  Mystery
This week: Villians Edited by: Sara♥Jean  
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Villains
Making believable villains is probably one of the largest difficulties I have when I write anything within the mystery genre. I always end up with villains who completely change their nature once found out - so it's not believable (a la - "I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those pesky kids and their... dog"), or ones that were just evil and obvious the whole time, and it completely ruins the mystery. So, to me, villains are a delicate balance.
Here is what I have done to try to correct my own villainous mistakes:
1. Write a Character Building Sheet
I generally use one that I have created myself, but they are literally everywhere online. With this sheet, I can actually detail in hints to the traits that would lead a reader to guessing that my villain is, in fact, a villain. Yes, oftentimes these are used for role-playing games, but I find that they are incredibly good for allowing me to really know my character, and therefore have some ideas on how they would better react to things. Here are a few that you might take a look over:
2. Give Hints! But not big ones
Subtlety is key. Maybe my character will have a nervous twitch, or a common gesture that reveals that they are hiding something (scratching the back of their neck, popping their fingers, rubbing their wrist, a minor head twitch, etc.) Something that might become more defined as the pressure gets heavier. Maybe it would even be a small scrap of clothing that has a hole in it. Depending on the crime, anything could work here.
3. Read through, focusing ONLY on the villain
Without a good villain (or more than one villain), a mystery is completely ruined. As they are one of the most important pieces of the storyline, I read through looking at only the character intended to be the villain. Did I give too many hints? Not enough? Are they present and visible in the story enough? Are there subtle clues that point to the character? If any of these has a negative answer, I go through and edit.
4. Throw in a few Red Herrings
It's dull if the villain is the only suspicious person in the entire story. It's lovely fun to have almost every person doing something suspicious, and try to make my poor hero dig through the muck, suspicion, clues, lies, and red herrings to finally get through to the final, should-have-been-obvious-but-was-really-as-clear-as-mud-until-the-last-chapter answer! Do everything you can to throw the suspicion off of the villain - keep the reader guessing!
5. Make your villain smarter than your hero
Your hero should never have an easy time of catching that villain, or there wouldn't be much of a book to be had! The smarter the villain, the harder and more interesting the chase.
George R. R. Martin once said - "Someone once said that the villain is the hero of the other side, a maxim that l long ago took to heart in my own fiction." It's also something that we should all take heart to in our own fiction. Can your hero be just that good - and still be bad?
Good Luck Creating Some Great Villains! |
Here are some WdC items featuring (dun duN DUN!!!) - villains, of course! I'll be featuring some of the black cases of the site this time - some new and some not as new. I hope you enjoy them - feel free to drop them a line for a review or two if you get a chance, as well.
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My last Mystery Newsletter was about foreshadowing. Here are some of the comments I received for that one:
From Robert Waltz  :
What SaraJean didn't know was that her first newsletter worked out just fine - that is, until the guy in the back seat shouted it to the whole theater. 
What Robert Waltz didn't know was that the guy was seated right behind him, and he would soon be deaf from the shout.  Thank you, dear.
From billwilcox:
SARA! (whoa, was that a bit too loud?) Grrrrrreat newsletter! Of course, I don't want to ruin it for anybody, but...if this is a foreshadow of your next newsletter, we are all in for a treat.  
I hope you get as much out of this one! (Or at least a chuckle or two. "Hey, Raggy?")
From Budroe  :
To me, foreshadowing is not a requirement for a successful mystery. It is a spice on the rack, with distinct flavor, texture and power. Used correctly, it can really pull a reader into the story--especially if it is part of a "red herring". But to overuse it, or to use too much in one place, detracts from the overall flavor of the writing. It (foreshadowing) becomes more of a bludgeon than a light tap on the shoulder for the reader. That should always be avoided. New writers can become enthralled with their own words, especially when using this tool. Caution should be given all writers that this is a powerful, and potentially experience-destroying tool in their toolbox. Thank you for doing so.
GREAT way to put it, Budroe! I couldn't have said it better.
From Cal :
Hi SaraJean,
I loved this newsletter. Like you, I love mysteries, and the best part of reading one is trying to guess what happens next and how it all is going to turn out. Excellent!
Cal
Oh, that's one of my favorite parts! I love to read it and try to figure out what is going to happen.
And for all of those who wished me congratulations on my first newsletter - thank you! I hope there will be many more to come.
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Mystery: June 16, 2010 Issue [#3800]
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