3 Literary Villains I Really Love To Hate

I love a wily villain who slinks onto the page with a sneer. Masterful plot to take down the hero? Check! Anticipating and successfully parrying every attempt of said hero to fight back? Count me in! A fantastically devious name/mind/costume? Yes please!

We're exploring villains this month on the blog, and I get to kick us off.

There’s nothing better than a well-written antagonist to act as the perfect foil for the protagonist. What fun it is when a book has one (or two, or three!) scoundrel to make the story line interesting. And it’s all the more exciting when the baddie finally gets their inevitable comeuppance.

Literature is full of dastardly characters you’d never want to meet in a dark alley, and I'm rounding up my faves.

Ready?

Cos they’re coming at you swinging. 

In no particular order, here are the villains I really love to hate!

Big Bully on the Prairie: Nellie Oleson

Ooooh, Nellie! Laura Ingalls Wilder combined three people from real life to make one outstanding antagonist. This bad girl was everything Little House’s Laura wasn’t: blonde, wealthy, spoiled, and lazy. Nellie kept her dresses immaculate, her complexion fashionably pale, and her hands soft. 

I distinctly remember, at the age of ten or eleven, punching my book because I was so, so angry with her for speaking rudely to Ma. Even now, more than thirty years later, I still get hot under the collar when I remember how Nellie tried to steal Laura’s beau, Almanzo. 

I was extraordinarily pleased when Laura first got her revenge on Nellie by tricking her into muddy water where the leeches got her, and I may have audibly cheered when she outmaneuvered Nellie at last and won Almanzo’s heart completely. 

The Regency Cad: Mr. Wickham

Yes, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are two of my most bestest lovey-dovey characters from literature (I wrote about them here!) 

Therefore, it only follows that Mr. Wickham is also a villain worthy of my scorn. 

He’s tall, handsome, an officer in the militia, and, for a while there, he’s interested in Lizzie. What’s not to make a proper English gentlewoman’s heart go pitter-patter? And his sob story of the wrongs wrought upon him by the snobbish Mr. Darcy! Who knew he was going to turn out to be such a scoundrel?

I love how Jane Austen layered this character. She kept me guessing what mischief Mr. Wickham was going to get in next!

And *SPOILER ALERT* the fact that he's the one who whisks Lydia off to live in a life of sin vindicates Mr. Darcy's opinion of him AND provides a perfect opportunity for Mr. Darcy to sweep in and remedy the situation inasmuch as he's able to.

The Fairy-tale Fiend: Queen Levanna

She's got power. She's got brains. She's got glamor. 

The Lunar Chronicles elegant enemy, Queen Levanna, has got it all.

Marissa Meyer developed a chilling version of Snow White's stepmother who is even more terrifying than the original. But Meyer doesn't stop there. Levanna gets to tell her own story in Fairest and I have to admit, I was a little sorry for her. It didn't stop me from wanting to see her stopped however!

I read breathlessly through this series and wondered how in all creation Cinder and crew were going to fight this crazy queen. I wasn't disappointed. The ending was sooo good! 

Well, there you go. Those are my top 3 baddies. Until next time...

What did you think about my list? Don't forget to check back here for the rest of our series this month about villains!

Dear young and aspiring author,

Ever wished you could go back in time and share something with the younger you?
This month we decided to share some wisdom we've gained since writing that first chapter, things we've learned since our 'decision' to become writers.
Read Robin’s inspiring blog here if you’ve missed it.

I scribbled my first ever story in a notebook. In pencil, and I remember it like it was yesterday, not eighteen years ago. The words flowed. Sentences followed and paragraphs were created that evolved into chapters. I thrived! I wrote about five more ‘novels’ in notebooks. Back then I thought it was simple. I was so blissfully happy in my ignorance.

