Gillian Bronte Adams

YA Epic Fantasy Author

Villiany 101 – 5 Things Every Villain Should Do

by 16 Comments

[Editor’s Note: Welcome back from the Holidays!  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  And that you didn’t spend Christmas like me, dodging down black alleys, hiding in trashcans, and sneaking around in a coat and ski mask, all so that I could obtain the following transcript from my top secret double agent currently undercover at the Academy of Ultimate Villainy. 

It was harrowing.  But I survived that 3 story fall from the rooftop into the dumpster and (most importantly!) the briefcase with the precious transcript remained intact! 

Here is installment number two from the Academy of Ultimate Villainy on Villainy 101 – 5 Things Every Villain Should Do.]

SPEAKER: Ladies and gentlemen, students, sub-villains, villains, and arch-villains, and any evil henchmen too dull to read the “no evil henchmen permitted” sign on the door, welcome to Villainy 101!

Once again our illustrious Instructor of Villainy has returned safe from battling heroes and their sickening good causes, to speak on the FIVE things a villain should employ to achieve Ultimate Villainy.  Pay attention like evil little villains and learn from the worst of the worst!  Our dastardly villainous Instructor!

*raucous applause*

INSTRUCTOR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  Once again, may I say what a terrible pleasure it is to be here this evening!  Ahem.  No cameras, if you please.  Pictures are absolutely forbidden.  Violators will be fed to the dragon!

Now, to begin.  5 things a villain should employ to achieve Ultimate Villainy.

1) Mystery

Mystery is the key to evil villainy.  Now, I know that you will recall from our last session that I warned against the dangers of the grandiose speech and info download, and said that silence was key to villainy.  Mystery outranks silence.

There are two forms of mystery which may be employed by the astute villain.

The first is in regard to planning.  You must maintain mystery in regard to your evil plots and devious plans.  Do not speak your plans aloud – you can see how this is tied to the speeches, do you not?

Heroes are the worst eavesdroppers in the world!  Many a poor villain has spouted off the particulars of his plan in what he thought was the privacy of his secret lair, only to discover too late that he had company!  You may have the most elaborate security system in the world, the best guard dog, the finest trip wires, and a state of the art alarm system.  Regardless, the heroes will get in, and they will overhear, and you will die.

In fact, it’s best if you don’t even think your brilliant plans.  Authors are mind readers.  And as we’ve already said, authors are always ALWAYS on the heroic side.  Keep your plans a mystery!So, don’t speak your plots aloud.  Don’t write them down.  And never, ever, leave top secret files lying around.  Or passwords already typed into computers.  Seriously?  Better yet, don’t store your top secret plans on the computer.  Heroes are excellent hackers.

The second aspect of mystery employed by dastardly clever villains is the mystery of identity!  On the whole, we villains are a terrifying breed.  Men quake at the merest whisper of our names.  Identity and reputation is everything.  There are some, however, of a less fear inspiring sort (or those who wish to keep their identities hidden for nefarious purposes) who must resort to other methods.  A mysterious identity is the thing for these villains.

3 steps to achieving a mysterious identity:

  1. Forget your own name. It is no longer yours.  You have a new name.  There is some controversy over whether a mysterious villain should suggest his own name or leave it to the terrified commoners to supply.  I have seen many a poor mysterious villain labeled with the ignoble epithet of Bigfoot or Boogeyman due to bystander ignorance and lack of creativity.  Generally, I find it best to use one of those random Villain name generators available on the Internet.
  2. Choose a wardrobe – preferably something dark and scary.  Ordinarily, I am in favor of a wide range of colors for Villains (black is so cliched!).  However, when it comes to Villains maintaining a mysterious identity, dark colors are necessary to inspire the proper fear and elusivity.  Ski masks, eyes masks, hooded robes, black top hats, walking sticks, strange face painting jobs, etc. are considered absolutely necessary accessories.  If you are in need, contact our Villainous Wardrobing department to acquire these basic necessities.
  3. Work out. I’m sorry, one does not become a Top Villain by sitting on the couch and munching on cheese curls.  Prospective mysterious villains must take evil ninja lessons.  You must be able to appear and disappear like a flash.  Here and there.  Now then gone.  Like a shadow.  Or a big black butterfly flitting from place to place.  Yes, Mr. Speaker, I know that “butterfly” is a taboo word.  Bat then.  A big black bat.
  4. A bonus one! I’m really too generous for my own good.  A mysterious villain must strive for unpredictability.  Spontaneity is necessary.  Rule of thumb: Never show up when expected, and always show up when not expected.

