These are the names and the stories that stick with us. And sometimes? We love them anyway.
But how does one create a memorable villain, worthy of one’s story? Here are some tips.
#1 – Avoid under-developed villains
Remember, villains have their own lives, outside of thwarting your protagonist. They need to be 3-dimensional characters with motivations that make sense — even if you disagree with their decisions.
#2 – If you must use a cliche, add a twist
The childhood trauma, the revenge on the government/mob/whatever, the delusion that they’re doing good…make sure you’re not following the formula too closely.
#3 – Make Sure Your Villain Isn’t Underpowered
The protagonist has to work for their win, you don’t want to just hand it to them. There has to be credible belief that the villain might win. Readers appreciate (while they’re cursing you) the anticipation and anxiety they experience during a narrow win, much better than the easily thwarted villain.
#4 – Flawed Villains
Villains are only human. (Most of them) Typically, it’s their own personal flaw that leads to the protagonist’s ability to win the day–or at least a stalemate. Pride is traditional, but something has to get them to lose control of themselves and/or the situation.
NOTE: The flip side to this is that the protagonist should win by CONQUERING their own personal flaw. Maybe not permanently, but facing it and accepting it during the story’s climax.
#5 – Villain Doesn’t Need To Mean Evil
Bad guys don’t have to be evil to oppose the protagonist. Was Mr. Smith evil (at least at first)? They just need to have conflicting goals. The teacher who’s trying to get the class to behave, the parents who just want what’s best for their children, the dedicated priestess of Cthulu who just wants the ancient ones to devour humanity… Oh, wait. Ignore that last one.
In one recent movie that I won’t name for fear of spoilers, the protagonist ends up agreeing with the villain’s argument–albeit, not their methods. Just because you’re the bad guy, doesn’t mean you aren’t right.
#6 – The Villain doesn’t have to be there in person
Often, your protagonist doesn’t even know who they’re up against when they start out on their journey. They just keep running into impediments and/or conflicts without finding the source.
And if they do figure out who’s to blame? Often, it starts with just a little whisper. A rumor.
Voldemort. Fisk. The Serpent Queen.
#7 – The Villain can be representational
Sometimes, the villain isn’t a distant bad guy. Sometimes, the true bad guy is an organization. And, be it the government, the mob, or some other sort of societal aim, you can use an agent of said organization to embody the villain for your protagonists.
The Operative in Firefly, Ms. Coulter in The Golden Compass, they’re both stand-ins for the true enemy.
And there you have it. 7 tips for writing better villains!
If you ask a group of writers how they approach a part of their writing process, you’re going to get as many answers as there are writers–and sometimes more.
Today I’m reviewing a discussion by a group of writers on how to make fantasy feel real.
No matter if you prefer:
to write a story based on reality — with just enough fantastic elements to make your story work
to create your world from the ground up
to mix it up a bit
and no matter if:
you’re a pantser with no magic system
a world builder who adds the characters later
a white rabbit chaser til the end of the plot, when you look back and realize everything happens in ‘white rooms’ (before you edit…)
or your approach changes from world to world
these tips for writing fantasy worlds should work to help you draw your readers in, without invoking their sense of disbelief!
***
Top 5 Writing Tips For Making Fantasy Feel Real
Keep it internally consistent
The effort used to invoke the magic and the scope of the magic should match from spell to spell, no matter the scale.
Look at economics
If magic gives someone an ability, someone else will come up with a way to:
counter it
sell it
steal it
Make sure your character’s motivations make sense
Both for them,
AND for the world they live in
Different norms and cultural expectations exist in different times, places, social classes, and worlds
Avoid Anachronisms
You don’t want to mentally throw people out of your story
Check the weaponry in that time AND place
Stew takes four hours to cook
EVEN if you’re right, if most people don’t think that happened in your technological period or location, they’ll be pulled out of the story
NOTE: Ignore this tip for diversity. People in the dominant culture tend to paint everything in their history with a brush to match themselves. The real world isn’t usually that segmented.
If you can’t be true to a period, write around the edges
There are always the fringes of society, where the ‘norms’ break down
If your character doesn’t fit in, there’s usually SOMEWHERE they can go
If they’re willing to pay the price
***
How much are you willing to give to enthrall your readers with your world?
These notes are from the Balticon 52 panel, “Making Fantasy Feel Realistic”. The panelists were Leah Cypress, Lisa Hawkridge, Brenda Clough, and Jean Marie Ward.
Do you have any favorite tips for making fantasy seem real that I missed? Feel free to comment!
