Save

Save

Paula Wynne's picture
Paula Wynne

Pinned 6 years 5 months ago onto Writing Guides

Bullies, Bitches and Bastards by Jessica Page Morrell

Create good 'Baddies' when you start building fictional characters for your novel with agro bullies, nasty bastards and dangerous bitches.

We know that a truly memorable antagonist is not a one-dimensional super villain bent on world domination for no particular reason. Three-dimensional, credible bad guys create essential story complications, personalize conflict, add immediacy to a story line, and force the protagonist to evolve. Every established author and even aspiring writers know they must create good baddies in order to make their novel a bestseller and have readers turning pages super fast.

Bullies, Bitches and Bastards by Jessica Page Morrell explores the rise in popularity of anti-heroes, how anti-heroes possess some of the same qualities of villains but with the soul of a hero, and how these complicated characters reflect contemporary society.

From unlikable protagonists and dark heroes to bullies and mischief makers to villains and arch nemeses, Bullies, Bastards and Bitches shows readers how to create nuanced bad guys who are indispensable to the stories in which they appear.

Creating Good Baddies when building fictional characters with bullies, bastards and bitches

Character traits are not only to show them in action but just as importantly to show them fall apart at the seams under duress when they’re involved in an extreme or highly emotional situation. Very quickly you’ll encounter a table showing primary traits, where you list three to six traits that will showcase your character throughout the story and which will act as the foundation to their being.

A character’s single most important job in a story is to stimulate the reader’s emotions.

You’ll also list secondary traits to support their primary traits and add depth and of course include mannerisms and habits. Counter contrasting traits will expose your character’s deepest layers and bring to the surface their vulnerabilities. Sounds like you’re being horrid to the ‘squatters’ in your head, but actually this is what really makes them believable and interesting. Read the full review of Bullies, Bitches and Bastards by Jessica Page Morrell.

 

Paula Wynne is the founder of Book Luver.

Paula's Writers' Resource Series features the following books: Pimp My Fiction: How to Write a Novel with The Ultimate List of Creative Writing Books to Create A Plot & Build Character; A~Z Writers’ Character Quirks: A~ Z of Behaviours, Foibles, Habits, Mannerisms & Quirks for Writers’ to Create Fictional and 101 Writers’ Scene Settings: Unique Location Ideas & Sensory Details for Writers’ to Create Vivid Scene.

Find out more about the Writers' Resource Series here. If you would like to find out how to write a bestselling novel, download a free copy of Paula's Pimp My Fiction.

Follow Paula on Amazon's Author Central to find out when she publishes more books. Or you can follow Paula on Twitter and Facebook.

Upvote this Pin: 
0

Log in to vote
Pinned onto the category

Writing Books

Marc McCutcheon's Building Believable CharactersFashion in the Middle AgesYour Novel's First 50 PagesBreathing Life Into Your CharactersCharacter Reactions from Head to ToeMedieval Costume in England and France: The 13th, 14th and 15th CenturiesEmotional Wound ThesaurusA Writer's Guide to the ZodiacMedieval Wordbook45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn SchmidtThe Author's Checklist
Originally pinned by

Paula Wynne

The Invisible Cipher Thriller Suspense Crime Giveaway
Win The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Psychological Thrillers That Will Mess With Your Head
What Lies Within Book Giveaway
Never Again Romantic Suspense Book Giveaway
Meridia Falls Series Book Giveaway
Pinned onto the board

Writing Guides

Armed And Dangerous Writers Guide To Weapons
Skeptic's Guide to Conspiracies
Your Novel's First 50 Pages
1000 Strong Verbs for  Fiction  Writers
Writing A Suspense Conspiracy Thriller
Medieval Costume in England and France: The 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries
Scroll to top