*door bursts open and black clad figure rushes across stage, pauses to bow to the audience, and disappears in a flash, bang, and cloud of smoke.*

Ah yes, the Black Phantom.  Excellent, isn’t he?

2) Sinistry

Yes, I invented the word.  No, don’t summon the linguistics or grammar police!  I doubt they would care to show up here anyway.

Villains get such a bad name in regard to sinistry.  The villains portrayed in modern television shows as supposedly dark and sinister are scarcely more than bumbling idiots prancing around in black robes, throwing in an evil chuckle now and then (horrors!) and utterly failing in the department of sinistry!

A true villain should be sinister.  Not merely frightening.  But soul shattering, knee quivering, lip tremblingly sinister.  How does one attain sinistry?  By attending my classes of course!  Sinistry is often tied to mystery.  The unspoken word, the all-knowing look, and the foul smirk all add to sinistry, and unfortunately, the grandiose speech does not.

Villains often use physical tools or appearance to achieve a sinister impression.  What is more sinister than Captain Hook’s hook?  Or Darth Vader’s creepy breathing?  Admittedly, the movies did not give full justice to Captain Hook or Darth Vader.  If the common humans ever met the real villains!  Pray excuse me a truly evil chuckle as I contemplate the incident.

3) Insanity

It has often been said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.  Never was a truer word spoken.  Villains are geniuses.  We are also often insane.  And proud of it!  Insanity coupled with power inspires fear and terror in the hearts of men like nothing else.

In fact, this route to ultimate villainy has proved so effective throughout history that many villains – regardless of their mental stability – claim insanity and act insanely in order to further their own reputations.    Insanity also gives the villain a slight advantage.  Who can help but pity a madman?  And who can hold a madman wholly culpable for his insane acts?

As I mentioned last time, unless you have received complete and adequate training in the true evil laugh (as of course, I have!), the insane approach is the only time when an evil laugh may be usefully and most fearfully employed.

4) The Miserable Backstory

“But I didn’t ask to be like this.  It was my poor upbringing.  It was my miserable childhood.  It was my abandonment at the age of three that embittered me.  It was the author’s fault.  It was anyone or anything but me!”

The miserable backstory.  Make the most of it.  Tell it wherever you can.  Even if you have to make it up on the spot.  Every evil villain has a miserable backstory.  Nowadays, when commoners are more concerned about motivation and psychology than criminals actually taking responsibility for wrong doing, it is easy for the sagacious villain to pass the buck.

An evil villain is often called upon to drop the Miserable Backstory at a moment’s notice, so I suggest writing it out beforehand and memorizing it until you can say it effectively.  A few tears work wonders.  And that terrible little catch in your voice when you talk about “Mumsie dear’s piteous end!” will catch the hero off guard every time.

Heroes are tough in battle, but incredible softies when it comes to actually pitying people.  The Miserable Backstory will work every time!  It is also an excellent way to engage reader sympathy and interest.  Once the reader is emotionally involved, the battle is half won!

And once the hero falls for the sob story, victory lies but a quick blow away!

5) —

But wait, before I introduce my next topic and while I am still on the topic of victory, I must… yes, I must make one disclaimer.  Bear with me.

A villain strives for victory, but a villain should not expect to win.

*the crowd erupts*  What?  Lies!  Treachery!

Silence.  Silence.  Cease this uproar immediately!  Villains are doomed to failure.  It’s a hard fact to swallow, but it is all too true.

Heroes have omniscience on their side.  The authors know everything.  Why, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there are authors listening in right now.

[Editor’s note: You can be sure that when I read this I was glad that I wasn’t there!  I shudder to think what might have happened to an author caught eavesdropping in the Academy of Ultimate Villainy!]

Booooo!  Hisssssss!  He’s a hero-friend!  Kick him out!

Hear me out!  I’m simply stating the truth.  And then there’s something about this age old battle of good against evil, light against darkness, that keeps cropping up in so many fantastical and fictional works.  Something about evil going to be destroyed forever.  It’s depressing, but villains must not be dismayed!  Instead, we must…

BOOOOOOOO!

Double-crosser!

Traitor!

TAKE HIM TO THE DRAGON!

