FOR THE WRITERS: How To Write Evil, Awesome Villains (Part I)

I have always been oddly fascinated by villains. When I was four or five, I was pretty much in love with Scar from The Lion King and often had quite a bit of fun using him to creep out my little sister. And today, I still have that weird infatuation with villains--and I have come to realize a few things that could help you, as a writer, create some evil, awesome villains. 

In my experience (which, by the way, is about nine years of novel-writing, about fifteen years of short-story writing [if not more!], and countless years of reading books and watching movies) there is one thing that I believe is the number one key to writing great villains: base them off of YOU. 

Now, I know that sounds a little creepy--why on earth would you want to turn yourself into a bad guy?!--but isn't creepiness the point? Aren't villains supposed to be creepy? Answer = Yes. 

In order to base your villain off of you, you need to take one of your own fatal flaws (we all have those) and give it to your villain. Then…turn up the volume. Putting yourself into the villain often makes them more terrifying because what makes them evil is something real--something that exists within the writer, the reader, and also within your story's hero. You'll also have a good foundation when writing him--because you know what he is feeling by experience. This will make your villain seem real and believable--and most importantly--terrifyingly unsettling. 

In fact, Scar is a great example of this concept. His fatal flaw would be jealousy--something that exists within us all. He grew up as the scrawny runt, living in the shadow of his much stronger brother, Mufasa, and has allowed his jealousy of his brother to turn into bitterness, anger, and hatred--which drives him to the extreme measure of murder. He believes he must prove that he is worthy to be the Lion King and not Mufasa--that he is strong and powerful, too--and even more so. 

Scar's jealousy is something that exists within us all on some level (I know some of it exists in me!) and that realization will suddenly make him seem much more unnerving a villain, because we realize some part of us is part of him, and visa versa. 

So, if you're willing to open yourself up and examine your own fatal flaws, you'll have a great chance of creating those evil, awesome villains we all love to hate. 

Happy Villain-Creating!

† Rebecca

MURDER

I ran across something strange last night--it was a single phrase, printed in smeary, blood-red lettering on a black desktop background:

For a moment, I thought it was just an advertisement for another cliched deathmetal band, but a split-second later, I realized that this phrase had much more meaning.

"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13 NIV)

Maybe it would seem odd to some, seeing such a bloody and brutal-looking image portraying such a Christian concept; it's intimidating, and it's dark. It's violent. But think about this: murdering the flesh, the sinful nature, the 'misdeeds' is never an easy process. It is brutal and intimidating. It is violent and messy and painful. It's a constant struggle, a battle. A war between our flesh--the sinful human nature--and the Spirit's guiding force in our hearts. 

And face it--sometimes we lose. In our humanness, in our imperfection, sometimes we give in, screw up. Sometimes we're just not strong enough to say "no" to the temptations this world hurls at us.  Sometimes we fall into pits of weakness that we can't seem to crawl out of. It makes us feel unworthy, hopeless, ashamed. Dirty.

But how do we murder the flesh? It's when we submit to God, lift up to him our addictions and temptations, that we can win the battle. It's when we admit our failure, admit our humanness, admit our weakness and ask that he give us the strength to say "no." 

His Grace is enough to cover. His strength is enough to Overcome.

"All have sinned and fall short of God's glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy if found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before" (Romans 3:23-26 CEB)

† Rebecca

P.S.: The above image was created by and belongs to The Whosoevers--an organization striving to spread Hope to those who have none. It was formed by former KoRn guitarist, Brian "Head" Welch (really cool dude with a great testimony--check him out!), Sonny Sandoval (the frontman of the band POD), Ryan Ries, and Ronnie Faisst. 

For the Offended and Unappreciated Introvert

Having three younger siblings, Disney Channel is on almost constantly in my house. Because of this, I have admittedly seen every episode of every show, and I have come to notice something quite interesting.

The media--here, exemplified by Disney Channel--seems to really hate introverts. This is an over-exaggerated way of putting it, of course, but really--I cannot think of a single character that is a true introvert. At least, not a 'cool' character. Introverts on Disney Channel always seem to fall into one of two categories: the geeky bookworm, and the gothic, antisocial bully. And as neither a geek nor an antisocial bully, I am one offended introvert.

It seems to me like the media's idea of introverts is rubbing off on society. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like more and more people are beginning to look down on introverts and glorify the social butterflies. They seem to think there's something wrong with us if we aren't particularly outgoing--and sometimes they even try to push us into being more 'normal' and social.* 

But the world needs us introverts--whether it realizes it or not. What would the world be like without us? Certainly a lot less artistic and intelligent. ;)

So where does that leave us unappreciated introverts? 

