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Michael Connelly Interview (WM)

StirlingStirling
edited July 2009 in - Reading
This time I really am writing in!

"Villians are the easiest characters to create, Michael finds: 'they don't have to be as believable as your main character. They can be over the top. You want your main character to connect with your reader and have an emphathetic connection. You want the complete opposite with your bad guy. When you're not worrying about the relationship with the reader, it's freeing in some ways. That makes it easier to draw a villain."

I found this comment really deflating, I've spent months writing an antagonist that is just as believable as my protaganist, and I hope he has an 'empathetic connection' with the reader. I really don't like over the top villains anyway.

Thoughts?

Comments

  • DaisyDaisy
    Well, my initial thought is that a villain would probably be more complicated (all that stuff that turned him/her into a villain). I guess in books for very young readers it might be easier - but in adult novels where you're really exploring personality, behaviour etc I wouldn't have thought it would be easy.
  • StirlingStirling
    No, especially in crime fiction.
  • NutmegNutmeg
    i found myself knowing more about my villain than my main characters...during my access course i used his story for the creative pieces i had to write for the final assignments. I knew his history more intimately than the others.. of course half way thru the book he loses his villain status... but he has good reasons to be the villain and people will be able to understand why he did what he did... now i just need to work more on my protagonists :D
  • NutmegNutmeg
    add:

    when i started editing my first draft of my book i realised my villain didn't have any reason to be the villain..it really annoyed me and for a few months i left it all and wrote something else... in the end my whole story changed... new villains, old villain became a good guy etc...

    so i think villains are really hard to write... they need really believable and realistic reasons for being bad...
  • StirlingStirling
    It took me lots of drafts to come up with realistic motivation etc.

    I really don't like this black and white idea of hero vs villian. My protagonist isn't as innocent as he appears either . . .
  • dorothyddorothyd
    that encapsulates why I don't read Michael Connelly but I do read John Connelly...
  • StirlingStirling
    Yeah, I now know never to touch one of his books.
  • carocaro
    I suppose it depends on what your writing. If it's a fast paced thriller with a hero, then perhaps there isn't much time to do a real indepth character study of the baddie. You'd probably want to concentrate more on the goodie, and bring out their characteristics more.
  • pippiepippie
    edited July 2009
    It also made me wonder if he knew what he was on about I suppose he does as he's published plenty of books.
    Dorothyd - John Connelly is one of my favourite writers and he actually came to Kendal library last Saturday to do a talk and sign books he was amazing and he inspired me to sort myself out and continue with my writing he was really interesting and a very funny guy.
  • dorothyddorothyd
    Interesting one, Pippie, thanks for that. I asked John Connelly through his website about a particularly disturbing image in one of his stories, he said he had no ideas where he got it from but agreed it was disturbing! John Connelly is proof you can write horror/thrillers and concentrate on characters, his Parker, Louis and Angel are outstanding heroes and his villains are real villains without being too OTT. Michael Connelly slots into those 'churn the books out' authors I dislike so much. No real thought.
  • pippiepippie
    I also asked him about his idea's but I was trying not to gush and sound like an idiot so i can't remeber the answer lol. Nice guy though I've just finished his new book 'The Lovers' which is again very interesting I love the way he mixes a bit of the supernatural within the crime novel, gives you the chills which I thoroughly enjoy I like to be scared which is something I've been aiming for within my writing for years. The story I'm in the middle of writing has similar elements although totally different (I hope!).
  • dorothyddorothyd
    I'm keen to get my hands on his new book, any time soon, when I work through the pile I have already ...
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