Thanks for watching. Please subscribe [<<<<] and tune in next Thursday for more writing tips and writerly musings.
What do agents want? What are publishers sick of? At Balticon52, I got the opportunity to hear a few of the industry leaders voice their opinions.
The panel was entitled “Pitches We’re Sick Of (And One’s We’d Like To See More Of), but since that’s not enough to fill an hour, it turned into a Question and Answer session.
***
Whose Opinions Were Shared And Why Should You Care?
Joshua Bilmes is the President of JABberwocky Literary Agency, which he founded in 1994. His clients include NY Times bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson, Charlaine Harris, Peter V. Brett, Jack Campbell, Elizabeth Moon and Simon R. Green.
Neil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning magazine, Clarkesworld. He is a six-time and current finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form.
The panel was moderated by Sarah Avery. Sarah’s first book, Tales from Rugosa Coven, won the 2015 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Her short fiction has appeared in Fantasy Scroll, Great Jones Street, and Jim Baen’s Universe, as well as Black Gate, where she was a regular contributor on series fantasy and teaching fantasy literature. With David Sklar, she coedited the Trafficking in Magic, Magicking in Traffic anthology.
Some urban fantasy subgenres are being overplayed.
Oz.
Note: Even if stories are still being published in a genre, that’s often because publishing contracts and schedules are arranged years in advance. Even when a genre is dead, it can take 2-3 years for a publishing agency to get rid of their backlog.
***
Pitches They’d Like To See More Of*
‘HopePunk’ (even if the term stinks)
I *think* it’s a dystopian future, where we actually solve current crisis. Like climate change or evolve into a more accepting species.
Diversified stories
It’s what the publishers are looking for
As the book reviewers themselves become more diverse, a wider variety of stories resonates with the reviewers.
Vampires seem to be coming back
Steampunk can’t be counted out for the next 3-5 years, but it’s on a downswing.
Short Sci-Fi sells better than short Fantasy.
But really? Whatever you’re passionate about! Agents can tell if you’re just chasing trends, and earnestness shows through. THAT’S the spark they want.
***
When To Approach Agents or Editors
NOT when they’re going into the bathroom – that’s their safe place
If they’re attending a convention and are on panels, they typically want to be found.
If they’re in a restaurant?
Is it next to the convention?
Are they at the bar, chatting away? Or off at a table in the back with one of their writers? Pay attention to context clues.
***
Rejections!
As any querying writer can tell you, a personalized rejection is worth its weight in gold!
What does it mean when an agent/publisher says, “It’s too similar to something I just bought/sold”?
It depends.
For some, it’s a polite brush-off.
For others, they only say it when it’s true.
For anthologies? Very likely true.
For magazine publishers? They can stagger release dates if needed…
*** Now, we pause for a brief interlude and the story of…***
Rejectomancy!
Once upon a time, Joshua submitted a story he was excited about from one of his writers to an editor. And this is what he heard back.
“I had to get a second read…”
“… because I couldn’t believe you’d sent me something so bad.”
Don’t use an adjective to describe your book itself
Don’t go over a page!
Don’t be cute or suck up
Your query letter is somewhere between a job interview and a cover letter for a resume.
Don’t write it from the main character’s point of view
Don’t summarize your story, especially when querying a short story
Don’t have a query longer than the story itself
Do include wordcount
Do follow the guidelines
Do pick a genre
Decide where your book goes on the library shelves and pick one.
Is it ever appropriate to respond to a rejection letter?
If they personalized the rejection, you can send a very brief ‘Thank You’ note.
NEVER respond negatively. If you can’t say anything nice, this is when you really shouldn’t say anything at all.
Is ManuscriptWishList.Com useful?
Joshua doesn’t use it, but at least one of his other agents does. Lack of inclusion doesn’t mean the agent isn’t skilled, inclusion doesn’t mean they are skilled. You still need to do your research.
Comp Titles
Comp titles (comparison titles) are often included in a query letter. Typically either two authors with similar writing styles and markets, or mash-ups where you can specify what aspect of that story you’re using. They have to be under 5 years, (preferably under 3), in your genre, and not run-away successes.
As I’ve said before, what sold 50 years ago isn’t what appeals to most modern audiences. Pacing, themes, POV preferences change.
So, what did our panelists have to say?
By using current novels, you’re showing that the trend you’re writing for isn’t dead.
Verdict? Useful for novels, but only if it’s a good match. If you’re trying too hard, it’s obvious and you should skip it.
