Guest Blogger Kelly Ward: The Villain

While attempting to finish my extensive rewrites, I've noticed that there are more issues at hand than my plot killer problem. I have a big problem with the villain. It's catastrophic in nature and needs to be addressed.

When you have an inept villain, you have no story. Unless you plan on having no villain and if that's your story, then what I'm about to tell you will do you no good. For me, the villain of my series is like Darth Vader. He needs to convey fear simply by his presence. Not such an easy task to complete when you have no visuals to help you.

This villain is complicated. He's not a simple psychopathic killer bent on the destruction of humanity. If that were the villain I was working with, I wouldn't have this problem. Psychopathic villains are wonderful and easy (for the most part) and equally terrifying for the reader if done correctly.

The villain I have created is duplicitous and slippery. He'll just as easily smile to your face while he plots to stab you in the back. He won't be found in the middle of the action like a warlord or evil king. Instead, he's holding the puppet strings, masterminding every single action of the pawns laid out before him. He's difficult to pin down and even harder to write without adding an edge of insanity or a vengeful streak.

If you have a villain in your story, you need to remember that you will either kill your story now or make it great with this one character. While a plot killer will simply kill the stories he or she is involved in, the rest of the series will survive. With a horribly written villain, your series is dead in the water.

If you need an evil genius, create an evil genius. Plot out every aspect of his or her personality and when writing a situation the villain will be involved in, think through it as if you actually ARE that character. Sure, it's good to do that with every single character you have, but it's vital with your villain. I actually have more notes on my villains than I do on my heroes. If only my notes made sense...

One last thing to remember about a villain: names matter here. You need a name that has an actual meaning. I named my first villain Varick because the name sounds evil and it means conqueror (at least it did on the website I was using). What better name for the Bringer of all evil? With my newest villain, I chose the name Nathail because it sounds oily and black and it means snake. It fits him. You can't call a bad guy Mark can you? Well you could, but would he be scary?

Take your time with a villain. They can be the greatest thing in the world or the biggest pain in the neck you'll ever have.


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Kelly Ward has had a passion for writing since she was thirteen, and has since blended her passion for writing with her love of vampires into a writing career. Kelly is the author of Prophecy, Forbidden, and Awakening, which are available on her website. You can read more about Kelly's writing and life on her blog, The Fang Marked Writer. She is happily married to the love of her life, Nathan, and is expecting their first child in March.

Writing in November: Advice from a NaNo Alumna

November is right around the corner as I'm sure you are all aware and that means it's time to get ready for NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month for those of you who are new to the concept.

Last year was my first time participating and I learned a lot in the process. I wanted to share some of my experience so that the mistakes I made will not be repeated.

Never ever write a novel that is part of a series you are currently working on. Last November, I was working on the prequel for my current series. Since NaNoWriMo is all about word count, this was a very bad idea. Now that I'm going through and editing the novel, I'm finding a lot of mistakes I made while just trying to make the word count. Don't work on something that goes with another series. You'll kick yourself later.

Do your research before November. I was writing the novel and researching it at the same time. Granted, this was the first time I had to do such in-depth research for a novel so I didn't know better. I had so many notebooks laying around that I didn't know what was where. It took away from the experience for me.

Remember, it's about proving to yourself that you can do this. Making sure that you are writing enough is hard. Some days, I still don't feel like getting my three pages minimum completed. Some days I'm so blocked I can't get it done. But NaNoWriMo is there to encourage you. As you go through November, just remind yourself that you can finish it. It's all about fifty thousand words, not the next award-winning novel.

My goal this year is to write over fifty-three thousand words. We'll see what happens in November, won't we?

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Kell is the author of the blog Welcome to Earth. She is currently working on editing her third vampire novel. Her first, Prophecy, is available online. She lives in Rock Island, Illinois, with her husband and dog, and writes full time from home. You can learn more about Kell by visiting her website here.

Introducing: Guest Bloggers!

In preparation for the birth of my first baby, I asked my readers if they'd be willing to step up and post for me during August and September. Thankfully, several people offered to post during my time away from the blog, so you'll be able to continue to enjoy original content over the next six weeks.

Each guest post will go up on a Wednesday, beginning next week and running until the end of September. I'm excited about the selection of posts to share with you, and I think the authors are excited, too.

On August 26 you can read the musings of Mike of The Big Stick, who will be sharing his take on ministers in rural areas in response to an essay by Darryl Hart. Mike will examine what plays a role in the high turnover often seen in rural pulpits, and make a case that it may not be what Hart suggests.

Chris will share his thoughts on September 2, with a post about how he came to writing through an AOL-sponsored chatroom for poets, and offer advice for beginning writers who want to engage their readers and draw them into their experiences.

Jen, author of Divinest Sense, has the special honor of posting on September 9 (09/09/09), and her post will explore the idea of seeing yourself as a writer, even if you're not making a living from it, drawing on her own experiences as a writer with a day job.

Kell of Welcome to Earth and author of the Prophecy series will be next up on September 16. In her post, Kelly gets us geared up for NaNoWriMo a little early by offering a little advice she learned the hard way last year.

September 23 goes to Abi of Hollywood Back Roads. Her post, "Something Worth Writing" will explore how she came to balance the often hermitous lifestyle of writers with her own adventurous spirit, and explain why that balance is important for all writers.

Finishing out the series will be Dana of En Tequila Es Verdad on September 30. Dana is a co-blogger here, and occasionally drops in to ponder writing and reading. You have to watch out, though, as Dana may get a little antsy and post more frequently than just the once during the series!

It promises to be an interesting six weeks of posting, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I will! The dear readers who volunteered to post for me are wonderful people who will bring a fresh perspective to my blog.

Of course, if you like the guest posts, be sure to stop over at the authors' blogs or sites to let them know! We writers love to hear compliments, after all!