I must say, this was quite possibly one of the most well-thought out, well-written essays I have read about the actual art of writing that I've come across in a very long time (let alone online). By any chance have you ever come across a nifty little reference book called 'Bullies, Bastards, & Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction' by Jessica Page Morrell? If not it's definitely worth a read, as it expands upon what you just wrote (sorry, I'm an absolute reference book junkie, especially if it's not the usual 'How to Write A Novel' tome, as they've been done to death and contain very little helpful information. Anyhow, as much as I like having the good guy win/save the day/get the girl (or guy), I love great villains--especially the extraordinarily complex ones that are so rarely seen in fiction of any kind now a days--and when I come across one I like, I find myself rooting for him/her; the hero/heroine can't always win, right? It's unfortunate when a villain is flat or unappealing, and if you're not a child (and children these days want a great deal more out of their reading materials than they did when I was a kid)it almost feels as if you've been cheated of something (do people realize just how damn expensive books are lately?). If I want fluff I'll pick up a Harlequin from the 1970's--I want a hero that makes me care and a villain that makes me teeter on the edge of breathless fear that he/she will win and WANTING them to win (though that usually happens when I pick up a book with an interesting villain and a squeaky clean, annoying protagonist). As for your second point, the part about too few/underdeveloped antagonists and too many/overdeveloped protagonists--I completely agree, though I do understand the need for episodic, quickly killed villains. I personally like the whole pyramid scheme of villainy: lots of little bad guys that are easily taken care of (for example, your everyday Hollow if I use Bleach as an example), then above them slight stronger enemies that are fewer but harder to kill (general Arancarr? Or the Fraccion). Above these are stronger enemies, which are far fewer than the former (the Espada) and so on till we reach the top of the pyramid and what I like to call THE BIG BAD (I used to watch Buffy alot when it was on). I suppose if one squints hard enough, Bleach follows this formula. I did notice that the seasons build upon each other; the little bad guys are the focus of the first season, then the second and third deal with rescuing Rukia (with Soul Society being the antagonist), and the discovery that Aizen is a traitor. Then we step back and deal with the Bount Arc, then swing back to the Arrancars, and so on...(sorry, it's just an example). Anyhow, I'll shut up now *grins* I look forward to any more essays you might write on the subject of writing in the future.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-08-02 01:23 am (UTC)By any chance have you ever come across a nifty little reference book called 'Bullies, Bastards, & Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction' by Jessica Page Morrell? If not it's definitely worth a read, as it expands upon what you just wrote (sorry, I'm an absolute reference book junkie, especially if it's not the usual 'How to Write A Novel' tome, as they've been done to death and contain very little helpful information.
Anyhow, as much as I like having the good guy win/save the day/get the girl (or guy), I love great villains--especially the extraordinarily complex ones that are so rarely seen in fiction of any kind now a days--and when I come across one I like, I find myself rooting for him/her; the hero/heroine can't always win, right?
It's unfortunate when a villain is flat or unappealing, and if you're not a child (and children these days want a great deal more out of their reading materials than they did when I was a kid)it almost feels as if you've been cheated of something (do people realize just how damn expensive books are lately?). If I want fluff I'll pick up a Harlequin from the 1970's--I want a hero that makes me care and a villain that makes me teeter on the edge of breathless fear that he/she will win and WANTING them to win (though that usually happens when I pick up a book with an interesting villain and a squeaky clean, annoying protagonist).
As for your second point, the part about too few/underdeveloped antagonists and too many/overdeveloped protagonists--I completely agree, though I do understand the need for episodic, quickly killed villains. I personally like the whole pyramid scheme of villainy: lots of little bad guys that are easily taken care of (for example, your everyday Hollow if I use Bleach as an example), then above them slight stronger enemies that are fewer but harder to kill (general Arancarr? Or the Fraccion). Above these are stronger enemies, which are far fewer than the former (the Espada) and so on till we reach the top of the pyramid and what I like to call THE BIG BAD (I used to watch Buffy alot when it was on). I suppose if one squints hard enough, Bleach follows this formula. I did notice that the seasons build upon each other; the little bad guys are the focus of the first season, then the second and third deal with rescuing Rukia (with Soul Society being the antagonist), and the discovery that Aizen is a traitor. Then we step back and deal with the Bount Arc, then swing back to the Arrancars, and so on...(sorry, it's just an example).
Anyhow, I'll shut up now *grins* I look forward to any more essays you might write on the subject of writing in the future.