The Villain’s POV
By
Kathleen Garnsey
Writing the villain’s point of view is one of my favorite
things to do. Call it my alter ego, my hidden bad-girl, or the part of me that
will never, ever be, but I love to write it. Call me weird, sick, or whatever you
like, but it is fun! Why? Because I will never be that person, and I want to
create the worst of the worst on the planet, or in my case other planets! My bad guys are bad---through and through bad. I have been told they should have
at least one redeeming quality, but I do not agree. I like them bad to the
bone, un-redeemable, the character everyone wants to hate. So, how do you do
that? I will tell you.
First, you can only be in the villain’s pov when your main
characters are not! That is an
important point. If you have a hero/heroine in the scene, it belongs to them.
The kind of scenes I’m talking about belong only to the bad guy, or killer. Now
their pov will be twisted and demented since normal, good people do not murder
or torture. The villain’s world (pov) is where he/she plans the murder and
shows the reader how evil, and or sick they really are. Their thoughts show
their true character and motivation and you will be amazed what you can do
while in their head (pov).
The scene with the murder’s pov will not be as long as your
other scenes, and should not be since the real story belongs to your protagonists.
There have been times my villain could take the entire story over, since I have
so much fun writing them, but I have to limit myself. Too much of an evil thing
is too much! Now you may not have quite the demented bad guy I like to write,
but the reader needs to understand what drives that character to do the things
they do. We have all asked ourselves, how could he do such a thing? Well, this
is your chance to show the reader
why.
How does your murderer/villain treat other people in public?
In private? What do they say differently when they are alone? Are they always
alone? Do they have friends they use, who do not know who they really are? Does
this character have friends in common with the victim(s)? These are some of the
questions you can show the reader while in this pov. Use it sparingly, and use
it well. Depending on the length of your book, not more than three to four
short scenes. It is a great tool to enhance the mystery of your book. Now, you
may say that letting the reader know what is going to happen and when will
spoil the story—Alfred Hitchcock would beg to differ. His philosophy was that
anticipation builds suspense to a higher level. Knowing that the killer waits
in the closet at the top of the stairs makes every step your victim takes
riveting.
Think about some of the movies you have seen. Jack Nicholson
in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,
or Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence
of the Lambs. Those two characters will scare you to the bone and beyond!
But they are great examples of the real psychotic that can make your story, or take
it over. I say that because you remember the bad guy more than who chased them
through the entire movie, but that was the point in those movies. You do not
want your character to be quite that bad, but you get my point regarding
characterization.
Have fun with your characters—yes, even the evil, psychotic,
twisted killer. This character is the entire reason for your story—let him/her
shine in their own wickedness. Without the demented murderer there would not be
a story—your hero/heroine would have nothing to do and no one would die!
Kathleen Garnsey
Born in Michigan, raised and married in California, Kathleen is now a twenty-nine year resident of Missouri. She currently lives in Ozark and stays busy with her husband of forty-nine years, her son, daughter-in-law, and three fantastic grandchildren.
Writing is Kathleen's passion, which she became serious about in 1987 when she joined Ozarks Romance Authors. Always a fan of sci-fi and romance, she loves combining the two elements into stories of passion and adventure in another time and place. She has written five futuristic romances which are available, or soon to be available on Amazon. Look for her past titles: Warrior's Link, Hawk's Redemption, Falcon's Quest and Secret of the Kiah. She just completed The Alluring Traveler which will soon be released
5 comments:
I loved reading this information. Sleuths' Ink has some incredible talent. Thanks for helping me with the character everyone loves to hate.
I learned a lot reading your blog. Thanks for writing and sharing.
Susan
Great information. Perfect timing as I determine how to work with a serial killer. Definitely a bad guy. Creative Blessings! ~Angela
I tried to post on my ipad, but for some reason that doesn't always work. Lots of great info here, Kathy. Need to keep it for reference. Maybe you should write a how-to book?
I like writing bad guys too. I think knowing I'm in control is part of the appeal.
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