Photo by Stephan H. on Unsplash
Have you ever had a person—who you thought was the worst—surprise you? It seems to be a recurring theme in my life. As a child, I had a neighbor who tormented my sister and me, but when someone else tried to punch me at the bus stop, she stood up for me when no one else did.
Or when I taught overseas, a difficult co-worker was the person who did the most for the orphans living on the streets.
All this is to say that the difficult people in our lives often surprise us, so that’s why when I create antagonists, I try hard not to make cardboard villains.
Finding the Heart in the Antagonist
If you don’t already know, I am a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, a community of authors who share monthly about the creative life. It’s a place to be earnest about our hurdles and celebrate our small victories together.
This month’s question: Do you have a favorite character archetype you tend to gravitate toward in your writing?
This month’s question: Do you have a favorite character archetype you tend to gravitate toward in your writing?
For me, that archetype is that the bad guy (or girl) tends to get redeemed by the end.
Beyond the Josie Pye's of this World
In my forthcoming book, I was interested in exploring a Josie Pye-type character. In Green Gables, Josie is just a foil for Anne, the person who dares her to get up on the roof, taunts her at school, and fawns over Gilbert to make Anne jealous.
“Josie is a Pye,” said Marilla sharply, “so she can’t help being disagreeable. I suppose people of that kind serve some useful purpose in society, but I must say I don’t know what it is any more than I know the use of thistles.”
–L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
As a reader, Josie left me with a lot of questions. Why is she so proud and mean to Anne? I have to disagree with Marilla here. Being born in a certain family doesn’t determine your temperament or your future. So, I gave my antagonist a reason she is who she is, and I was really gratified when an early reader said my antagonist was her favorite character—she kept trying to figure out whether she was good or bad.
Why Hope Matters for the Difficult Child
As a writer for kids, I think writing well-developed antagonists is so important. In schools and families, sometimes the difficult child gets labeled as a problem. And it is a heavy burden to feel like you are never going to be anyone’s idea of a hero. But if kids read a story where the antagonist can change, where they see that one mistake doesn’t make a whole person, perhaps that may give them hope. So, although I don’t normally like origin stories of how antagonists went bad, I love stories where the antagonists turn good.
Notes from the Front Porch:
What about you? Is there a type of archetype you like to read or write about?
Celebrating 15 Years and Exciting News
Happy 15th Birthday to Insecure Writer’s Group! I made my first post on March 4, 2014. I have had a couple of years in there where I took a break from blogging when life got crazy, but this group has been my online writer’s support group for some time. I am so grateful for your encouragement, warmth, and kindness, and I cherish all your comments each month. I don’t have a book out—yet—but I am starting a monthly newsletter, Tea and Tails.
The first edition comes out this Friday. You can expect a little bit of writing encouragement, some highlights from what I’m reading, and some cute moments with Max. I’d love for you to join me. My free gift, an Anne read-alike list, also includes a short teaser about my debut.
So the big news is that I have started an imprint and will be releasing my first book next year! Stay tuned. (Of course, Tea and Tails readers will be the first to hear updates.
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| Max, the Reading Dog |
Max’s take
🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴
People think I'm ferocious, but I really have a soft heart. We need more books about difficult dogs who are really sweethearts like me.
I'm so grateful to be part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group community.
A special thank you to this month's wonderful co-hosts:
Kate Larkinsdale, SE White, JS Pailly, Olga Godim, and Natalie Aguirre!
You can join us here.
I taught the "difficult child" for a year, and he was very smart. He acted out to get the attention he craved and felt he couldn't receive any other way. By the end of the year, he knew that I sincerely cared about HIM and his behaviors were gone. He came from a good family. Had good parents. Everything was right in his world. He just needed to know people saw him. I think that's the case with many bad behaviors -- in children and adults, and yes, an antagonist better have the strongest motives for their behavior.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! I have had similar experiences with some of my former students. If you can build a relationship and they know you truly care, it often turns them around. And, yes, antagonists need to have strong motives and be multi-dimensional!
DeleteCongratulations on your imprint.
ReplyDeleteGiving readers hope is important.
Thank you, Alex! Yes, hope is so important!
