Writing Excercises To Help Develop Your Character

Now that you have a broad overview on what makes a well developed antagonist, this post will provide some writing exercises that you can use to incorporate into developing your character.

How to increase your ability to develop characters
In Godwin's article, Create Characters With Depth, he says to write about people you know. He says, "Pay close attention to the speech patterns and facial expressions and habits of people you see often or remember well. They can serve as ready-made skeletons to flesh out through your art as a writer."


Interview your antagonist
In Lourey's article, A Pyramid Approach To Novel Writing, she gives a list of questions to 'ask' your antagonist to develop the character:

* What's your name? Nickname?
* Anyone ever tell you that you look like someone famous?
* Of all your qualities, which is the one you're most proud of? Where do you think you acquired this quality?
* What do people seem to like the least about you? How does it make you feel?
* Which habit of yours would you most like to change?
* If someone looked in your bathroom garbage right now, what would they find?
* What scent do you enjoy the most, and what does it remind you of?
* If you could go back in time and change one day of your life, what day would it be, and why?
* What three goals do you want to accomplish in the next year? What challenges do you have to overcome to reach them?
* Whom do you love most in this world and why?
* What scares you?

References
Godwin, Gail (2007, June 01). Create characters with depth. Writer (6), 23. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com

Lourey, Jess (2011, February 01). A pyramid approach to novel writing. Writer (2), 30. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com

Who are People's Favorite Villains?

This post consists of a video I made of people telling who their favorite antagonist is and why. I think this will be helpful to you because you can use people's favorite antagonists to help guide the making of your own.

A Story Board to Help You Create An Antagonist

Albert, who is blogging on story boarding has done a guest post for my blog to help you visually see how an antagonist could compare to the main character.
 
 His storyboard layout can be seen below:

Taking Criticism

 Criticism is another aspect of developing an antagonist
Criticism is often a scary thing, especially for writers. Our stories and characters are precious to us, they are like a part of who we are, and when someone decides to tell us weak points in our writing, it can sometimes feel like a direct insult. However, criticism is something to be considered. I have talked a lot about developing an antagonist, and this is another aspect of character development to think about.

Why to listen to criticism
Would you buy an item that has been harshly criticized by many people and said to not work properly? I know I wouldn't, because usually if an item gets a consistently bad review, it means there is something that could be improved about that item. The same goes with writing. Tell your friends or other writers about your ideas and characters. Listen to what they have to say. Their advice could help you vastly improve your antagonist, character, or story.

How you should take criticism
If you are like me, you like to tell others about your characters and story. Watch how others react to your ideas. Listen to what they think about your characters. After someone critiques your characters or story, Hyde, an award winning author, offers some good advice on what to do. In her article, What You Can Learn from Criticism, she says to ask yourself "Do you agree with what the person said?" And once you can honestly answer that, then you can either make a positive change to your idea/character/story or you can toss the advice.

When to consider accepting criticism
Hyde also said that there will always be someone who dislikes your writing. She said to consider this: If 1 out of 10 people don't like your writing, then its probably that person's problem. If 9 out of 10 people dislike your writing, then you may need to consider improvement. This can apply to characters as well and your antagonist.

References
Hyde, Ryan, C. (2001, November 01). What you can learn from criticism. Writer (11), 22. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com

Interview With a Novelist

It is good to get multiple perspectives from people on writing. So, here is another interview, this time with a woman named Brooklyn who has written and published two novels. She mainly writes about historical fiction, with Roman and Greek influences. In this interview she gives tips on what makes a developed antagonist.

 The Interview
Who is your favorite villain and why?
I like Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello because he is able to rationalize why he is doing something evil. He is cunning and plans things out and offers his motivation for why he's doing what he's doing, which makes him more sympathetic for the reader.

What do you think makes a memorable character? Or more specifically, a villain?
A memorable villain should be dynamic, not just doing evil things for no reason. They need a motivation that they can rationalize to themselves or even the reader (which would semi-justify what they are doing). A good villain ought to be smart, he should have good dialogue and be able to make you in awe of their ability to turn the situation around and justify what they're doing.

