Creative Writing- The Antagonist

In creative writing-- the antagonist how bad should they be?

In my previous post, mentioned about the protagonist in a story and there is always an antagonist as well.  I mean life has nice people and miserable people so it is important to have them in stories so that the reader can really relate and perhaps cheer for the character.

You need to have your antagonist  a bit of a bully or worse otherwise, how can you discover what your protagonist strengths and weaknesses are.

The reason for the antagonist is to bring out the best in the character otherwise the story is flat and rather boring.

So, how mean, nasty, or vile do you make the antagonist?

Of course, everyone likes a happy ending so it all depends on the authors ending.

In my book,  Even Exchange Amy faces many challenges and her weaknesses and strengths are exposed. And her antagonist was a nasty so and so. I am sure many of you have met or experienced someone like him.  

Again, a nasty person to make the story interesting.

Have a Happy New Year to everyone.

And for those who have purchased my books... The Magic Herb and Even Exchange 

Thank You!

Character Flaws in Creative Writing

Are character flaws in creative writing important?  When writing a story, I think it's important to make the protagonist with flaws. After all. no one is perfect even in a story.

It is important that the reader can "relate" to the protagonist. Bad habits, conceit, jealousy, miserliness we all have some of those flaws.

The more "real" the more interesting the character is and believable in the story. A goody-goody can be very boring and unforgettable while a mean or jealous character can become quite interesting.

That's  why I like to mix real people's traits into my stories- they are more believable and can be easily related to.

That's why Nora in The Magic Herb- you feel sorry for her. Her struggles and dilemmas that she faces along with the heartbreak are all things

Would You Use Magic if You Could?

Would you use magic to get what you want if you could?

What if you could use magic to have whatever you want? Love, money, relationships etc.

Would it make you happy?
Would you be prepared for the consequences of your actions?

Cause and effect always play into our plans no matter whether they are for the good or bad.

In my story Even Exchange..this young woman used magic to get what she wanted with mixed results.

It's wonderful to imagine what you would do if you had magic to work with?
What would you do if you had magic to do with what you wanted?

I guess it's safer to get lost in a story involving magic than actually using it. Can you imagine the trouble some people would have especially if it were misused?

Thank goodness for our imagination...we can read and peek at what the characters in a story are doing and remove ourselves when we are done!

No harm just entertainment!

Creative Writing

Creative writing enables the writer to create whatever story they like.

The writer can create nice people, nasty people ,devious people etc.

But what about the type of character?

Would you prefer to read about a strong person or a weak one? An optimistic or a pessimistic person?

A man or woman or both?

 Do you enjoy reading about their failures, joys, sorrows, challenges?

It's fun to create these people in my stories and as I have said before in my earlier post I usually use the character traits from people I actually know!

I believe it makes the story more interesting and the reader can usually relate to some of the characters dilemmas or knows someone facing similar issues.

Creative Writing

The beauty with creative writing is that you can make up whatever story you want.

Most of the time you needn't do research unless you're writing about a certain time period.
Of course, you need to make your "world" interesting for the reader.

I like to incorporate the area that I live in with my stories. Stephen King always had his stories based in Main where he lives so I understand now why he chose to do that.

Being familiar with the area makes it easy to pull real people, places, and events into the story.

That's why The Magic Herb is about the mountains in PA. The trails can be filled with animals lots of trees and heavy thicket and beautiful views with waterfalls.

That is why Nora could so easily have gotten lost.

What Do You Like To Read?

What do you like to read?  I read somewhere that a writer should write what they themselves enjoy reading.

I enjoy a good love story mixed with a fantasy that's probably why I write stories about love, relationships mixed with magic.

The book I am currently working on is just that but to be honest I am thinking of submitting it to a traditional publisher instead of publishing it myself.

It's again about challenges in love, but it has a three-way involvement. A mother/daughter and their troubled relationship and a man.  That alone spells trouble.

I truly believe reading  takes us away from our daily troubles and takes us on a journey inside other people's lives.

Until next time.....Keep reading and thanks for visiting my Blog

Volunteer

Would you consider volunteering to read and review a book for FREE?

Many authors offer this and I wanted to take a poll to see if anyone would be interested? You must have an Amazon account to post your review.

 I am looking for a handful of people so if interested don't delay.    
E-mail me and let me know.   macourt60@gmail.com

The Magic Herb

The Magic Herb...what is it about?  Have you read it? Have you ordered it?

Decisions, decisions...too many choices to make.

Cycles of Publishing

There are cycles of publishing that are impossible to gauge. They come in waves-  sci-fi, drama, horror, love stories.

Amazon indicates that science fiction and fantasy are big sellers, but a writer can't write in that genre if they aren't comfortable with it.

And yes, as a writer we should be able to write anything.....but I believe when you write what you enjoy you write better.

Myself, I enjoy writing about fantasy and love relationships. I wouldn't enjoy writing say a horror book. My experience is in relationships and my creativity seems to draw me towards writing fantasy.

So attempting to write for a specific genre at a certain time is not possible due to writing, editing, and then editing again before the story is perfect. By that time, the cycle would have moved on to the next one.

So as an author......when my book is complete  I publish it! Whatever cycle it  enters I rely on the readers to decide if they choose to read the book or not.

M.A. Courtney: Using Your Voice

M.A. Courtney: Using Your Voice: Your voice is important when writing . Writing should flow easily and effortlessly from you-the-author. I have read to use your own v...

Using Your Voice

Your voice is important when writing. Writing should flow easily and effortlessly from you-the-author.

I have read to use your own voice when writing so that you come across natural. The reader will hear your voice and in time trust it.

Don't use fancy words unless they are part of your normal speech.

Keep on writing