What?  No.  You can’t do that to me!  *static on radio* Red Alert.  Riot in subterranean room 112, class Villainy 102!  Send backup.  Please!  Ahhhhh!

[Editor’s Note: At this point in time, my contact thought it prudent to slip away before the building collapsed beneath the villainous tumult.  Sadly, I therefore do not know what became of the evil Instructor of Villainy, what number 5 was going to be, or whether I will be able to obtain any more transcripts from the Academy of Ultimate Villainy or not.]

Villainy 101 – 10 things Every Villain Should Avoid

by 11 Comments

Having trouble writing that desperately villainous character?

Here are ten things every villain needs to avoid – from the mouth of the greatest villain the world has ever known!

[Editor’s note – I snuck into the Academy of Ultimate Villainy last week for the lecture on Villainy 101 and barely managed to escape with my life and notes!  Enjoy!]

10 Things Every Villain Should Avoid

Welcome to Villainy 101.  Those of you gathered here are some of the world’s most promising students of villainy.  You are here to learn from the best.

Your instructors (whose names will remain anonymous to preserve the element of suspense and secrecy that every good villain employs) are renowned as the world’s greatest, most nefarious, dastardly, and malevolent practitioners of all things treacherous, deadly, and self serving.  If the heroes knew that this gathering were taking place, they would undoubtedly launch an attack attempting to destroy the pinnacle of villainy forever!

Such an attack would fail of course, because we have taken every precaution, placing the most desperately evil henchmen in our employ at every available entrance and exit except the cat door which is so small no hero could possibly use it for entry…  

Ahem, thank you Mr. Speaker.  Let’s proceed shall we?  Ten things a villain should avoid.

1) Grandiose speeches

Mr. Speaker has provided us with several good examples in his opening remarks of this common villainous fault.  We all know that evil villains are wholly self centered.  We love to hear ourselves speak – after all, we are the greatest people in the world!  Who better to listen to?

This tendency, however, can become dangerous, if we allow ourselves to get too carried away.  The history of villainy is full of the epitaphs of noble villains who when poised on the threshold of victory were carried away by their own eloquence and allowed the protagonist to escape!  As an evil villain, you must hold back the tide of rhetoric until the opportune moment.

2) The info download

Mr. Speaker was also villainous enough to demonstrate this error for us today.  “Such an attack would fail, of course, because we have taken every precaution…”

Authors (good *shudder* people that they are!) often assign to villains the unenviable task of blurting out the most obvious sorts of hints and telltale giveaway signs to advance the plot.

Often the info download is encased in a grandiose speech.  Avoid both at all costs.  The info download is the author’s less than subtle method of informing both the reader and the protagonist of every detail of your villainous plot/fortress/or defense mechanisms.  The golden rule of villainy is silence!

3) “I’m going to kill your girl friend!”

Oh please.  Not again.  If there ever was a more overused villainous tactic, I have yet to hear of it.  The essence of evil villainy is creativity.  If you can’t think of anything more creative than threatening the hero’s love interest, then you belong in the ranks of dimwitted evil henchmen not at the head of the line.  Enough said.

4) “Well, well, well.  What have we here?”

Is there something sinister about this repetition?  Well, well, well…  If one of you graduates of this villainous academy ever uses this insipid line, I shall personally pay you an unpleasant visit, burn your diploma, and subject you to the most painful and regrettable punishments that a student of villainy can imagine.

5) The C.C.C. – Clever Comeback Combat

Never ever engage the hero in a clever comeback challenge.  It does not matter how many degrees you have earned in evil wit and insultery, the hero will always be wittier, cleverer, and sharper.

[Settle down there.  Order.  Order, if you please!  The next person to interrupt gets sent to the dragon!]

Now, the art of short sharp comebacks belongs to the author who inevitably bestows it upon the hero, not the villain.  According to the 2011 Authorial Manual, authors are simply not allowed to endow the villain with clever comebacks.

And try as we might, no manner of threatening has yet induced the author to give up the clever comeback key.  You simply must accept it as a fact of life and remember to never engage in a clever comeback combat.  Inevitably, the hero uses c.c.c. as a distraction and it is a short step and a drop kick from there to utter ruin!

6) Gloating

Naturally, we take pleasure in victory.  Having succeeded against all odds – the authors are out to get us, you know – the moment that triumph is at hand, we cannot help but gloat!

