Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Choosing the Bad Guy

Yes, it's a mystery. Who exactly is the bad guy?

I’ve had my head buried in my work-in-progress for so long that it’s hard to see outside the fictional world I’ve been living in.

I have several different ideas about “whodunit.” And I don’t want to make the obvious choice. But I’m having trouble figuring out who that is. So I appeal to you.

Is it more enticing when the bad guy turns out to be someone the protagonist trusts?

Or is that the obvious choice?

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book in which you felt let down by the revelation of who the bad guy was?
Thank you for any help!


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9 comments:

  1. Linda-
    If you have 2-3 feasable options for the bad guy, then there is not be an obvious protagonist & your readers won't be disappointed. When I am reading, and I can tell that the author is leading towards one clear bad guy, that's when I get frustrated about the bk & ending. Alternatively, if throughout the bk, there is no obvious choice & the bad guy could be 1 of a few possible options, then I like those bks.

    The key is not just who the bad guy is, but HOW the different characters are presented to the readers, how much conflict there is among the characters, and the growth of the main characters. I think if the overall novel is well-developed & the bad guy is not too obvious, you will have a good book. Also, don't forget to have the first 5 pages as "gotcha" pages (the reader has to know more & it's hard to put bk down).

    I'm sending you my best thoughts!
    Monique

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    1. Thank you for your feedback, Monique. I hope that once I have absorbed all of the input and information on the subject that I can, it will come together. I have added some new details and it's making it easier for me to figure it out.

      And how many times have I re-written those first pages? Many! :-)

      I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment!!

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  2. Ditto. It's not so important who is the bad guy as it is that their are plausible alternates for the reader to contemplate. Psychopaths are charming and trustworthy. And how much of us being fooled is of our own reluctance to face hard truths? Plot is a vehicle to carry what makes a story satisfying...even in a genre like mystery.

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    1. Thanks, Lara. I think about "bad guys" from my own life. I refused to acknowledge the red flags that later were so obvious to me.
      I appreciate your feedback.

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  3. I too agree that it's best when there are a few options, but I will have to say, and this pertains a lot to TV dramas, that I get annoyed when there's something odd in a scene, and in the first scene, because its presented strangely, that I know exactly who the villain is. Like the other mother who goes out of her way to sympathize, or the hyper-focus on the person stepping on the curb with the metal pointing out. Whomever you choose, and whatever red-herrings your throw out, make them as big or as little as they need to be to throw the reader off...

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    1. That is a good point about TV shows. It's good to watch and read the good and bad to see what works.
      Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it.

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  4. It's all a balancing act between artful foreshadowing and the all-out giveaway. I like it when the antagonist is someone the protagonist trusts, so long as he or she is not the obvious choice. If you have several options for your villain, then they must all be equally valid, have equally compelling evidence against them, etc. Also, the deonouement has to answer your red herrings in a satisfying way. It can't be something easily dismissed. If the trusted friend is not, in fact, the killer, then all the evidence stacked against him or her has to truly shake the foundation of friendship. It can't all be a series of misunderstandings or coincidences (the "it was all a dream" syndrome). Actions have consequences and I think it would be an interesting, and somewhat tragic, ending.
    Good luck.

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    1. It's Melanie Marttila, by the way ... Have no idea why it posted as akismet.

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    2. Thanks, Melanie. That is good advice and I agree with your comment about dreams. I think I am on the right track. (Fingers crossed.) I appreciate that you took the time to read and comment!

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