WaN Step Two: Create Your Dramatis Personae Part Two: The Villain

If this doesn't apply to your current novel, feel free to ignore this step.  

Creating your Dramatis Personae can be a daunting task. Which is why we're tackling this one category at a time. Two weeks ago, I focused on the protagonist(s). This week, it's the villain's turn. 

The Villain is (alongside the protagonist) your most important character. He is the reason most things happen in the first place. Without him, you might have a story, but it won't be as good.

So, how do you go about crafting the perfect villain?

I start with a style of villain. 

There are several "styles" you can go with for a villain: 

• Manipulative 
• Heartless
• Calculating 
• Deranged
• Tyrannical

Several of these might sound the same on the outside. but let's dive into the different "styles" briefly before moving on. 

Manipulative: a manipulative villain is someone who is able to pull the strings and convince people to do what he wants without using force. (Loki is a good example of this.)

Heartless: a heartless villain is someone who doesn't care who gets in his way (regardless of age, gender, which side they're on) as long as he comes out on top. (I would put Lord Voldemort in this category.)

Calculating: a calculating villain is someone who knows the odds and is constantly figuring out how to work around these odds. (I would put Thanos in this category. You don't have to agree with me though.)

Deranged: a deranged villain is someone who appears to not be in their right mind and doesn't care who gets hurt. They find pain and suffering enjoyable. (Bellatrix LeStrange is a good example of this.)

Tyrannical: a tyrannical villain is someone who is already in power and who exploits that power for his own gain. (The White Witch from Narnia is a good example of this.)

Once you've chosen your "style", you need to make a record. Beef this character up. Give him a backstory, a worldview, and a name. Make him a fearsome being. You want him to strike fear into the hearts of all. Also, give him his reasons for doing what he does (this should be explained by his backstory). Why has he gone down this path? 

Your villain needs to have character growth just like the protagonist, but his doesn't have to be drastic. And it can be him just getting eviler, more deranged, etc. as the story progresses and the protagonist begins to win out. But make it believable. Don't have him be super evil the entire time than miraculously see the light and become good. That's not believable. 

Hope you enjoyed this and can go on to make really good villains!

~Puck

WaN Step Two: Create Your Dramatis Personae Part One: The Protagonist

     Step Two is creating your Dramatis Personae: your cast of characters. You can do this even if you don't have your plot. Who knows? As you create your characters, you might come up with great plot ideas you can use. 

    Your Dramatis Personae is not necessarily every single character that's going to show up in your book. For right now, we're sticking with just the main cast. For today, I'm going to focus on the protagonist(s). 

    The protagonist is your main character. He is the one that drives the story and sometimes narrates it. You can have more than one protagonist. I'd recommend not going over two protagonists. Three at most. Unless you have more than one person writing the novel with you. It's really hard to write each character's voice really well when you have more than one narrator. And you don't want your narrators to sound the same. 

    In my current novel project, I have two main characters: Spencer Haynes and Carson Graham. I have other major good characters, but these two are my main characters. They're the ones that drive the action. I don't have them narrate because it doesn't work with the genre I'm working with. These are the characters I'm going to spend most of my time with because they are two of the most important characters. 

    The protagonist needs to be one of your most developed characters. He needs to feel like a real person. And he needs to be realistic. Your reader needs to be able to relate and connect with him. Even if your character is an Elf, a dragon, or a weasel. He still will be relatable at some level. If he's not, your reader is not going to suspend their disbelief and your character won't be memorable. Here are a couple ways to make your character relatable:

1. Give him flaws. No person is perfect after all. But don't make his flaws so over the top. Give him realistic flaws. You don't want him to be someone who has a habit of stealing AND drinking. No thief would drink on the job. On the other hand, stealing is a perfectly logical character flaw. 
2. Have your character work towards fixing the flaw. For example, if your protagonist tends to be arrogant (his character flaw), then over the course of the story, he will be humbled. But make it a realistic change. And make it gradual. You don't want him to be extremely arrogant one chapter than perfectly humble the next.

    Your protagonist needs a backstory. You need to give him reasons for why he does what he does. For me, Spencer has had a hard life from growing up poor to suffering grief at the hands of his enemies. This has made him a fairly angry and violent person bent on revenge. But I've given logical reasons for why he is on this path. It wouldn't be believable if he was like that but had grown up as the son of a king who had anything he'd ever wanted and then suffered no grief. It just wouldn't add up. 

~Puck

WaN Step One: Get a Starting Point

    A starting point is one of the easiest parts of writing a novel. This is your idea. The thing that sparks the entire project. This could be a great character name, a new type of creature, a scene, a title, or a basic plot idea. My spy novel started when I decided to try to write something that had a bunch of characters based off of my favorite tv show and movie characters. That was my starting point. My characters are only loosely based off of these characters, but it was a great place to start. I still don't have my plot; I don't even have an inkling of an idea as to what it is fully about. I have my characters, I have a couple scenes planned out, I have a couple twists, and I have a starting point. 

    Once you have your starting point, you need to write it down. You don't want to forget your idea. And write it down with a pencil or a pen on a piece of paper. You'll remember it better if you do. 

    Important note: as you continue to create your characters, your world, and your plot, your starting idea might end up completely changed. But it got you started which is what a starting point is supposed to do. So go write down all your crazy ideas, your random characters, your new creatures, your exciting scenes. Go write them down and see what comes from it. 

~Puck

Writing a Novel Step by Step

 This week, I am starting a series about how to write a novel step by step. I'll include examples from my personal experience and Quill's (if Quill lets me). Please do note that I am not yet published, nor do I have a good track record of finishing what I start.... I'm hoping this will help me finish my current project. I'll be using my current novel in progress (a spy thriller taking place in 1955) to illustrate most of my points. To avoid confusion, when I talk about a broad type of character, I will use he/him. It's just going to be easier to stay consistent and since most of my characters tend to be male it makes sense. I will be posting every other Friday starting tomorrow. Hopefully, you find this helpful. :)

~Puck