However, the number one rule of gloating is don’t gloat until the hero is good and dead… and buried for a week.  Heroes are a tenacious breed.  They are capable of getting out of the worst possible scrapes and surviving situations and blows that would down you or me in a minute…

I said no more interruptions!  I know, I know, it’s not fair.

Authors play favorites.  And villains, unfortunately, are always handed the short end of the stick!  So until you are absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt, convinced that the hero and all of his (or her) friends are dead, then you must refrain from gloating in victory!

7) The evil chuckle

This is almost more cliched than threatening the hero’s girl friend!  “I’m going to destroy the entire world and you can’t stop me, mwhahaha!”

Seriously.  Who laughs like that?  There are very few villains who can carry off a true evil laugh without sounding like a Disney wantabe villain.  Unless you are utilizing the insane approach, DO NOT LAUGH!  This is yet another technique employed by authors to make villains appear less than we are.

8) “Look behind you…”

*shudders*  This single line predicts woe and disaster for the villain.  There are two common courses of action employed when the hero suddenly pulls this grenade from his pocket.  Both should be avoided.

The first is simply to scoff.  The hero is using a distraction technique.  Just ignore him.  This will likely get you killed.  Heroes know that we know this is a distraction technique and have long since abandoned it as such.  In fact, they have removed it from the Hero’s Handbook of Subtle Trickery and Deceptive Distraction!

So, the second option is to believe that the hero is telling the truth (I know it seems ridiculous, but heroes seem to like that sort of thing, for some reason!) whereupon the only course of action is immediate and unconditional surrender.  This will likely get you killed as well.

Therefore, I suggest another option.  The instant those lines come out of the hero’s mouth, shoot him, stab him, whatever…  Just kill him.  Then employing evasive maneuver 3, stop, drop, and roll, and come up shooting whatever assailant was behind you.  The key to success in this action, is speed!

9) Evil henchmen

If ever there was a dark blot on the history of villainy, it was on those who fill the ranks of evil henchmen.  Why is it, that there are so many dumb evil henchmen?  One would think – statistically speaking – that the hero would get a dumb sidekick every now and then, and a really clever man would choose to enlist in our ranks!

As an evil villain, your responsibility is to choose carefully who you allow in your employ.  The destruction of the world rest upon your hiring decisions!  Demand resumes, check references, use I.Q. Tests!

And make sure that your evil henchmen can fight!  Most evil henchmen have no more fighting skills than a wet noodle!  Utilize rigorous training techniques.  Instruct your men in the art of war, strategy, and treachery.  And if ever the phrase, “Duh, I don’t know,” emits from the mouth of one of your men, send him to the dragon!

10) The Elaborate Trap

I know that when one has little to do besides plan the destruction of the world, the death of all who stand in the way, and one’s own subsequent aggrandizement, it is easy to become carried away in planning ridiculously elaborate traps for the hero.

Trust me.

Elaborate traps are doomed to failure.  No matter how many hours you have spent in diagramming or how many engineers you have employed, the hero is always instantly able to spot the single trip wire that can be undone or the one bolt that will cause the whole thing to fall apart.

Believe it or not, but in studying the annals of villainy, I have discovered that the single event responsible for the failure of most elaborate traps is that the villain suddenly decides that, much as he would like to watch the hero being blown to bits, his plot is so time sensitive that he has to leave to bring the final pieces into place.  Not only that, but all of the guards have to come with him.  The few guards who are left behind inevitably fall to either drink or fighting, and the hero escapes without breaking a sweat!

This is an insult to the evil name of villainy.  No elaborate traps, if you please.  Beheading, the firing squad, and the fire pit are all sure methods of dispatching of the hero.  But if you must employ an elaborate trap, then at least stick around to make sure it works!

Ah, yes, thank you evil Villain Instructor (whose name shall remain anonymous) for your inspiring speech.  Alright class, tune in next time to hear your villainous instructor speaking on what a villain should do!