DeleteYes, I've had that experience with difficult people too. Congrats on your imprint and your plans to publish your book next year.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a good reminder that people aren't one-dimensional. And thank you, Natalie!
DeleteLove this so much. I believe redemption is nearly always possible. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Yes, I agree and thank you!
DeleteOne mistake does NOT define us any more than it can define our characters. Or even two mistakes. I LOVE the redeemable antagonists. Great post, Jenni!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victoria! I so agree. :)
DeleteFinding goodness in an antagonist is an interesting approach. It takes lots of compassion to head this way in your fiction. Our characters say so much about us, it is scary sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYes, they do say a lot about us and how we look at the world, for sure.
DeleteA story where the character doesn't change and grow is just lacking. Even if the character is difficult, we keep turning the pages as that person begins to change. And even bad guys can change.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's so true! Characters need to change for the story to be interesting.
DeleteI love your take on antagonists. Food for thought. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad it gave you something to think about.
DeleteI love your curiosity about what makes a villain the way they are. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Happy writing to you as well!
DeleteYour post is thought-provoking, Jenni. I like the antagonist or villain to have a solid motivation for acting the way they do, and it is indeed satisfying when they find redemption. Nellie Olson came to my mind as a difficult child, though I can't remember if she ever redeems herself!
ReplyDeleteNellie Olson is a great example! If I remember correctly, she doesn't change in the books, but I think she does in the TV series.
DeleteI like writing "Darcy and Elizabeth" tropes because...because!
ReplyDeleteYes, I love their trope too! It's really satisfying because they both change and realize they were wrong about a few things.
DeleteI always like to figure out the story behind the antagonists I write about. Usually, they experience some kind of tragedy that makes them the way they are.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love that! Yes, it's good to know why they are the way they are, and often it is how they respond to something tragic.
DeleteWow, Jenni, I love your technique of presenting a fully rounded antagonist, and delving into why they ended up that way, and that they are redeemable. Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the upcoming book! I"m in the same camp. I am in the last yards now of the polishing :-)
Thank you for your kind words, Yvette! I'm glad to know we're at the same place. Rooting for you on polishing it up!
DeleteRedemption---yeah that is one amazing miracle. I love Josie. Yes she's a mean person in the books but I was able to relate a little to her. Especially in CBC's adaptation, they showed a side of her that we couldn't have imagined to exist otherwise.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is truly a miracle! And the CBC adaptation makes her more human, for sure.
DeleteYes, people are complex and often surprising! It's good to remember when writing characters, even villains! :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! (Sorry I'm so late to comment; this was stuck in my moderation folder.)
DeleteHi Jenni, I missed the end of your post - congratulations on 15 years and even more so on the news of your own imprint! I look forward to reading your story!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Valinora! I do hope you enjoy it. There is a dog. :)
DeleteI really like this, especially the idea that the difficult person is not necessarily the finished person. One of the things that draws me to redemption stories is that they leave room for someone to become more than the worst thing we know about them.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't mean pretending the hurt they cause isn't real. But it does mean refusing to reduce a person to that hurt, or to assume that who they are now is who they must always be. There is something profoundly hopeful about a story in which even the person we have learned to dislike can surprise us with goodness, change, or sacrifice.
Maybe that is one reason redemption arcs resonate so deeply: they suggest that nobody has to remain forever trapped in the role of "the difficult one."
I certainly experienced something of that in myself. In my early school years, I thought it was cool to be a bully. I tried to gain acceptance into some groups by showing off how cruel I could be. Eventually I learned what repentance meant, and that helped me begin to understand grace and transformation.
I'm still nowhere near a finished project. Sometimes I'm amazed at how much of that mean little kid still lurks inside me, but for quite a while another Spirit has been at work in me, and it's my intention surrender my ego and follow better.
Thank you for sharing your story, Laur! I loved what you said about repentance and grace. Nothing is impossible with God.
DeleteGreat post, Jenni. I always try to remember that the villain is the hero of his own story. And the best ones are complex. In fact, I daresay that the most scary villains are the ones we can imagine ourselves being. Congratulations on the exciting bit of news about a new book!
ReplyDeleteYes, that is so true. That's the part we need to be wary of ourselves. We can justify our own bad behavior. And thank you so much!
Delete