What tips would you give a writer on how to create a good antagonist?
A writer should watch movies that have been praised for the dimension of their characters, or mainly the antagonist. The colonel Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's movie Inglorious Bastards is a really good example of what a villain should be. That’s where I get inspiration. I look at other villains in movies and books and think to myself “why is this villain so captivating?” You really have to think about “why is my villain doing what he's doing?” That's most important. A villain who just does evil for no reason is not memorable. If you can find a way to make the villain likable, like showing a sort of quirk or vulnerability, that makes a villain even better. A villain ought to be humanized, not just some evil entity.

Do you think an antagonist has to be a person specifically, or can it be an inner struggle, event, or something else? Do you have any examples?
Inner struggles definitely count as a villain. If a protagonist has an inner struggle or inner turmoil of some sort, it not only serves as a villain, but also gives dimension to the protagonist. An example would be a character having to do work a difficult job, but at the same time has to battle alcoholism or a drug habit that is threatening to tear his life apart.

How do you think an antagonist should relate to the main character?
I don't necessary think that foil characters are interesting. Just like the protagonist, the villain needs to have spirit and dimension and a reason for what he's doing. A villain or antagonist should have just as much heart and soul and love as a protagonist, just in a different direction. Whereas a protagonist must have a reason that they're doing good, a belief or faith of sorts, a villain should have a reason for doing evil. It is interesting if the villain is not completely the opposite of the protagonist. The antagonist and protagonist should have something in common, something that binds them together. A villain is more interesting when they had the opportunity to be as good as the protagonist, but took a different path in life.

The 9 Elements of Temperament

One way to create and examine your character is to look at his or her temperament. In Griffin's article, Patterns of Behavior, she lists the nine temperaments that are used by psychologists to asses child development. However, instead of focusing on child development, Griffin uses these nine categories to asses her characters.

Below I created an info-graphic to help you visualize the nine temperaments:

(infograph made on easel.ly)

Here are some thought for your character based on the different elements of temperament:

Activity: Energy level
Adaptability: Handling new situations or unexpected events
Distractability: Focus or lack of concentration
Intensity of emotion: Way of expressing emotion and to what degree
Mood: Basic nature such as pessimist or optimist
Persistence: How hard your character perseveres to accomplish something
Physical Rhythms: Sleeping/eating patterns and related everyday rituals
Reactions:  How does your character act around people? How do they react to new things? 
Sensitivity: How easily does your character respond to people or other stimuli?  

References:
Griffin, L. (2009, October). Patterns of behavior: A novelist and family specialist shows you how to put temperament research to work in your fiction. Writer (10), 28-29. Retrieved from http://EBSCO.com

Interview with Creative Short Story Writer

Sometimes the most useful information can be found by asking someone directly. I have had the privilege to interview David, a unique creative writer, on his thoughts on antagonists and how to create them.

The Interview
Who is your favorite villain and why?
Javert in Les Miserables; The Grand Inquisitor in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Brother’s Karamazov; The Older Brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. There is an ache of recognition. I see myself in my favorite villains. They remind me of my own stubbornness. These villains have logical, valid desires and pursuits and yet have been poisoned by justifying themselves at the expense of the Greater Good (love, mercy, paradox).

What do you think makes a memorable character? Or more specifically, a villain?
Tension in their character…when they bring you to a point of longing for redemption—even if they have no part in it. If you long for what could have been in them, that makes them memorable. Darth Vader was two-dimensional, but when he took his helmet off, you see him as human.

What tips would you give a writer on how to create a good antagonist?
Don’t write a character who is pure evil. Give them something likeable. A good antagonist is not very far off from being a protagonist. They have desire and passion and work ethic, but it is just skewed enough to be misguided. There is a thin line between good and bad/love and hate. A good antagonist draws your attention to why they are misguided, and compels you—even as you hate them—to feel troubled with them and for them.

Do you think an antagonist has to be a person specifically, or can it be an inner struggle, event, or something else? Do you have any examples?
Anything can be an antagonist BUT it is the human qualities which make an antagonist convey WHY it is an antagonist and push the themes of the story along.

How do you think an antagonist should relate to the main character?
Troubled relationship. Back and forth. Push and pull. Leading up to a final battle.

Note: David has written multiple short stories that have been published in various collections. His most notable short story, he says, is Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire. It was published in Best American Nonrequired Reading and again in Best Christian short Stories. It was also performed on National Public Radio (NPR) by actor Keith Szarabajka. One of David's other short stories, Foster, won a Mississippi filmmaker’s grant and was turned into a short film.