I made artwork of my 2nd MC, Thalia Izka, from book one of my epic fantasy series💙💙💙💙. I'm a bit tickled. She looks exactly the what I imagined her to be in book 1. #fanartfriday #amwriting #amwritingfantasy # https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq0chaZA8aq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17f7wpmdrq9r
There are different types of antagonists. Choosing the right one for your novel is the first step. Without having an antagonist, something that will enable your protagonist from reaching their goal, your novel will suffer from boredom. If your antagonist is a character in your novel remember that they are the most important character in your book. Without them, there is no conflict for your character to solve.
What helps me when I am defining my antagonist. I fold in a piece of paper in half and write on the left side ‘My Protagonist’ and on the right side, I write ‘My Antagonist’. Under both titles I write; What they want, why they want it, and what will they do if they get it? I suggest when writing your Antagonist’s desires out, write them as if they are who you are rooting for.
Now that you have your Antagonist’s Desires and Motivations down. If you haven’t given them a name or background, this is a good time to start building it up. You can start with their basic profile. Hair, skin, race, eye’s, marital status, children etc… But there are more things to add to this villain. Remember, everyone is born innocent. Look at what your protagonist has and wants, and their background, and mirror your antagonist after them. But cause your antagonist to have the negative results. Your Protagonist might be jealous of his brother who gets everything and decides to leave the city. Your antagonist might kill his brother and hide his body, rather than leave the city. Keep in mind that your antagonist MUST be pushed into this direction with reasonable reasons. NO!!! I AM NOT SAYING TO GO OUT AND KILL SOMEONE OUT OF JEALOUSY!!!! I’m just saying that bad guys do bad things.
If your novel is a romance with no murderers then a character trying to beguile someone into committing adultery or cheat on their partner could be possible. The antagonist can be someone also in love with the boyfriend or girlfriend of their best friend. Jealousy is a big conflict starter.
Remember that your antagonist needs to have valid reasoning. The believable reasoning behind their actions. They believe themselves to be right at all times. And you MUST believe them to be right when writing them out as well. Otherwise, they will not feel real.
Write out their past experiences in a ‘connect the dot’ fashion and draw a line from each dot, writing out what negative results could drive from this experience. Write out their emotions and even keep a journal, and write from their (depressed) mindset of how these things make them feel and what they want to do. Actions tell a reader more about the character. “Stab someone with a pencil in school. Rape their new secretary… etc. < those examples were brutal for me to write. But people are pushed to react to bullies or by own self-impulse. Make your antagonist brutal, ruthless, merciless.
Even if you start out with your antagonist being the bad guy, you still need to know their background. That will give you a better sense of why they behave the way they do, now in the present tense of your novel. The outcome for how your antagonist is at the end of your story is your choice. If you want them to have redemption, then add it, but don’t forget to slowly add redeeming action and reaction coming from his part throughout the novel. Maybe at the beginning of your novel, they’d gut the protagonist without a second thought, but instead, they give them water, and exchange conversation, showing emotion in the antagonists face, their body language. Then if they capture the protagonist again they let them free, but soon after regret their decision. (The antagonist is now having self-conflict). You can also keep them savage. The choice is up to you to tell your story. But remember a great novel has awesome characters. Including the Antagonist!
Characters will make the story or wreck it, so it is imperative to have well thought out well-defined characters. There are many ways to learn a character. You can be the good guy and take them out to the coffee shop, grab some coffee, and sit down, and ask them basic questions as if you were going on a blind date. Write their answers down. Or you can be rude and a stalker like myself and get in their journals. Get in your character's mindset and write situations out in flushed, details of what happened and how they felt afterward. You can introduce people into their lives and they may never make it into your book, but these situations affect will build character and you will get an understanding of how they feel towards certain scenarios and certain people. Now to have a starting point of how your character's personality is from the beginning. use the zodiac charts. Whichever sign or animal you decide will give you examples of how people with these signs may act in relationships whether they are platonic or not. They will also give you an idea of how they are in the work field and what jobs they are most likely to have. This may not matter in your novel, your character may not need to be in a job, but most often they do. The best thing I find about using zodiac signs is you get a list of negative traits and positive traits. You can decide how much of these traits your character has. and DON'T forget that backstory will also help you decide what traits will work best for each character. If your character was abandoned as a little child then separation anxiety might be a something they struggle with. Or they might embrace being alone and hate crowds. If your character was lost at sea and found on a deserted island, the chances of them getting on a boat are probably so low that.... Godzilla has a better chance of showing up. A child born in a rich family might suffer from a dependency on their parents. These are the basic steps that I take when I'm creating a character. I hope you find these tips to be helpful in your own writing.
Boots Of Honor Paul Hamilton was a soldier who woke up in the hospital only to find his life had changed completely. He struggled with being an amputee and sank deeper into depression. But when Zoe Mason walked into his life, she challenges him to learn to love himself.
(on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/UiNb/y8Ir0NS0SH
Spiderman and Cheeta-girl hit the streets, and they had a blast!
