VillainsVILLAINS KIDS LOVE TO HATE Children’s books are about people–both good and bad. In real life, people are seldom completely, irredeemably evil, and often this is the case in fiction. Not every story has a true villain–some have an antagonist instead. An antagonist is a character who keeps the main character from getting what she wants, but isn’t necessarily all bad or evil. In stories for young children, the situation often provides the conflict. For example, in my book Ants Can’t Dance, Jonathan finds an ant that can dance and a peanut that can talk. But the ant and peanut won’t demonstrate their talents when Jonathan tells his parents about his discovery. In this book, the ant and the peanut are the antagonists, but they aren’t villains. In fiction for older children, however, villains are often completely, delightfully wicked. A word about stereotypes Human beings like to sort people into groups. When you meet a stranger, you notice certain things immediately. Is this person old or young, black or white, male or female, rich or poor? The moment you’ve categorized the person, you may assume that he or she has all the qualities you associate with that category. This is the beginning of stereotyping, a process that leads us to false assumptions and hurtful generalizations about members of a particular group. Readers do the same thing with the characters they meet in a book. They can be quick to think they know a person based on the group to which he or she belongs. Stereotyping leads to unfair judgments about people and characters. In recent years, editors have made an effort to publish books with characters that violate traditional, negative stereotypes. You want to be particularly aware of stereotyping when you are constructing your villain. So avoid making your villain a member of a group that has been unfairly stigmatized in the past. Young children are impressionable and you don’t want to reinforce misconceptions that are still prevalent in the general culture. Moreover, editors are vigilant to any hint of stereotyping and will ask you to make changes if you do so inadvertently. Another reason is that stereotypes make for dull reading. Characters that violate your readers’ expectations are always more interesting than generic ones. Portraying poisonous people in ten easy steps Some picture books and many books for older children feature a truly evil villain. The following is a list of ten suggestions to help you create an appropriate villain for your story: Create a brief description of two or three potential villains. List a number of negative personality and behavioral traits. Think of one or two admirable qualities your villain may possess. Write a description of three potential villains, keeping in mind that the villains’ major goals must run counter to the hero’s objectives. As you write your description, think about your villain’s motives. The villain’s role in your story is to work against good. Ask yourself–why is she doing this? Has she had negative influences in her life? What are her feelings about her life and about the main character? Is she afraid, frustrated, or angry? Make your villain into a worthy opponent. Don’t be afraid to create a villain who is clever and crafty. Stack the deck in his favor. Often, for most of a story, the villain will have or appear to have more power than the main character. Make it appear that the villain is going to prevail. Have your villain justify her actions. Most people don’t believe they’re evil, and your villain may not think so either. Villains often justify their behavior, believing that they’re acting as anyone else would in their situation–or even that they’re acting for a good cause. Show your villain enjoying the suffering he causes. The easiest way to make your readers dislike your villain is to show him delighting in the pain of other characters. But don’t overdo it. If you’re writing a lighthearted story, don’t put a damper on the tone by creating a villain who’s excessively evil. Show your villain getting or aspiring to something he isn’t entitled to. Children have a sense of fair play. Whether your villain is a cruel tyrant who has seized the throne unlawfully or a bully who takes the main character’s lunch money, your readers will dislike someone who takes advantage of others. Make your villain’s speech overly precise. A character who is pedantic or uses pretentious language creates resentment and distrust. Soften the villain with a bit of humor. Younger children can be frightened by realistic villains. Often the villain is made a bit comic for this age group. In Here Come The Aliens by Colin McNaughton, horrible-looking space creatures are about to invade until they see horrible-looking Earthlings. The story is lots of fun and the villains aren’t really all that villainous. Give your villain a secret. Evil is more intriguing when a mystery is involved. Create a villain with a secret or leave something back so your readers don’t know everything about him. Create a villain who is redeemed in the end. In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas. In my story Boris the Boring Boar, the wolf who wants to eat Boris eventually becomes a vegetarian. In many children’s stories, the villain learns his lesson and changes his wicked ways. Introducing five villains you don’t want to meet in a dark alley: Spiker and Sponge. Two meanies make for double trouble in James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. James has to live with two horrible aunts who make him work like a slave, keep him locked away in their dark house, and never let him meet other children. Roald Dahl’s villains are often delightfully dastardly. Count Olaf. In A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, Count Olaf is appointed guardian of the Baudelaire children, but he is really out to get their money. The unappealing Count Olaf has one eyebrow and some sinister sidekicks to help him carry out his pernicious plans. Zeralda’s Ogre. In Tomi Ungerer’s book Zeralda’s Ogre, the main character loves children–for breakfast, that is. While true villains are rare in children’s picture books, this is one mean character. As frequently happens in picture books, he reforms in the end. Cluny, the Scourge. Redwall by Brian Jacques, features Cluny, the Scourge, a giant one-eyed rat who carries a pole topped with a ferret’s head and uses his immense tail (with a poisonous barb at the end) as a whip. Cluny leads an army of four hundred rats, ferrets, weasels, and stoats. Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, Voldemort is a name so feared that most of Harry’s wizard friends are afraid to utter it. A horrifying specter with red eyes, slitted nostrils, white skin, and spider-like hands, he is responsible for the slaughter of hundreds. |
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