Joshua noted here that no one can use Game of Thrones as a comp, (even if it wasn’t too popular) because there hasn’t been a new one published in over 5 years.
Not useful for magazines, but can be useful for anthologies.
***
Writing Contests Tips
NEVER pay to enter a contest or pay a “reader’s fee”
EXCEPT – Tenure-track professors often pay the entrance fee for college magazines…
EXCEPT – Some contests offer critiques/other services as a matter of course for having entered (RWA)
Fees currently should be <$50, preferably under $30
Verify their validity first, though.
Look at the contest’s readers
Who are you writing for?
Is that the path you want to go down?
Look at the past winners’ work
Did they write just for the contest, or are they writing like they want to be published?
Often, these will read very differently
Pay attention to how much time it takes away from your writing
Do you have to campaign for votes?
What other obligations does it create for you?
***
And finally:
When Is My Story Ready To Query?
As long as you feel that each round of edits is significantly improving your story, keep at it!
Storytime!
Brandon (Sanderson) submitted several manuscripts to Joshua. And Brandon kept getting rejected despite his wonderful (and steadily improving writing) because he couldn’t plot. Finally, when he submitted Elantris, Joshua looked at it and saw that the plotting could be fixed. That’s when he made the offer.
Submitting different stories to the same agent can pay off. But only if you keep working at your craft.
If you’ve been paying attention to the literary agency world in the last month or so, you probably heard about the embezzlement conviction of Darin Webb, the accountant for the 49-year-old UK literary agency: Donadio & Olson. Webb’s total theft? $3.4 MILLION DOLLARS.
Then, this opinion piece came out on kriswrites.com and was passed around, warning of the dangers and lack of oversight for all agents. It may have left you wondering… with all the risks, why would I want a literary agent?
Well, at Balticon 52, I got to hear a variety of perspectives from published authors who’ve had every sort of agent possible. Here are the stories of Leah Cypess, Keith RA DeCandido, CS Friedman, Tee Morris, and their hunt for a quality agent.
How These Writers Got Their Current Agent
CS Friedman started off with just a publisher. They handled all her negotiations and used their standard, boilerplate contract. After book 2 was published, two agents contacted her.
THAT’S when she found out that the standard contract with agents has her share at 80% of foreign sales or tv deals and the standard one, when it’s just publishers, had her share at 50%. Not a scam, just the standard rates.
Keith DeCandido got his start as an editor and broke into writing with media tie-in work, where there’s not much room for negotiation. So? Once he started original pieces, he already had contacts and knew who he wanted to ask and had the track record to appeal.
Leah Cypess spent years sending her works to publishers… 20 years ago when the market was different. And eventually, began to get rejections saying, “Not this, but do you have anything else?” Once they accepted her book, they suggested she get an agent.
Not knowing any better, she asked for their suggestions. This wasn’t a great idea for several reasons:
The agent felt compelled to say yes to maintain a good relationship with the publisher
She felt compelled to accept their suggestion
The agent wasn’t actually very familiar with her genre and market, and they were a mediocre match.
What Do Agents Do For You?
Other than the money, which a good contract lawyer might help with, what other reasons are there to get an agent?
They are your biggest fan
Many are editors and can make your story better
Or hire someone to do it for them
They take off the negotiation pressure
It’s a lot harder and trickier to run a bidding war for yourself!
They can yell at Editors FOR you so you can keep a good relationship with the editor
They have relationships with the Editors already
They know what books the publishers are looking for
They can vouch that you will fix [whatever] and that your ego won’t get in the way
It’s more convincing when someone else believes it
They manage your IP [Intellectual Property]
A good agent is neither a pushover nor belligerent
They’ll do right by you without making the editor’s life hell
Once you have an offer from an agent, it’s considered professional to send a notice to the other agents sitting on your query, giving them 1-2 weeks to decide.
Do NOT lie to get agents to make them respond faster. Agents talk.
Two weeks is about the limit, maybe three if it’s summer or a holiday. Longer than that will make an agent feel like you’re using their offer to find a better deal. Don’t do it.
When Should You LEAVE An Agent?
You worked so hard to GET an agent, you thought this meant you’d made it.
But sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. Now, this is something you don’t usually hear writers talk about, but 3/4ths of professional writers have left an agent.
Warning Signs
No news is NOT good news.
They should check in regularly and let you know what they’re doing for you (2-3 months is fine).
They’re not submitting your work or following up with the publishers.
6-9 months is a reasonable wait with publishers, but your agent shouldn’t just be sitting on their thumbs.
They’ve gone from no-contact to immediate deadlines with little warning.