Then I started studying the craft and realized how much there was that I didn’t know. How very little I actually did know about this dream I wanted to pursue. Things that I’ve never even considered plagued me. It overwhelmed me. And it terrified me, but I persevered. Somewhere between joining ACFW and now, I’ve managed to gain some form of foothold. I’ve experienced just how up and down a writer’s life can be.
There are hundreds of things I would tell that starry eyed thirteen-year-old. But if I have to narrow it down, here’s the things that would’ve made a lot of things easier.

1.   Please do not compare yourself to other writers. Ever.

We’re all different. That's how God made us ;)
Some writers have a knack with descriptions. Others flourish with dialogue and some manage to create well-developed, larger-than-life characters. You have your strong points - you really do - don’t belittle your strengths. Appreciate the talent the Lord gave you and work on improving it.

2.   Don’t aim for perfect.

Allow yourself to write terrible first drafts. Writing a novel is going to take time, sometimes a lot of time. For some writers it takes multiple rewrites before they have a manuscript that’s publishable. You're one of those writers. And it's OK. If you always stress about writing a perfect first draft, you’ll never have anything to work with.
Good things take time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Nothing kill's creativity faster than perfectionism, especially during the first draft.
~K.M. Weliand, Conquering writer's block and how to summon creativity.

3.   You can’t make everyone happy – 

you’re not coffee!

Don’t let your people pleasing tendencies influence your writing so much on so many different levels. I have several examples that I won’t bore you with. The brutal truth is if you’ve received feedback you don’t necessarily agree with, then so be it. Unicorns aren’t going to keel over because you’re not accepting every single suggestion you receive. The sun will still rise. The birds will still sing in the morning. One day you’ll decide not to implement some suggestions you’ll receive from an author you admire and your book will be OK. You’ll be OK. The critic will be fine too. I promise!

4.   Enjoy the ride.

Don’t rush. You’re still young and naïve and have so much to learn. And yes, receiving that desired publishing contract is awesome. It really is. But so is the ride. And the people you’ll meet on the journey. Your speed doesn't matter. Forward is still forward!

Since I know we're not the only writers with some wisdom to share, I’ve asked a couple of my good friends to share their answers as well. Check out they're websites if you have a moment.

(Thank you ladies for sharing so willingly.)

Find a writing community. You will need it. There is so much to learn, and writing can feel like a very lonely endeavor. When the amount of work becomes too daunting or the rejections start coming in, you'll need a writing community to turn to. Supportive family members and friends are a huge blessing, but only fellow writers can completely understand and give you the reassurance that you're not crazy, and you're not alone.
~ Laurie Lucking

Knowing now what I didn't know then, if I could start over I'd start creating my platform much sooner and pay closer attention to the business end of this business, including marketing/promotion techniques. Writing a great book is vital, but not knowing how to promote it renders it moot.
Believe me, having to play catch-up where marketing techniques is concerned is my biggest regret.
 ~ Author, Linda W. Yezak

I think it was Steven James who said something to the effect of, "Worry about the story, not the sentence." I agree. A compelling story will get readers to forgive a multitude of sins if you can sweep them away. I would urge my younger writer self to (1) really explore plot structure sooner, and (2) make sure every scene raises the stakes, builds tension, and moves the story forward. #2 would have saved me a lot of re-writing. Oh, and one more thing: PLOT your story. I'm a huge convert now!
~Author, Heather Blanton

If I could turn back time (yeah...Cher's now stuck in my head), I would tell myself to pay more attention to what I was reading so I could answer the old cliche questions, who, what, when, where, and why?
Who: Who are the characters and why am I finding them so appealing? Then bring those qualities to my own characters.
What: What makes the story so good in my eyes? Is it the setting, the period, the plot, the characters?
When: When am I reading the most? Morning, afternoon, evening, night? If that's when I'm most drawn to story, maybe that's when I should be doing my writing.
Where: Where is the story taking place? What geographical area do I read about most, and why? Should I be setting my story in a similar area? Or maybe "where" could be where am I reading? Maybe think about writing in that spot. If that's where I feel most relaxed and open to imagery and story, that's where I should probably sit to do my writing.
Why: Why is this book important to me? How can that translate to my own writing?
~Mikal Dawn

Dear self-

Hello...it's me. Just wanted to drop you a note at the beginning of your writing journey. You probably already noticed that I said "journey," not "career." I won't throw zen statements about a journey being one step in front of the other or that it is a long haul. Don't be so hard on yourself when you fail, because you WILL fail. A lot. You will get unhelpful critiques and never hear back from agents or editors who asked you to submit. Yes, silence is the worst.