I am looking for someone to create a portrait of one of my Protagonists, if you know anyone wanting to build a portfolio and make extra money. Please have them contact me. -Sarah Matthews.
some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
IM USING THIS EVERY DAMN DAY. FUCK THESE ARE GIFTS FROM GOD.
Submitted by mewritefantasy (follow her for some great short stories and a multitude of posts about writing)
Glimpsing over her shoulder, she screams, “Hurry up Billy! They’re coming!” She shakes his shoulder causing him to drop the stone.
“Stop Thea!” He growls, searching the ground frantically, knowing time is running out for them. “This would be so much easier if it wasn’t so dark!” Fear grips his throat, “Forget about it. Just go!” Each word squeezes from his lungs with panic. “Go! Get in!” He closes the door behind them just before the trolls reach them.
“Stupid idiot! I told you not to mess with that rock! Now look at us!” Thea covers her face with her cold hands.
“It’s okay. We’ll be okay.” Billy pulls her into his arms, but she pulls back.
“It’s NOT okay! We are trapped by thousand year old hungry trolls!” Thea cries. “Why didn’t you just listen to me?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s just a myth. I didn’t think it would work.”
“Myths are dangerous! People think that’s all they are. Stories made up, but they’re not just stories! They are legends!” Steady streams of tears drip from her chin. “Billy. My grandma told me stories about these trolls and the destruction that follows them.”
“Come one, we need to get going. We can’t stay in here.” He stands holding his hand out.
“What’s that smell?” Thea asks, standing to her feet, covering her nose. “Did you fart?”
He laughs, “No! Did you want me too?” He continues walking, smelling the air. “Smells like sulfur.” He stops moving. “Is sulfur combustible?”
“Yes. Why?” Thea, looks at him.
Billy flies towards the door. “We need to get out of here now!”
“But the trolls?”
“If we don’t go now, we will become barbecue, and I don’t know about you but I personally don’t want those trolls finding out if I’m white meat or dark. Or worse, their favorite.” He pulls the door open, and run out after Thea. “Go, go, go!” He shouts running into the Bonee Forest. They make it several hundred meters away from the underground tunnel when it explodes.
“Let’s keep going!” Thea, looks at Billy, barely able to keep up with her cross country stamina. “We need to get back to my grandma’s house and find a way to stop these trolls or kill them.”
“That’s fine. hopefully these trolls don’t know who your grandma is.” he looks at Thea, does your grandma bake cookies?” Thea gives him a perplexed look.
“Grandma!” Thea shouts, bursting into the white house.
“Thea?” Marge hushes, hurries out from her room, closing the door behind her. “What’s the matter?”
Thea grabs her grandma’s hands, “Trolls! The trolls are out!”
“TROLLS? Silly girl. There are no trolls! Go home.” Marge holds her finger in the air, listening to crackling sounds coming from the kitchen. She grabs her broom from the closet and makes her way slowly into the kitchen. “Who’s this idiot in my Kitchen?” She shouts, catching Billy eating Captain Crunch cereal. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Billy. Thea’s friend. She told me you bake, but I didn’t find any cookies.”
She gives him a glare, stepping closer, grabbing her box of cereal, “I’m going to bake your soul.”
“Grandma, the trolls are real. Billy here, rubbed your blue star gem against the dragon skin.” Marge’s eyes swell as her chest starts getting heavy.
“I spent twenty-nine years trapping them in that stone, and this moron lets them out?” She shakes her head, “They will be after that stone, that’s for sure.”
Billy and Thea stare at each other. “What will happen if they get it?” Billy asks, with a burning in his chest.
She gives him a grave look, “Then it will be nearly impossible to stop them.”
“Is there any other way?” He shoves the remaining handful of cereal in his mouth. “What’s with the mystical juju? Thea doesn’t know how it works.”
“Do you?”
“How dare you make that call without my permission!” King Herold grips the back of Silas neck. “Do you have any idea what you just did!” Spit flies out of the kings mouth as he growls. Fear fills the young warriors eyes. Each word stuttering from his lips, “I’m sorry Mi-Lord.” “Not as sorry as you’re going to be. Gerrard! Put this brave warrior front and center. He wants to play commander, We’ll give him a commanding position.” Gerrard nods the boy to follow.
The army of goblins swarm in swinging their zyphos blades, rattling roars ring out from the beasts. Rocks chatter against the others, vibrations of the army ripple up the warriors legs, making their blood pulse adrenaline through their veins. Herold jumps upon his horse, holds his sword up, “Archers! Lace your bows! Men! Ready your weapons!” He looks down at the young warrior. “Are you ready?” Silas nods, beads of sweat pour from his brow, He holds his sword up, shaking in his sandals….
Image Prompt: Picture This!
Write the first thing that comes to mind and go with it. Tag TheWritersphere so we can see what you came up with.
“Get in there!” The night guard commands, shoving Dawn into the cell chamber.
“Let me out of here!” Dawn screams, slamming her hands against the steal door until the pain tells her to stop. She slides to her knees, sobbing. “I shouldn’t have went out with him. Why didn’t I just listen to my mom?”
