  Fantasy
This week: Minions Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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"No, no. No, your terrifically smooth one, it is the epitome of ankles. To touch such an ankle would be-- but I'm not touching, I'm backing away"
-Glory's minion, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5
"Sacrificing minions: Is there any problem it can't solve?"
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MINIONS
I've decided to start October a bit early this year. Hell, the stores have had Halloween decorations up since June; don't judge ME.
Next month perhaps I'll delve more into the possibilities of Horror/Scary crossovers with Fantasy, but for now, I'll talk about one thing that Bad Guys in both genres tend to have at their (sometimes literal) disposal:
Minions. Also known as toadies, flunkies, hirelings, servitors, etc.
Not the cute ones from Despicable Me, either - though that was an excellent movie. I'm talking about the unholy army of darkness, here (as opposed to the army of dorkness one might encounter at a science fiction convention).
Now, minions are often used as comic relief, much as they were in the aforementioned movie. And if they're used that way, that's great; I'm all for comic relief. Also, often the Good Guy has minions, too; they're just never called that. They're called silly things like "friends" or "companions" or "employees" or something a lot less dark. That's always bugged me, so one day I'm going to write a story where the protagonist has toadies, flunkies, hirelings, servitors, or whatever.
But I digress. If not used for comic effect, then minions - either of the Good Guy or the Bad Guy (in this context, "guy" isn't gender-specific) - need a reason. Motivation. Not just purpose - their purpose is obviously to advance the plot (in terms of the writing) or further the aims of their leader (in terms of the story).
When writing minions into a story, though, you need to know - even if you don't necessarily convey it to the reader - why they're working for their employer. The reason for this is simple: you need to know, for plot purposes, what it would take to turn their allegiance. One of the most effective plot twists, despite overuse, is the Betrayal. It works because it immediately changes the reader's perception of everyone's relationship, and stories are all about relationships.
And the defection of a minion is a cause for despair if it's a minion of the protagonist - and a cause for triumph if it's a minion of the antagonist. What's really fun is when you have a minion of the antagonist seem to turn, but actually end up finding out that she was working for the antagonist all along.
So, what are some possible motivations for minions? Well, the simplest one is: money. But it's also the easiest to turn. If the bad guy's paying the minion $2 an hour, and the good guy offers her $2.50, the minion has motivation to turn. This is not good writing.
Better writing involves getting inside the minion's head. "I'm working for the villain because if I don't, she'll kill my whole family." "I'm working for the good guy because I have a sense of honor." "I'm just in it for the money, but I have the integrity to see the job through instead of turning traitor." "I'm secretly in love with my employer and will do whatever he tells me to do." "Isn't my boss great at mind control? I barely even notice it, myself!" That sort of thing.
Or, like My minions, perhaps they're in it for the sheer joy of being associated with someone as awesome as I am.
In short, don't make the minions two-dimensional. Even if it's only in your head, know why they're doing what they're doing. Your readers will thank you for it.
Your minions will have no choice but to like it. |
To get us in the mood for October, let's look at a genre I rarely link here: Gothic. While often regarded as more tangential to the Horror genre, there's enough crossover with the conventions of Fantasy that it's worth a look.
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Last time, in "Fantasy Newsletter (September 1, 2010)" , I wrote about the importance of learning basics such as spelling, grammar and punctuation.
jackhatchet:
I think you did a good job making this you always have to know the basics before you do anything in life.. So thumbs up for you dude
While you do need to know the basics, don't let that stop you from writing - just be sure to edit it!
atwhatcost:
Thylacine asked for magazines that accept short stories for Fantasy, and you suggested some of us might know. I could find one I found for fairy tales, and can give info on others through Facebook, but it would help if we knew which kind of fantasy. My fantasy tends towards urban fantasy featuring stuffed animals. Hows that for a sub-genre? 
But, that's an idea for a newsletter, ask and we can all work towards sending in our sugesstions for magazines that publish our sub-genres. After all, isn't "Fantasy" one of the broadest genres for writing?
stuffed... animals? Ohhhhhhhkaaaaaayyyyy.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Sometimes, pictures are good fantasy things, and the captions can be quite funny. (Included item: "My Big Bad Wolf Images" [E]}
Thanks for sharing!
Joy  :
I loved your first sentence, Robert. It could be the beginning of something big.  *hint*
And you touched a very important point. We can't be careful enough; yet, we'll all stumble once in a while.
Thanks for a great newsletter.
That's right; I'm going to be a rock star, baby. You knew me when.
Cynaemon  :
Thank you for a great newsletter. I totally agree with you that spelling and technical errors really detract from one's writing. I have run across some items that are so poor in the spelling and technical department that I don't even bother to read and rate them.
I hear that a lot.
cafeaulait:
:When reading over my work, I find it helps if I print it off and even read it out loud. Sometimes I think we get so used to reading things quickly on the screen that our eye skids over the errors in spelling, the inconsistencies in plot and the grammar mistakes.
That's true, especially with poetry, but also with any type of writing. It does take time, though. But sometimes you need to take the time to polish the writing. Again, I don't mean to imply that someone who has trouble with these sorts of things can't write. Technical issues are among the easiest to fix. But you gotta DO it.
dstaley:
Hurray for pointing out this need! I am guilty of errors in grammar and spelling, but, man, I sure appreciate folks who at least try to make their piece readable. Thanks for the reminder!
We all make mistakes. The key is to go back and find them and fix them. And, of course, to get to the point where the mistakes are minimized and we can concentrate on other aspects of writing. It's a never-ending process of learning. Anyone who thinks they've learned enough... hasn't.
LJPC - the tortoise  :
Amen, to your call for better grammar, Robert. Reading stories with many mistakes is exactly like the metaphor you used - listening to out-of-tune music. If you want to play, study and practice. If you want to write, learn the rules. There are plenty of places online to get help and learn. There's no excuse for writers who shrug and say, "Well, I'm just no good at grammar", make no effort, yet expect to be reviewed.  Yup, it's pet peeve of mine.
-- Laura
Yep!
LDSmom :
Playing guitar isn't as hard at it seems at first, once you get your fingers toughened up. I took lessons as a teen, but I quit playing in my 20's. Now I am in my 40's and working at picking it back up. Keep practicing; you will get it.
Good advice on the grammar, too. Commas are my pitfall.
Grammar, spelling and punctuation aren't as hard as they seem, either. Once you know the rules, you know them. And at least you know where your weakness is (commas). That means you know what to concentrate on!
A quick plug - if you're planning to do NaNoWriMo this year, in Fantasy or Science Fiction or whatever genre, I can't recommend this activity enough:
And that's it for this time - tune in next month to see what else I do for Halloween! Until then,
DREAM ON!!! |
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Fantasy: September 29, 2010 Issue [#3988]
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