Curled up by the fireplace, wrapped up in a Snuggie,** and reading a good book, I guess. 

An unappreciated introvert,

† Rebecca

* Note to the extravert: we usually hate this. Don't be surprised if you get an "I'd rather not." :P

** that was a joke. I do not own a Snuggie. AND I REPEAT: I DO NOT OWN A SNUGGIE! 

IMPACT.

IMPACT.

It's something every person on this planet has. But sadly, something not every person uses. It's almost like a sort of superpower--you can decide to use it for good, for bad, or you can just ignore it. Walk away. Toss it out, like an unwanted gift.

But really, it's not something that can be thrown out. Ignored, maybe, overlooked, sure. But whether or not you realize it, it's something that will be intertwined with you for the rest of your life, and beyond. It's permanent.

Your Impact is your story. Your choices, your values, the way you live your life. Each action, each word, each thought that enters your head has some sort of effect on you--and others. It's not a difficult concept to grasp--every single day, we see the Impact of others' choices. We can see how their pasts, experiences, their opinions and beliefs shape who they are and how they behave. And we can see how their behavior in turn influences everyone around them--for better or for worse.

Sometimes I wonder what my life (and others') would be like if I could rewind time and do-over all of my mistakes. How would things be different? Would they be better? I really don't know. 

What I do know, because of my mistakes, is that now I am a stronger person. Now I have a new awareness of the Impact I have on others. Now, I can say no to temptation. I'm not perfect, but I can stay strong, I can love others, I can reach out. I'm alive.

I wish more people would realize their potential to Impact. I wish more people would understand how much their stories and choices matter--not just to them, but to everyone around them.

Don't forget your Impact, my friends.

† Rebecca

The Only One

Am I the only one who sees?

This is what I asked myself, over and over again, as I squirmed in my uncomfortable chair during my least favorite class. 

I can't be the only one who is sickened by this. I can't be alone here! Can I…?

I jabbed my Sharpie pen down onto my paper, scribbling furiously, trying to come up with my next project design. But all I could focus on was the vile words and boisterous laughter of the group beside me.

How on earth could they think this way? Don't they care?

It was all I could do to hide the rage and hurt building up inside of me as they jabbered on about their weekend plans--to drop into a local strip club and throw things at the dancers.

I could feel my heart just smoldering inside my chest--their usual R-rated swearing and obscene jokes was one thing, but this crossed a line for me. I wanted to say something... But I had no words. What could I say? "You better be nice to strippers--they're people too!" "Jesus loves prostitutes, shouldn't you?"

I hate being in situations like this. I hate witnessing how dark the world is and feeling helpless to change it. I hate going to concerts and seeing drunk people stumbling around. I hate seeing girls willing to exploit themselves in order to feel loved. I hate seeing drugs and alcohol rip apart families. I hate seeing people give up because they feel hopeless and alone.

But at the same time, something in me desperately needs to see those things. Something in me needs to witness the suffering.

Sometimes I feel like I live in a little glass bubble, safe and protected from the horrible world, happily oblivious to the pain and darkness "out there." But inside that bubble, I am trapped and restless because I know that there are those outside my little glass bubble who are hurting. Who are Lost. Who are wandering in darkness, blind and ignorant of the Impact their choices have. When I step out of my bubble, when I see how dark the world really is, my eyes and my heart are opened, and I feel compassion. I feel hurt. I feel love and hate all rolled into one. And I know I have to do something about it. 

But what? Well, to be at all honest, I'm not completely sure. So, for now, I write--and hope I'm not the only one sickened by the darkness.

✝ Rebecca 

P.S.: Do any of you feel like you live in a little glass bubble? Do you ever feel the need to see the darkness, or are you content where you are? What do you do to try to bring a little light into the world? Leave a comment.

Intro: I'm No Blogger

Let me come up and say this now: I'm no blogger.

I'm a teenager who loves to write. I love to create images, feelings, and meaning with words. I love how something so simple as stringing together a few letters can suddenly become something more, something bigger, something with Impact.

That is why I chose to start this blog—to share my deepest thoughts, to paint a picture of the world through my eyes. To explore, release, and discover.

On this site, I will be sharing with you snippets of my life—the good, the bad, the pretty, the ugly, and everything in between. I hope that you will be moved—inspired, angered, saddened, hopeful—and I pray that my story will somehow encourage you as you press on through your own story.

But I'm still no blogger.

✝ Rebecca