The Story behind the Story

by 15 Comments

         And the Starting of a New Adventure…
                 (In which I announce some epically exciting news!)
I hope you enjoyed all the subtitles.  I couldn’t resist!  In my last post, I promised you some very exciting news and here at last you have it:
Today I signed my first book contract!
Still tentatively titled Out of Darkness Rising, my novella is going to be published by Flaming Pen Press and is currently planned to be released in summer of 2012!
In October of 2009 I started a story.  It was originally written for a short story contest and supposed to be limited to 1200 words.  I hadn’t been writing for more than a few hours when I realized that the story I wanted to tell could not be adequately told in 1200 words, so I kept writing.  And a few days later, I ended the story at 9,000 words, scribbled “the end” at the bottom of the page, and buried it in the dust bound trunk of my computer’s hard drive. 
At the start of the summer of 2010, I rediscovered the story, blew away the dust, and discovered as I leafed through the moth-eaten pages, that there was still more to tell.  So, I started rewriting and expanded the story with the goal of turning it into a novella.  By October, after months of writing, rewriting, editing, and revising, I pronounced it “finished,” and having also spent the summer months researching publication, I sent a query letter to Flaming Pen Press. 
Several months passed while I waited to hear back, and in the meantime, I started work on a new fantasy novel Song of Leira, and for a while I forgot about Out of Darkness Rising.  In January, I went on a mission’s trip to Haiti and happened to share an excerpt from Song of Leira with one of my team members on the flight home.  I had begun to feel discouraged about my writing, but she was so encouraging about it that I came home ready to dive once more into Song of Leira and finish the first draft.  When I got home, however, there was another surprise awaiting me.  
I received an email inviting me to submit the complete manuscript for Out of Darkness Rising to Flaming Pen Press.  I hastily polished the manuscript and sent it off a few days later and then waited again… 
About two months later, in March of 2011, I again happened to check my email one night and discovered a message informing me that Scott Appleton of Flaming Pen Press had decided to accept my manuscript for publication!

We spent the next few weeks discussing book titles and cover ideas, etc.  Then I moved away to camp for the summer and only had computer access on the weekends, so further work was put on hold for a while.  Finally, last Saturday, I received an email with the book contract attached!  And now, after a few days of careful scanning and deliberation :) the contract is signed and sealed and en route to Flaming Pen Press!  
Signing the contract
signing the contract…
Needless to say, I am very excited about this!  A dream come true!  I know that there is a lot of work left to be done, but I’m looking forward to it!  It is said that adventures oft’ come in pairs and that certainly is the case in my life!  This past year has been a series of adventures, one right after the other.  And yet another adventure begins tomorrow: college!
Between one adventure and the next, I’m going to be very busy!  But it is a good kind of busy!  And I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.  At times, life is like a wild stagecoach ride, but it’s nice knowing that God has the reins and I can sit back and trust Him to steer things according to His perfect plan!
~ A Servant of the King
Out of Darkness Rising
For the villagers on the accursed Island, life has only one meaning: death.

Bound to the Island by the curse, the villagers suffer beneath the iron claw of the serpent, daily breathing the poison of his breath, and dying to appease his insatiable appetite.  Darkness reigns unchallenged.  With the constant threat of death looming over her, Marya lives the life of an outcast, longing for something more, yet scarcely daring to hope… until the stranger arrives.  Kind, in a world of cruelty, unafraid in a place of terror, the stranger clearly is no ordinary villager; his footsteps echo with the forgotten lore. 

Torn between legend and the harsh reality of the Island, Marya gradually begins to realize that everything she has ever known is only a small part of a greater tale, an ancient promise marching down through the centuries to ultimate fulfillment on the Island’s barren shore in a sword abandoned and arms opened wide… yet which will prove stronger, the promise or the curse?  

‘Twas a Dark and Stormy Night when I Finished My Novel…

by 6 Comments

Seriously though, it is and I did!

It is a dark and stormy night and I did finish my novel!

Amidst thunderous crashes and brilliant flashes of lightning, I typed two very important words onto the last page of my novel: The End.  

I stared at the screen for a minute, reveling in the beauty of the moment.  When I started Song of Leira in September, I had the tiniest smidgen of an idea, scribbled down one evening while working on another story and stored away until I had time.  That idea has grown into a story that was far bigger than I first imagined and will eventually fill three books – that’s the plan at least! :)

Right now, the first draft of Song of Leira stands at 121,441 words!  In Times New Roman, font size 12, double spaced lines, that equals roughly 408 pages on my computer!  Unfortunately, that’s a little too long for a young adult fantasy novel according to most standards, but that’s ok!

I know there is plenty for me to edit.  That’s why this is the first draft!  And I can’t wait to start going back through the story polishing, shining, cutting (yes, hacking away at my beloved story) until the diamond shows through the rough stone of the first draft.

And so, it’s not truly the end.  Well, the story has reached the end, but I’m not finished with the story yet!  And I’m glad because I really have grown to love my funny little characters with their odd ways and individual failings.