Your career has changed direction and they don’t know your new market.
Your agent stopped fighting FOR you!
Maybe you didn’t sell like they’d hoped
Maybe they signed some fresher or bigger names
Maybe life came up and they’re distracted
It doesn’t matter the reason, once they’ve stopped being your supporter, it’s time to move on.
No matter your personal relationship, an agent-writer partnership is a professional one. And once they’ve accepted you on as their client? Your agent is actually your employee.
You should write a VERY professional (and not personal) break-up letter.
Remember, they STILL get their percentage on all contracts they’d negotiated for you. Like a divorce, you’re sharing custody of the “kids”. And typically? Your money goes to their agency and they pay out your portion.
WHAT? It should be the other way around! — Well, maybe. But this way, you don’t have to pay taxes on THEIR portion of the money.
When Don’t You Need An Agent?
Short story submissions. The money isn’t there and they typically don’t come into play.
Note: A cover letter from an agent CAN help with the top markets, though
If the publisher does ANYTHING to ask for stuff
That turns your manuscript into ‘SOLICITED’!
Note: Usually, waiting to hear back this way is even LONGER than with agents.
If they’re shmoozing about how they can ‘see it as a movie’. Movies are a hard field to break into, and literary agents have about nill influence there.
A Few Notes About Publishers
Publishers are ALWAYS looking for the “Next Big Thing”
Small publishers are hungry
But before you opt to go with them, pay attention to:
their audience
their resources
their current market
the quality of their products
Traditional publishers have known names lined up and will bump new authors back if they’re worried about the market impact
Their lead books get all the marketing money and the rest are ignored
BUT! They get you into every bookstore in the nation, so their lack of marketing is still exponentially greater than most small publishers can hope to achieve.
You typically get a smaller advance — for a wider distribution
***
Getting an agent is hard, but getting the RIGHT agent is harder. Here’s to hoping it’s a good match when you both swipe right.
At Balticon52, I had the opportunity to attend an Ask Me Anything panel of Editors and Publishers. Usually in my panel notes, I skim over the panelists to get to the meat, but in this case, I feel their expertise was part of the draw.
Scott H. Andrews – a writer, musician, and the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the online fantasy magazine Beneath Ceaseless Skies. He’s a six-time Hugo Award finalist and with his podcast, a five-time Parsec Award finalist. [Fun fact: he always gives personalized rejections!]
For non-querying writers, I know that sounds kinda… pathetic. But if you’re in the querying trenches, you know what that’s worth.
Neil Clarke – the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning magazine, Clarkesworld.
Ian Randal Strock– a writer, plus the owner and editor-in-chief of Gray Rabbit Publications/Fantastic Books (www.FantasticBooks.biz). Previously, he edited and published Artemis Magazine and SFScope. He also worked on the editorial staffs of Analog, Asimov’s, Science Fiction Chronicle, and many others.
(moderated by) Jeff Young – an award-winning author, bookseller, and editor of several anthologies.
So let’s get this rolling. Here are the questions.
1. What is Your Biggest Pet Peeve?
The top three answers were:
Zombie Stories — they’ve been done to past death
Writers who don’t READ THE GUIDELINES
Writers who argue with critiques Even if you disagree with the critique or the suggestion, don’t argue with someone who spent their time and energy to give you feedback. Give that section of your prose a closer look
Is it moving the story along?
What is it adding?
Could you do it better–not necessarily the way they suggested.
Photo by picjumbo.com on Pexels.com
2. Should A Writer Use Different Names For Different Genres?
As with all writing advice, it depends on the situation:
If you’re doing your own marketing, starting over with a new name doubles the amount of work you have to do to get traction.
If you’re with a large publisher, it can be helpful for the marketing.
That said, there are of course caveats:
You can end up getting shelved in the library/bookstores alongside whatever genre you first published in.
If you’re doing both Children’s books and explicit erotica — it can be helpful to make sure kids don’t end up with a book they probably didn’t mean to get.
Regarding publishing names in general:
When choosing which name to be published under (birth name or pen name), searchability reigns supreme.
You want to be high in the search result, but also easy to spell.
Simplified spelling, middle initials, mining family names, or deciding who you want to be shelved next to are good places to start.
3. How Has The Market Changed In The Last Ten Years?
The top 3 ways the market’s changed:
More exploring of the human condition in fantasy, a lot of the exploration is reactionary — which has a shorter shelf life. Morgan’s side note: It might be more overt, but I’d argue that fantasy has ALWAYS explored the human condition.
The rise in the respectability of online magazines.
