Monthly Musing: How Do You Feel About Villains?

"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


I find this quote interesting, since I think we're raised to dislike the villains and root for the princess or the hero or whoever happens to be the "good" person in a story.  I know many a writer who has struggled with creating their villains.  I am one of those writers.

I looked up the definition on dictionary.com and they seem just as confused about it as well.  One definition says a villain is "an evil character in a story", another says "a character who opposes the protagonist, whether intentionally or unintentionally".   In my WIP, my villain isn't out to destroy the world.  He isn't evil.  He's just a disillusioned guy who thinks he's trying to do good.  But since he's unintentionally opposing the protagonists, he's a villain. 

Who's your favorite villain?  For me, it has to be Snape from Harry Potter.  I guess Voldemort is the evil villain, but Snape is one too since there are times when he opposes Harry and his friends.  I think what I love so much about him is I never was sure if he was a bad guy or a good guy.  I saw glimpses of both in him.  And I think that's what makes him intriguing.  He wasn't all evil.  There were times he'd help Harry out.  And that's what makes him so unique.

So, your turn.  What do you think about villains?  And who's your favorite?

Creativity in the Classroom?

Do you think students' creativity is being squelched in the classroom?

I used to be a middle school English teacher before I became a stay-at-home mommy and writer and blogger.  The focus drilled into us teachers constantly by principals, vice principals, team meeting leaders, etc was the curriculum.  Teaching students what they needed for the next test and for those standardized tests that would prove to people that their children were not being left behind.

Now, I think it's awesome that we're making sure we're teaching our students what they need to know.  But I fear that in the process, we've taught students how to prepare for tests while putting their ability to think for themselves and to be creative on the back burner.  Not that critical thinking and creativity in the classroom don't exist, but they're not being encouraged as much as they should.

My last year of teaching, I decided to end our fiction unit by letting the students write a story of their own.  I was excited by the creativity that would follow.  I thought they would be excited too.  What I got instead were lots of questions.  "How is this being graded?"  "Why are we doing this, writing isn't on the test, right?"  "How long does it have to be?"  "What does it have to have in it?"

I got frustrated.  I wanted them to just write and be creative.  Without concern about their grade or page length.  Just to write.  And this very situation is what inspired the concept of my manuscript I began working on alongside those students.

Eventually they began to let go of their anxieties.  Those pencils started flowing.  Excitement filled the air.  Even though I told them they'd have plenty of time in class to work on their stories, many went home and worked on it.  I loved seeing them excited about their ideas and their writing.

So, I ask you, what do you think?  Do you think students' creativity is put on the back burner to focus on the curriculum and testing?  Does it depend on the teacher and whether they incorporate creative outlets in their lessons?  Or is creativity flourishing and thriving in schools?

What Author Do You Want To Meet?

It's my debut Monthly Musing, something I'm really excited about.  On the 5th of each month I'm gonna pose a question for my blog readers that I've been thinking about.  I'd love for you to consider it too and let me know your musings on the topic.

April's Monthly Musing: What author (dead or alive?) would you like to meet?

My musings: I would love to meet this guy....

                                                           

Yeah.  Him.  I'd ask him where he got his inspiration for all his plays.  I'd ask how long it took him to write each play.  I'd ask him if he really wrote all of them (ya know, 'cuz there's all that controversy he didn't.)  I'd ask him if he would want to keep writing feather quill on paper, or if he'd want to try his hand at writing on the computer.  I'd ask him if/how he revises since he can't really copy and paste like I do.  I'd take him to see a play and see what he thinks of theater now (with women acting, whoa!). Or I'd go back into his time and see him perform in his own play in the Globe Theater.  

I think you get the idea.  So, your turn....what author do YOU want to meet?  What would you like to ask them?