I’m so thrilled that I’ve finished!  And so thrilled that there is work yet to be done.  Thrilled that I don’t need to leave Leira yet, that I don’t need to say goodbye to Birdie, Amos, and Ky, or Gundhrold or George.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to write this novel!  Taking a year off from school was a big step and there were many times when I asked myself why I did this and what I could possibly have been thinking.

But if I hadn’t taken a year off, my writing would not have grown the way it has, I probably would not have written this novel, and, well, I would be studying right now which is a lot less fun than writing the ending to my novel!  :)

So thank you Lord for the gift of writing!  I pray that my writing would always glorify You!

I can’t wait to edit this story and I can’t wait to start on book two!

But wait… I finished… so that means I get to go to sleep tonight!  (See previous post for context!)  Haha, but I’m way to excited to sleep right now… and tomorrow I will be wielding the dastardly red pen!

[The title of this post was suggested by my awesomely clever Mama!  Thank you Mom for your encouragement!]

The Death of a Character

by 1 Comment

As a reader, nothing enrages me more than the arbitrary and unnecessary death of a beloved character!  I still remember books that I read growing up where I was absolutely furious at the author for killing off a character that I loved… for no reason.  Well, there probably was a reason, but whatever it was, it didn’t seem enough in my mind to justify the death of the character. 
Sometimes, it gets to be so bad that I’m afraid to allow myself to like any of the characters beside the main character.  Especially if they possess certain qualities like goodness, heroism, selflessness, etc. because the author almost inevitably kills them off! 
And nothing makes me angrier than when a character is killed simply to elicit an emotional response from the reader!  I don’t like to feel emotionally manipulated.  There’s a difference between a moving death scene and a death scene that is rigged to make you cry… I refuse to cry over the latter!
That’s from the perspective of a reader, now as an author…
Obviously, since I write in the fantasy genre and my present story falls under the category of high fantasy, and it involves desperate battles, overwhelming forces, and the fight against evil, some of my characters are going to die.
So, an author, how do I approach “killing off” one of my characters?
First off, the death of the character should always be justifiable.  A character should never be killed off arbitrarily (and by “character” here I’m referring to both important minor and main characters).  The death of a character should always accomplish something – either adding something necessary to the plot or to the development of another main character.
In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gandalf’s death in the Fellowship of the Ring was justifiable.  It was necessary even.  His death stayed true to his character – a sacrificial death to save the lives of his companions.  It accomplished something – his death allowed the others to escape.  It raised the stakes and added to the tension of the plot – the Fellowship suddenly lost their leader and the guidance behind their mission.  And it caused character development in both Aragorn and Frodo – Aragorn’s emergence as the leader and soon to be King of Gondor and Frodo’s resolve to carry on his quest alone so that the rest of his companions would not be endangered. 
Secondly, the death should remain true to the character.  If your character is a hero, let him die heroically!
In the play Cyrano de Bergerac – yes, I’m talking about Cyrano again!  If you have not yet read it, I suggest you get your hands on a copy forthwith and bask in the warmth of the epic genius.  I hate to spoil it for anyone, so if you haven’t read it, don’t read the following paragraph!
Cyrano dies at the end of the play.  A hero the equal of the Three Musketeers, Cyrano meets a rather ignominious end when he is struck on the head by a log of wood thrown out of a window by a servant…  The fact is lamented in the play itself!  But although the circumstances of his death are far from heroic, Cyrano meets it with the poise, courage, and heart of a warrior!  His response is what makes the death fitting.  A humble death met heroically by a hero!  And the death scene is amazing!  Since I can’t quote the whole thing here, I shall have to repeat my encouragement that you read it yourself!
If you are going to kill a character, make it an end worthy of the character!
Thirdly, don’t let the death be wasted!
Have you read/seen this scenario before? 
The battle is raging fiercely.  The main character spies the villain and rushes to attack.  But, oh no!  Suddenly, the main character is trapped or pinned down… he can’t escape… can’t even defend himself!  And the villain steps forward to deliver the death blow.

