The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a website media business with affiliates to enhance our service to visitors. We are a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support. Visit IWSG to learn more about this great writing community!
IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. It's a great writer's resource that I'm sure you'll find well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with other IWSG Members.
Join me in thanking this month's awesome co-hosts: Fundy Blue, Beverly Stowe McClure, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard
IWSG Question: Whose perspective do you
like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)?
And why?
That's a question that could go in so many different directions depending on one's definition of "hero" and "villain". It's probably just me, but I find the lines between the two to be much murkier than they once were - maybe because I'm a huge fan of both writing and reading about alpha heroes, aka the badboys, who often appear as a bad guy in the beginning until undergoing a big change. That doesn't make them the villain of the story, but it sure muddies the creek so to speak. Having said that, a hero must earn my empathy by demonstrating the tenacity to overcome all by risking all. On the other hand, does a villain ever really consider him/herself a villain?
Either way, I believe it's all about getting in a character's head and showing motivation and intent. For the purpose of answering this question, I'll say I most often write from a hero/heroine's perspective, but I like inserting flashes of the villain's point of view (without identifying him/her) when the story warrants it - especially in a psychological thriller like my current w-i-p titled One Of Us. Allowing readers a brief look at the villain's pov builds suspense, insinuates a threat to main characters, and re-enforces an ominous tone. However, I believe most readers (like me!) want and need to be inside a hero's head, feeling the emotions and turmoil first-hand while learning what made him what he is and what motivates him moving forward. Readers want a front row seat to a hero/heroine's come-to-Jesus revelation - the one that changes the course of their life and thus the story. As a writer, I find myself most able to deliver that to readers writing from a hero's perspective.
How about you? Do you prefer writing from a hero or villain's perspective?
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Great post, Sandra! YES on all counts! The shades of complexity when you throw G v E together in any character is what makes them compelling and identifiable. We all argue with those angels and demons on our shoulders, and watching how characters deal with them is the best part of any book!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy! I agree with the good vs. evil struggle being necessary to every character. I love it when both my hero and my villain have tortured souls . . . with the decisions they eventually make being a big part of what separates them. And in my book, there's nothing better than a dark, tormented hero who needs redemption to step up and "be the hero" we know he can be.
ReplyDeleteYou make some very good points. To me, that's part of the fun in writing, discovering what's going on the the good guys and bad guys heads. And that bad guy often has good points.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Beverly! Thanks for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteI want that front row seat! The hero can start out shaky and then grow and change.
ReplyDeleteAlways, Alex! As both a writer and a reader, I need to be front & center! Thanks for stopping by and everything you do!
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