“You live and you learn. That’s how life is.” The deep echoing voice made Dawn jump to her feet. She edged the concrete wall only finding a large mattress covering an even larger rock slab. “It’s not as cozy as it looks. but it feels better than the floor.”
Dawn steps towards the center of the cell. “Who are you?” she asks, looking around the empty room, “and where are you?”
“My name is Silas Stronggenbocker. My father is the leader of this monster making facility.” A menacing growl fills the room. Dawn immediately covers her ears, jumping back towards the wall. “Stupid idiot!” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry for my outbursts. You have no idea how long I have been in here. What my father has done to me. Here, let me show you.” His chuckle fills the room. “Now, I need to warn you. I haven’t had a shower in over a month, so I smell rather funky. It’s one of my punishments for breaking out of here.” He takes interest in watching her probe the room for weakness.
The small sense of hope that filled her mind started to dissolve quickly. “You broke out of here?” She looks around the room again trying to figure out how.
“Sure a couple times.”
“How did you get out of here Silas?” She asks, excited, but frustrated with his somewhat waggish personality, and delay in answering her. She rakes her black hair from her face as he steps out from camouflaging with the concrete wall.
“Shit!” She jumps back hitting her head against the wall, stumbling to the floor.
“Easy now! Brain damage is real and so is brain surgery, and trust me dear. You do not want my father poking around in your cerebellum.” Silas takes a deep breath, releasing a heavy sigh, “Poor Lucinda.”
Dawn rubs the back of her head, keeping a steady eye on the giant. He stood only a few feet from the ceiling. Her eyes dance over his massive muscles. He would intimidate Lou Ferrigno in his younger years.
Silas extends his hand. “There use to be two windows above the bed. They filled them in with concrete and six inch steal traps after I broke out the last time. Before that it was through the front door. You know the one they shoved you through.” He looks at Dawn, patiently waiting for her to take his hand. Nervously she takes his hand and stands.
“Thank you.” She dusts her pants off. “So why did they put me in here with you. You’re not going to eat me,” she raises her brow, “are you?”
He laughs out loud, “No. Not at all.” She scratches his forehead. “Um, They are hoping we will create another, me.” His hand rubs the back of his neck, watching her green eyes fill with curiosity.
“How would that happen?” He looks at her for a moment hoping he wouldn’t have to answer, then towards the bed. “Ah hail no!” She yells. “Never gonna happen!” She rests her hands on her hips, laughing with sarcasm. “Poor Lucinda. Yeah right!” She rolls her eyes. “Your father is one sick old man! I mean to put two people in a cell who, first; don’t know anything about one another, hoping they will do the ‘you know, birds and the bee’s kinda thing,’ when theres probably cameras in here.” She screws her face up, “That’s an award winning, Eww!”
“I know! That’s what I keep saying. I mean, can you imagine another me? I’m a freak!” He laughs trying to hide the pain burning in his soul. His father took everything away from him. A normal happy life with someone who would look at him and not see a freak.
Silas turns back facing her. “Do you think I’m a freak?” The look he gave her stabbed her heart.
She touches his colossal forearm. “No Silas, not at all. Actually I find you quite attractive. You are pretty big, but who doesn’t like a diesel?” The left corner of his lips curl up. “You know,” she leans in closer, “if we combine our thoughts, maybe we can get out of here together. You could be free completely.”
He stares into her eyes “I really like that plan. Do you have any ideas of getting out? Because I have been looking for weeks, and I am fresh out of them.”
Dawn traces the cell vigilantly, “What about here?” She whispers pointing to the large vent in the ceiling….
Moral of the story: Don’t beat yourself up for having less then perfect writing skills. We all have much room to grow and we all need feedback from others before our story can become the best version of itself. A good story can take many, many drafts to get right, and while there are tricks to help you achieve this quicker, no one will ever have it perfect right away.
Keep trying to write better first drafts, but don’t fault yourself when they won’t turn out the way you want them too.
One of the strongest bonds that link us to our favorite stories is the emotional tie, or books that sink a fist right into our guts. When you finished a book where you couldn’t let go of after the last page, chances are, the author successfully punched you in the spleen. If you’ve ever wondered how to do just that, here are some of my favorite methods:
Hello! I've been a fan of your blog for a long time now, and I would appreciate it if you could answer my question. My oc got taken into a household but two years later a maid from there has made papers to adopt him as her son (At this point he is 15) . My oc is very sensitive and emotional. How should I write this scene and describe his emotions without it getting too cheesy? Thank you!
Hi, dear! Thanks for your question and your patience
That sounds like such a sweet scene! I love strong family themes – especially adoption, because it sends such a strong message of hope and fresh beginnings. Those are good sentiments to focus on for this part of your story, and to use thematically with new phrases, new environments, and new plots. Be sure to make the reader feel like they’re entering into an exciting new chapter of your OC’s life!
But you do want to keep it from being melodramatic. I have a few tips for you to think about…
That’s all I’ve got for you right now, but if you need more help, you know where to find us! Thanks again, and good luck :D
– Mod Joanna ♥️
