a cardinal virtue for one of their strengths.)

2. Situation.
Where is that character now in life?
Are they driving a convertible through Paris, or are they flipping hash-browns in a fast food joint?

3. Appearance.
This goes beyond the 'blonde hair, blue eyes' general idea, though you should begin with that simplicity. What shade of blue are the eyes? Icy blue or gray-blue? Does the hair curl or is it straight? How does it normally look? Messy or greased? Dyed?
What type of clothes do they wear? What is the state of these clothes? He could be wearing a tuxedo with rips in the elbows and stains on the lapel.

4.  Where do they hang out?
Does the millionaire movie-star hang out with the kids on his street or with people in expensive lobster and caviar restaurants?

As you answer these questions, it will probably help build the character's personality. They might even surprise you.

Preparing to write

Okay, so I've been trying to write a story for 4+ years (not the same story, that would be 2+ years), and only recently I've established a general idea of what helps me write:

1. Solitude.

 Sometimes I find myself acting out expressions or mumbling lines I'm considering to use. Being alone makes this a whole lot less awkward.

2. Music.

There have been scientific studies that suggest that music helps some people concentrate, while some people need absolute silence, etc.

3. PRACTICE.

I have never finished a story. I've set a goal to get at least one book's first draft done by the end of the year. You won't get very far if you don't set goals.



But what if you sit down to write, open a notebook/laptop/whatever, revved to go, then- nothing?

You stare at the blank space for an eternity, but any idea that comes to mind sounds dumb, like something you wouldn't want to hear a month later, but you really want to write and you've got to get this done before dinner-time and nothing's working and all you see is this:

 

BUT NOTHING'S COMING!!!

I've been there, believe me.

Here's some hints to avoid writer's block/stress paralysis:

1. Experiment.

Experiment with what time you sit down to write, where you write, what's around you when you write.

It does make a difference.

2. Be prepared, but flexible.

Don't just sit down to write. Sit down knowing what you want to write about. It doesn't have to be choreographed. You can write a scene from the end or middle, then work on the beginning later.

3. Don't delete unless it's something you really will regret.

I made a decision a while ago when I used notebook paper to write. I was going to use a pen. I know it doesn't sound big, but actually it forbade me from erasing what I wrote. No matter what I wrote, it was staying. Then I made myself save the papers. Now I can look at what I wrote and compare it to what I have now. Sometimes it's rather helpful.

 

If you just don't feel motivated to write, do something new.

I was going through writer's depression once, then I saw Guardians of the Galaxy. It gave me just enough positivity to get through another few months of writing.

 

Feel free to comment your questions!

Bye!

 

Philosophy in fiction

Once I read a book called 'the sea of trolls'. Basically, it was the story of a kidnapped boy (Jack) and a viking shield-maiden (Thorgil/Jill) looking for the well of wisdom at the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree. Sounds great, right?
Except for a lot of rude humor, language, and a climactic scene where a woman is completely naked.
There were also explicit Buddhist themes, such as:  boy was a druid's apprentice, and was taught that everything is one. Also the druid exchanges bodies with a crow (meaning that the druid had a crow-mindset, and vice versa).
Now, it's my personal opinion that this was a very bad mash-up of Norse/Celtic folklore with Asian spirituality, but that's not the main point of this post.

(Just so everyone knows, I'm a Christian. I'm trying not to be too harsh, but it's the truth.)

What I'm pointing out is how explicitly noticeable worldviews are, even in fictional writing.
Another example is in The Chronicles of Narnia. Actually there are several examples.
C.S.Lewis was a Christian, and at the time it was believed that Christians shouldn't smoke or drink. In fact it was (and sometimes now is) a common belief that a 'good Christian' should be grim and never has fun.
C.S. Lewis (and J.R.R. Tolkien) both agreed that there were times to be grim, but both were very fond of parties, smoking, and drinking. But all were done with moderation.
Lewis showed his worldview in Narnia with moments like the White Witch discovering a group of animals celebrating Christmas, the contrasts between Trumpkin and Nickabric at the dancing lawn, the Narnians and the Telmarines, the gnomes imprisoned by the Emerald Witch, and so on.

My point is, philosophy can be rather evident in fiction. So before you write your story, take a look at your own philosophy. What do you believe in? Is it real? Is it something you want to teach others?

Sub-section: Christian Fiction.

The problem is, often the presence of religious themes seems to overshadow plot quality.
When I read a book by a Christian author, and I can see basically the entire plot within the first...four, maybe nine pages?...I am not very impressed. Granted, there are some very good Christian authors, and I think the quality of their writing can be summed up in one quote:

"The world needs less Christian writers; The world needs more writers and composers who are Christians."
C.S. Lewis.

Some of the best Christian fiction, I believe, is the type that doesn't set out to teach one lesson, and weaves the various lessons seamlessly into the plot. There is some Christian fiction that just...they are trying to teach a lesson that is completely unconnected to the plot, and so it doesn't work. (Not to mention the style.)

Let's face it: in Monster by Frank Peretti, the plot of the book is not an allegory, and it varies between lessons, from a kidnapped woman doubting God's love to detectives and scientists pondering the question 'do random mutations work?' in order to solve the mystery. All without watering down a tense, exciting plot with awkward spiritual lesson pit stops.