Just then, a friend rushes in, right in the nick of time, and takes the blow that was meant for the main character!  “NO!”  But as the friend dies, the main character is suddenly so angry that he manages to get free and defeat the villain!
What a wasted death!  Certainly it met the first two requirements: it was justifiable (otherwise the main character would die), it was a worthy death (self-sacrificing) but it was wasted!  If the main character could have gotten free on their own in the first place, then there was no need for the friend to die!
Anyway, to wrap up my thoughts, if I’m going to kill off a character (that sounds so terrible doesn’t it?) then at least I need to make sure that my reasons are justifiable and not arbitrary, that it is a worthy end, and that it is not wasted!
If you can’t tell, I’ve been writing an epic battle scene lately!  ;)
So, what are your thoughts on the death of a character?  Any other important things to remember?  Good examples?  Bad examples?  

Of Inspiration

by 4 Comments


The skeletal silhouette of a dead tree against the fiery orange and blues of a western sunset; the first whisper of rain on a tin roof; the chill breath of winter wind rustling through the dry fingers of an oak tree; the peaceful milling of horses grazing in the purple twilight…
I’ve been thinking lately about what inspires me to write.  Oftentimes it is something that I observe in nature, like the examples above.  
I suppose it’s like an artist who sees a gorgeous mountain garbed in wild flowers, wreathed in clouds, and crowned with the glory of the rising sun and can’t help sitting down and trying to capture the beauty on canvas.  I’ve tried my skill at the canvas… and frankly, though I can get a recognizable painting, I’m better with a pen and paper.  
[Random note: You can’t imagine how hard I tried to find an image that fit the description of the picture I had in my head… I couldn’t, so I’m afraid the word picture will have to suffice!]
I have learned the value of listening.  We like to work… and to feel like we’re working.  So we tend to hurry a lot and the concept of sitting still seems lazy.  But you’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish – what you hear, and what ideas come – when you simply sit in silence amidst the glories of God’s creation.  His work declares the glory of His name and as a writer, who is first and foremost a Christian, I want my work to glorify His name.    
Other times, inspiration is sparked by a random thought from a book I’ve read, a movie I’ve watched, a conversation, or something I’ve seen.  But I would have to say that the greatest inspiration for my writing would have to be the Bible.
Think about it!  The basic concepts found in most fantasy of good fighting evil or light rising over darkness, are all drawn from the Bible!  And here and there as I’m reading, a verse literally leaps off the page that corresponds with what I’m writing and inspires me to keep going!
Lately, I’ve also been asking myself why I do what I do.  I read things that others have written – even other aspiring authors like me who have not yet been published – and I wonder what I’m doing!  Who am I to think that I could ever write anything good?  I must be crazy!  How could I ever even dream of being published?
At the same time, I can’t help believing that someday something will come of it.  Even if I never get a single story published, I can’t help hoping that at least someone will read one of my stories and it will speak to that person like all the books I read speak to me!
Why do I write what I do?  Why young adult fantasy of all things?  The obvious answer would be that it is something I love.  I love both writing and reading young adult fantasy!  (I’m a kid at heart!)  But there’s more to it than that.
I believe that fantasy offers a unique opportunity to present great truths in a new way.  I know that the books I have read have in many ways shaped me into who I am.  Many times it was the characters in the books I read that made me love things like courage and self sacrifice and the strength to do what was right regardless of cost. 
These are all character qualities that Christ fully exhibited and we should therefore have as Christians growing to be like Him.  I’ve read about them many times in the Bible.  But often, it was the books I read that helped bring it down to a personal level as I saw those qualities portrayed in the characters’ lives. 
Now, perhaps I was just a strange child (and perhaps I still am)!  But it was enough to make me want to create stories and characters of my own.  Stories and characters that reach into a reader’s heart and grab hold, that resonate within, so that the reader comes away feeling strengthened and encouraged.  
I don’t know if I can do it.  But I believe that I have been given a love of writing for a purpose and I want to use that love to glorify God whether that involves publication or not!  
  
But I’m rambling now… sorry!  I will simply leave you with these quotes from C.S. Lewis:
“The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.”
“At all ages if [fantasy and myth] is used well by the author and meets the right reader, it has the same power: to generalize while remaining concrete, to present in palpable form not concepts or even experiences but whole classes of experience, and to throw off irrelevancies.  But at its best it can do more; it can give us experiences we have never had and thus, instead of “commenting on life,” can add to it.”   
Oh and as a side note:  This month’s Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy blog tour is for the book The God Hater by Bill Myers.  I did not actually participate in the blog tour this time, but I wanted to post the participant’s links so that you can see what everyone is saying about the book! 

free short story: Of Shadow and Rust

New Release: Of Sea and Smoke

Stay in touch

Disclosure

This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.