Monday, June 22, 2015

duh-dun...

Today, we're talking one of my favorite things:

Villains


And we're talking about them through one of my favorite old movies:

Jaws


Simplicity




As I'm sure you know, sometimes in our stories, the villains end up with such a backstory that they're difficult to understand. I've seen it happen many a time, where there's too much going on and the villain becomes more interesting and complex than the hero...

And I'm sure I don't have to say this, but that's not generally a good thing.


Simplify your villain

1. Give them one specific "theme"


For Jaws, this is literally a theme. Duh-dun. Duh-dun. Duh-dun. You get the point. We all know exactly what's coming when we hear that music -- and we should know something of what's coming when there's a scene with your villain. They need to be so memorable and real that there's no doubt in our minds of what's going through their heads, of what really matters to them and what they're fighting for -- even if it is insane.

2. Give them a simple backstory


With Jaws, this is easy. The villain is a shark. It's already villainized by popular culture. People are terrified of sharks for some reason.

Your villains need to have that, too. They need to be something that inspires fear, something that we want to avoid and fight against. Because if they're not, then they just fall flat and nobody cares. Short version, we need to care about your villain too.

3. Give them an opposite to fight against


In Jaws, the shark was fighting against Brody. Well, sort of. It's not a perfect metaphor. Bear with me. Your villain needs someone who doesn't have that simple backstory, someone who we care more about because of their huge story, to fight against. Jaws did that by showing us various parts of Brody's life outside of his career, but there are many other ways to do it.

The point is, there needs to be an opposite.


What are your favorite simple villains? Let me know in the comments!

[love]

{Rani Divine}

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