(Yeah, you know what I mean, Jonathan Park! I agree with Jim:
"Paddle, stop yappin'! Paddle!...Guys, can you talk AND PADDLE?!...did he have a pocket white-board and power-point?")

My family was discussing this on a car trip and we came to the conclusion that the best kind of story is one that, yes, has a moral theme (or more than one) but presents it in a sly, conspicuous way. In LotR, we aren't directly told that Merry and Pippin are loyal, caring friends. We aren't told that Gandalf is wise and fatherly. We aren't told that Aragorn is responsible and noble. We can tell without being told.
Seamless.

What makes a story great?

We all know this situation: You read a book, shrug, and forget about it two months later.
We also know this situation: You read a book. It's awesome. You can't stop thinking about it. You often reference to it in serious conversations or jokes. You read it 4-60 times and still enjoy it. You get ecstatic when you find out it's going to be a film, complain when the film has left the original book in the dust, and read the book again.
So how does this happen? What was the difference between the books?
Content themes? Perhaps.
Plot? Most likely.
Lessons? Maybe.
Style? Definitely.

One of the worst situations when writing (or reading) a book is when it's chugging along, the audience is happy, the suspense is high, and then...then...then?!...BAM! Pointless back-story dumps, obvious statements, and meaningless objects are pointed out. That is a sure-fire way to KILL a book.

There are other ways, but to explain that, I'll explain what makes a great book:
1. It has a good moral center.
(Narnia; Lord of the Rings; Monster; Les Miserables;)
2. It challenges a popular (twisted/confused) view.
(Oliver Twist; The book thief;)
3. The characters are connectable.
(The hobbit; Monster; Pride and Prejudice; The book thief;)
4. It shows true change and/or redemption.
(A Christmas carol; Les Miserables;)
5. It fulfills the basic virtues.
(Lord of the Rings; Narnia;)

1. A moral center:
There is a common understanding of what is right. If you don't believe me, read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Stories that reflect this are some of the best. Even Guardians of the Galaxy does this.
 The hero, at least, should recognize and act on these. A good example is the scene in The Hobbit when Bilbo, who has been threatened and betrayed by the creature Gollum, has put on a ring which makes him invisible and now finds that Gollum is standing between himself and the exit of the goblin kingdom. Bilbo has every opportunity, let alone the right, to kill Gollum. But he doesn't. This scenario repeats itself in the Return of the King, where Gollum has attempted to murder Frodo and Sam, and Sam, who has despised Gollum from the moment he saw him, has the chance to kill him. But he too lets Gollum live. While it is perfectly 'logical' that the world would be better off without Gollum, the characters come to the same conclusion that it is not right to kill him.

2.It challenges a popular (often twisted or confused) worldview.
This world is Messed Up. It's been that way for thousands of years. A lot of famous authors wrote about it in fictional stories, such as Oliver Twist. This book is actually based off real facts about the time that Charles Dickens lived in. It was so accurate, that Queen Victoria's advisers didn't want her to read it! (But she did.)
And I know that Frozen doesn't really count as literature, and everyone's tired of it, but it fits this theme.
It reminded people that (A) true love doesn't always mean it's romantic love, and (B) the first man you meet, even if he seems perfect, may not be 'the one'.

3. The characters are connectable.
People enjoy being able to understand the characters. I suspected that whoever wrote The Lions of Little Rock was video-taping me when I first read it. It was awesome.
In Pride and Prejudice (If you haven't read the book yet, watch the 1995 film first) we enjoy watching the different personalities unfold into memorable characters, from the witty and critical Elizabeth to her sister Jane, who refuses to believe that anyone could be truly bad.
It's also interesting to be misled by first impressions, only to find out that a character who is said to be proud and selfish is actually shy and kind, and another character, who appears to be charming and mistreated is actually sinister and conniving.
If people don't connect to the characters' personalities and feelings, the story won't click.

4. It shows true change and/or redemption.
It's a relief to know that no matter how far we go from good, there is a way back.
Just as long as these don't go to the now cliche 'prodigal son' allegory, we're good to go.
(Come on, you know what I mean. Good family, bratty child. Bratty child goes into the world to make their future, friends prove to be false, goes back to good family. The 8th time around is pretty annoying.)

 5. It fulfills the basic virtues.
The basic virtues are known to everyone. We don't have to be taught them. Courage, kindness, honor, gentleness, love, peace, hope, etc. You get the idea.

What do you think makes a great story?

Why write?

So what's the big deal about writing anyway? Why should we do it? Does it make a difference?

Okay, this is why I write:
I want to change the world. I have ideas how to do it.
But I'm also an introvert. (for those of you who don't know, an introvert is someone who feels uncomfortable in social interactions. That doesn't mean we're totally opposed to them, we're just nervous.)
So I could find a box and start speaking my mind, but it wouldn't be pretty. Trust me.
But you don't have to be a great talker to be a world-changer.
Abraham Lincoln was often described as shy and awkward in manner, Rosa Parks was actually rather soft-spoken, and Carrol Burnett was painfully shy as a child.
But now Lincoln's Gettysburg address is one of the most loved speeches in history, segregation has lessened dramatically, and Carrol Burnett ran and starred in a live comedy TV series where she continually had to talk to complete strangers and famous actors.
Writing, even fictional writing, is one of the best ways to communicate ideas internationally, brings out emotions and encourages depth of thought, perhaps for generations.