😈 Understanding Evil: 8 Motives of Believable Antagonists & Antiheroes

Plus, Writer's Digest remembers Tom Wolfe. [Web Version »]( &p1=%40gMbIEaIyC8Hc4Kbg%2Fz1vq%2BqKz3cSoZyTHzoAXVHCftY%3D) [header]( ) [Name]( ) [Inside the Mind of a Villain: 8 Journeys and Motives Behind Evildoers, Antiheroes & Antagonists]( ) Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky Whenever we learn of an unspeakable crime, an incomprehensible act, there are questions. Chief among them: Why? What motivated this person? What was going on inside their head? How did they go from quiet and nerdy to hateful and violent? Were they isolated, disenfranchised, lost? Were they triggered or born a monster? We usually blame mental health issues, poor upbringing, bad wiring, and then we move on. But writers are encouraged to go deeper when writing villains, antagonists and antiheroes. In the book [Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint]( ), author Nancy Kress writes: "When writing villains, authors need to know the whys. Real human beings, villains included, have reasons for what they do. Villains can't be evil for evil's sake. They need reasons. They need a motive. Doing so makes your villain more believable." Using fictional and human examples, this essay by Dustin Grinnell explores how and why evil develops in story and in real life and how you can apply these concepts when writing villains. [Read more.]( ) Advertisement [( ) [Remembering Tom Wolfe: Read a 1974 Interview with the Iconic Author and Journalist]( ) [Story 2]( ) This extensive interview with author and journalist Tom Wolfe, who passed away on May 14, 2018, appeared in Writer's Digest in 1974, shortly before the publication of Wolfe's acclaimed book The Right Stuff. [Read it here...]( ) Advertisement [www.carnegiecenterlex.org]( ) [Spotlight on MG and YA Fiction: Agents Answer Burning Questions About Today's Industry Trends]( ) [Story 3]( ) We asked middle-grade and YA fiction agents from our roundup to weigh in on some of the most popular genres they represent—talking trends, common weaknesses, series potential and more. Here's how to stand out in middle-grade and young adult fiction. [Read More...]( ) Advertisement [www.lccoins.com]( ) [Keeping the Writing Faith: Defining & Redefining Success to Mantain Your Motivation]( ) [Story 4]( ) This article is the first in a five-part series of articles by Jennifer Haupt. In this installment, she discusses how to maintain your writing motivation by rethinking what "success" means as a writer. [Read more.]( ) [Story 5]( ) [Comedy Writers and Satirists of the #MeToo Movement]( ) [Story 5]( ) In this second installment in a series about the impact of the #MeToo movement on how and what women write, Leigh Anne Jasheway focuses on women who write and publish comedy and satire. [Read More...]( ) [Imitating the Masters: How to Use Setting to Test Your Character's Voice]( ) [title]( ) Practicing this type of imitation is useful because displacing characters and putting them in new settings and situations helps clarify how character voice affects a story as much as (or more than) plot. [Read More...]( ) [Name]( ) [Your Weekly Writing Prompt]( ) [prompt]( ) Elementary: There's a knock on your door. Upon opening it, you find yourself facing a man dressed like Sherlock Holmes. He informs you that he is a detective, and that you are a suspect in the disappearance of a person named John Watson. What happens next? [Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments here ...]( ) [Jess Zafarris]( ) Jess Zafarris Follow [@jesszafarris]( ) Jess Zafarris is an energetic multimedia journalist with more than 7 years of experience writing and editing, and the content director of Writer's Digest. This email was sent by: F+W, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA [Unsubscribe or Manage Subscriptions]( ) | [Web Version »]( &p1=%40gMbIEaIyC8Hc4Kbg%2Fz1vq%2BqKz3cSoZyTHzoAXVHCftY%3D) We respect your right to privacy. [View our policy.]( )