They are the characters everyone usually hates in a book.
I often use them as a catalyst for the conflict. They are my seedy characters and tend to make your skin crawl (or at least I think and hope so).
In The Surrender of a Lady, my villain is actually an all around nice kind of guy. Yes, he has a harem full of slaves, and he keeps his pretty birds leashed inside their palace prison, but he cares for them in his own way. Still, he is a villain.
Before I went into my rewrite for The Seduction of his Wife (actually long before that), I knew I needed to feature my villain more than I previously had. I was avoiding writing more scenes with him. I dreaded thinking about him. Gooseflesh prickles on my arms whenever I conjure him up in my head (probably because I know him better than everyone else).
When writing, I like to get right into my characters head and portray them as I see them through their eyes (hey, I’m a writer, I’m allowed to be strange). I did NOT want to do this with Waverly. Pardon my French but, he scared the shit out of me.
You want to know why? Simple answer really. He was crazy! His mind so far gone from his abuse of drugs that he’s stark raving mad. Crazy as a cat strung out on a bag full of catnip. The devil in sheepskin is Waverly to a tee.
One of my crit partners suggested I do some scenes from his point-of-view when I was stuck on how to up the ante in the conflict department. I was quick to scream… ARE YOU CRAZY? Waverly is a lunatic, I am NOT going into his head. He scares me. I know he’s not real, but when you are writing a book the characters kind of come to life. Hell, I dream about my characters! I couldn’t imagine dreaming about Waverly. I get the shivers just thinking about him.
I don't know how some writers go into the bad guys point of view. I envy them their ability (on second thought, maybe not). There was no way I could tell a scene from Waverly's POV. I liked keeping him out of my head. I like to think it was safer and easier to stay sane that way.
For writers and readers--what are some of the creepiest villains you've read in romance? What made them creepy? For the other writers out there--how do you deal with villains in your writing? Do you dive right into their head? See them from a safe distance (in another character's pov), or avoid them altogether?
17 comments:
Oh, Tiff. Fabulous question. My very worst villain is Eden's stepfather in Tempting Eden, as we all know. I skirted around his mind, having him express himself only in the prologue and in the book he commissioned. I did start to write in his POV, but it was too immediate, so putting him in print worked for me. He's worse than Waverly, LOL, because he's made a very consious decision to go as far as he can to manipulate people. There ARE people like him---fortunately none of my friends!
And then there's Bay's crazy ex-wife, her biological clock ticking.She has good reasons to be unhinged, so I had to give her a happy ending in MBM.
Most of my other bad guys are more bumblers than evil. I'm not sure I'll ever write a true "bad guy" again. I tend to avoid reading books that feature villains (no romantic suspense for me).
LOL! No romantic suspense, eh?
Yes, Ivor in Tempting Eden was AWFUL! And he damn well knew he was the worst sort of person, and he didn't care. He was creepy to read. I think that was creepy on a whole new level.
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Fitting how we're talking about villains today, too. ;-)
The only villain I came close to writing was the one in mss #2, buried forever under the bed. And we all know how unsuccessful that mss was. Dead lion. Dead secondary character. Villain gets away (I mean, he does get captured later but reader never sees it). I mean, seriously, WTF was I thinking with that novel?!
I like writing antagonists. I'm writing a delicious one now. And I LOVE writing anti-heroes.
But I'm not so good at writing villains. I'll let you all handle that arena.
I just killed the villain in my latest WIP. He's easily, the most twisted villain I've dreamed up to date. I did several scenes from his POV, and though it made me a bit sick, it also gave me a thrill to put myself in his mind and think 'evil' thoughts. He's actually very much in love with my heroine, except he has very terrible ways of showing it.
I've never written a true villain either. The closest I've ever gotten is the corporation in the second book that wants to build a superstore in Gentry.
I don't read much romantic suspense either. Even Nora Roberts' villains give me nightmares. I still shudder when I think about the ending of Divine Evil.
Great blog, Tiff! The bad guy in MOST WANTED, a romantic suspense by Michele Martinez is one of the scariest villains I've encountered. She goes into his mind at various points throughout the story and I don't mind telling you, he scared the living crap out of me. I stayed up until 3am finishing this book and, as good as it was (and it's a really good story), it was mostly because I was too afraid to go to sleep! LOL!
As scary as it is for me to read about a character like that, I can't begin to imagine what it must be like for the author who has to live in his mind along with him. You have my utmost respect!
LOL, Ely... so true, you did have that villain in book two!
Danica, I love killing villains. Wouldn't want the real bads ones out on the loose! You are a brave soul for seeing through their eyes!!
Janga, I've heard a lot about Divine Evil... I've avoided it for the disturbing factor I think.
PJ, I was going to ask if you slept after reading the book! I can imagine it was a fitfull sleep! Gotta save the creepy ones for daylight hours! LOL
I love villains that are sooo evil but still have that something special to them where you can't understand why you enjoy them so.
I do love a really evil villain. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the villain in my WIP is not the most evil character. They are a victim of their own greed and ambition.
I don't know what it is about the viewpoint of a villain, but they just don't do it for me. I never really get too freaked out by a villain and I don't know if it's because I don't care to or what. I can appreciate that they're evil, but I never get tied up in the emotion. Weird?
Great blog!
I don't really write villains, but I think it would be fun to write from the POV of one. My characters are always so vanilla and ordinary, it would be fun to play with madness for a change.
I say this having never tried it, of course. :)
I haven't read RS in forever. The last one might have been from Marianne Stillings. The heroine is a psychic and it looks as if the killer is one of her clients. You get the killer's POV throughout and it was very creepy. Turned out not to be the client at all. Great twist at the end.
Katiebabs, makes it hard to go to bed after reading those kinds! Who are some of your faves?
Steph, do you have someone more evil aside from your villain? I can only write my psychopaths one at a time! LOL
Terri, I loved that Stillings book. The hero was a cop who didn't believe in her psychic gifts, right?
Yep, that's right. I had to check my shelves. It was Arousing Suspicions.
Made me go out and get her backlist which are still on the TBR. Dang, I need to get to those.
Terri,
I believe that was the book that had me buying up her backlist too. I'm sure it was the first I read of hers... green cover, hot naked back of man! LOL
Well, my favourite villains are the ones that make you wonder if they can be redeemed. :) I loved Karnage for that in Dark Immortal.
In terms of the villains who won't be redeemed and make you want to shiver with fear...definitely Captain Randall in Outlander.
Oh yeah, very nice back. :)
What makes them creepy? At how 'sane' they sound as they explain WHY they're being creepy. *LOL* When their motives are perfectly justified that you could understand and EMPATHIZE with them--that's when I get creeped out. *LOL*
Julie Garwood's villains always creep me out. She does a good job, I think.
And I haven't read Tempting Eden yet, but I will soon!!!
Kris, He's one of the most awful people ever! Randall... ugh....
Hellion, I've never read a Garwood. I wonder if I have any of her books on my TBR, this is a possibility! LOL
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