Devil's Food: Writing Compelling Villains
I had to look this one up. Why is it called Devil's Food Cake, and how is it different from a traditional chocolate cake? Good ol' Wikipedia told me that 1) It's called Devil's Food because its color is counterpart to the white or yellow Angel Food cake and 2) It's different from chocolate cake in that it is traditionally made with cocoa, rather than chocolate, and with some shredded beets to give it a reddish, or "devilish" color.
Beets in cake, sounds weird to me. But then I thought, well, shredded carrots makes a delicious carrot cake, so what the heck. Beets just seems like something incredibly unique to put into a cake. And that's when I made the connection: to write a compelling villain, they need to have something incredibly unique about them too.
"I like villains because there's something so attractive about a committed person - they have a plan, an ideology, no matter how twisted. They're motivated." -Russell Crowe
Love that quote! So, how do I make my villain unique or compelling, or in Russel Crowe's words, attractive? I think it's different for every person, but I gave my villain the following three things:
1) A weird quirk. My villain talks to a picture of his girlfriend as if she's really in the room with him. "She" encourages him and also argues with him, adding a unique inner dialogue within my villain.
2) A back story. Though short, it makes it clear that something in his past (ridicule and disbelief from peers that he was smart enough to pull something thing off) has driven him to prove them wrong and redeem himself in their eyes and in the eyes of others too. Because of this ridicule he is disillusioned, thinking he is doing what is good for others but not being aware of how his deeds affect others.
3) He's powerful. For my villain, his power is his intelligence. He's ridiculously smart. So much so that he is driven to prove his intelligence no matter the cost. Even if it causes people to get hurt.
So there you have it. A villain needs something unique to make them an attractive character. They can't be all bad, there should be something human and compelling about them.
What traits do you think a compelling villain should have?
It's amazing some of the vegetables that make great cakes! Like courgettes and yes - beetroot! I love the colour of a beetroot cupcake!
ReplyDeleteI think calling a cake devilish makes it even more attractive! I truly think villains who are bad, oozing sex and are thoroughly twisted for a reason or reasons are just fabulous! Take care
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I agree Jenn, a good realistic villain is compelling, unique, and human. I love that your villain talks carries on conversation with his ex's picture. OCD and weird tendancies do make for an interesting, memorable character. And yes, he/she must have some sort of talent or power--a weak, wimpy villain is just not believable.
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