But...

Keep going. Even if it's a blog post or a chapter on a fanfiction story because your heart cannot find your book characters for days (even weeks). Write inspirations, even a sentence or just a word, because your characters WILL come back. Keep learning and step out of your comfort zone for a short story or two because you will surprise yourself.

Above all, be faithful to the vision God has laid on your heart. He has given you a story to tell. Tell it. He has given you desire to write. Write it. These words, they are not yours or mine, they are His.

~Sarah Bennett

As always,
Be Blessed
~Lucy

Part Three of Four Interviews

Welcome to part three of our four interviews. This week Robin interviews Lucy.

Take a look at the first here and second interviews here.

What made you decide to write a novel?

Is being crazy an answer? Probably not…Sigh. Writing a novel is hard work and time-consuming. But I find it challenging, terrific fun and satisfying. The sense of achievement when you type those two little words “THE END” is hard to beat.

How has God been faithful to keep you on that path over the years?

He gave me the most supportive husband on the face of the earth! There had been too many times that I’ve been on the brink of shoving this dream to the deepest, darkest pit in my heart, but he wouldn’t allow me to. I’m tremendously grateful for the man that he is.

What came to you first? Character, setting, or plot? How did the rest of the novel form around that seedling idea?

Definitely character. Basically, characters always seem to come to me first. I always tend to wonder why characters are where they are. Did what they did, and how will they fix it or live with it. I’m probably more of a character driven writer than plot driven.

What have you done since you started writing to hone your skills and get better at your craft?

I spent most of my early writing life as a “closet writer”. I told a selected few family members and friends that I dreamed of being an author… That was it. I wrote away in secrecy. Early on in our marriage my husband told me it was time to get serious about my writing. I don’t know if he was impressed by what he read or simply got tired of me whining about “dreaming of being an author”. I took his advice. I enrolled for some writing courses, attended writing classes and purchased a dozen books about the craft of writing.

Two years ago I gathered enough guts to become a member of ACFW’s and am still learning more and more about the craft.

You work full-time, care for your darling baby boy, and write historical fiction. How do you find balance in all these consuming tasks? Can you offer any words of encouragement to aspiring writers who are also employed at other jobs?

Yes ma’am, I work full-time as a bookkeeper. Numbers and words kind of the same thing – right? Hehehe. Just kidding.

I try to put my family first. Sometimes I fail, other times I succeed. I think it all comes down to prioritizing. Since writing is also important to me, I occasionally find myself writing late at night – when the rest of the house is asleep and I’m not too tired.  

I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy, because it’s not. Weeks go by without me putting down one word, and it makes me feel anxious. But a quote I read some time ago really sums it all up. I want to share it with any other aspiring writer that finds balancing working full-time, family time and writing daunting. 

“If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” (The author was unknown.)

What do you hope to achieve personally and professionally with regards to your writing?

I’d love to put a smile on someone’s face. God blessed me with a gift to make people laugh, if I can accomplish that with my writing, I’d be happy. I’d like to hope I was called to write to make my readers smile, perhaps even laugh.

Is there a work of fiction that has stuck with you over time? Why?

Hands down, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. 

I read that book the first time about ten years ago. And I've reread it numerous times since. 

The message that God’s grace and forgiveness is enough, remained with me all this time.

~Lucy

Hope you all join us next week when I interview Deanna.