THE CASE FOR THE VIRTUOUS VILLAIN

It can take a few books before a writer understands the importance of having a fully developed "villain," someone who is not only strong, but believable and also sometimes sympathetic. This character is the one who drives the story. He or she is the one who upsets the apple cart, derails the train, rips the carpet out from under our feet and essentially gets the story going. If it weren't for this individual, we wouldn't have anything to write about. Isn't it time that the villain had his due?

I could also call this post "The Case for the Vulnerable Villain," since many a "villain" sees him- or herself as both virtuous and vulnerable. Every now and then, you might actually come across one who says, "Yes, I'm evil and happy about it," but most feel sorry for themselves. Each feels that he has been ignored, downtrodden. He has worked hard, been taken advantage of and deserves the money he stole. She was a faithful wife, bore his kids and put him through school. She's the one who deserves his gifts, his loyalty and admiration -- not that b*tch of a mistress she shot before his very eyes.

All of us know that crooks, criminals and their assorted bedfellows have their own point of view, a very strong point of view, a sense that they had a right to do what they did. Their world was so threatened that they had no choice but to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting community. We know this, but do we reflect it in our writing? Too often, we don't. A villain is a villain is a villain. (Oh, I know that in writing schools and creative fiction classes these days, they teach us not to label anyone as a villain, but to call them antagonists. But let's be honest: deep down, most of us do still think of the person causing all the trouble in our stories as the bad one, the villain.)

We pay a price for being so cut-and-dry when it comes to characterization. Our stories are much, much richer when we take the time to see the world through our villain's eyes. Most of us have been told that motivation for crime boils down to love or money. Almost all crime, we've read, falls into one or both of those categories. Fair enough. But I think we should take a look at what can happen within those categories when explaining our lawbreaker's behavior. Below is a shortlist of explanations just to get you going. You might want to add to the list and/or review which explanation(s) apply to your "villain."

Explanation 1 is a sympathetic one. It is so sympathetic that Dear Reader finds himself wondering if he wouldn't have done the same thing if he'd been standing in the perp's shoes. It's a question that good criminal defense attorneys successfully get juries to reflect on all the time. And it's one that a good writer of mystery and mayhem also gets his or her readers to ask.

One obvious example would be the person who commits a criminal act with the intention of saving another. Remember the movie John Q? A desperate father takes a hospital waiting room hostage to force authorities to find a heart for his dying child, who needs a transplant. This was a good, but desperate man who was driven to commit a very real crime.

Explanation 2 is a trivial one. The reason for the crime seems so trivial that Dear Reader just shakes his head in absolute, profound and existential puzzlement. Why would anyone kill someone over a chicken bone? Or because they refused to turn down the television volume? I mean yes, she might have been annoying, but did you have to kill her over it? Your killer will answer yes. If this perp is a major figure in your story, who has killed again and again, then it behooves you to make the world understand that apparently trivial answer. Just remember: To the perp's mind, whether his act was planned or impulsive, the reason was not trivial at all, but key to his happiness, ambition, peace of mind.

Explanation 3: ... is that there is no explanation. We're talking the sociopath here, or a person who is simply evil. This person enjoys hurting and maiming others. The goal is not retribution or revenge, protecting anyone, or the acquisition of anything material, such as money, a house or a job. The goal, if you can call it that, is simply the experience itself. But even these people will tell you that they are victims. They are victims of the pressure within, a pressure that progressively worsened until they had to act.

Let your villain be multifaceted. Give her an admirable talent. Show him performing an act of kindness. Give insight into her private hell. It will give your story dimension, depth ... resonance.

Your villain inhabits his or her own world. The most forceful writing drags Dear Reader, sometimes kicking and screaming, into that world -- or at least to the very edges of it. It doesn't matter whether you write suburban cozies or gritty urban noir. Your stories revolve around characters who have warped views of their world and their place in it. Lend insight into these views. Make them real. Give Dear Reader a ride for her money and she'll thank you for it by buying your books again and again.

Until next week then,

Persia Walker

Technology: The good and the bad

Is it just me, or does it seem like all of this technology, that was designed to brings us closer together, is making us ruder and more intolerant of each other? Now, don't get me wrong, I love technology. I salivated along with millions of others when the iPhone and new Mac Air came out. I've yet to jump on the texting bandwagon. But, I'm a self-professed email junkie. Hell, I've never even met my editor or my agent in person because with email, there really hasn't been a need. It just seems to me that all of this has come at price, and that's one-on-one face-to-face interaction.

I work in a college library and I can't tell you how many students come in with questions about a project. I ask them if they've spoken to their instructor. The answer is always no. And when I point out to them that it would be best for them to speak with their instructor about any questions they have regarding their assignment, the response is always--I swear--well, I can email him/her can't I? They have absolutely no desire to speak face-to-face with the person teaching their class. I don't think this is a matter of finding the time either. Because they also have no desire to know when the instructor's office hours are. I find this very odd. There are also people who come into the library to do research who would rather be lost and confused than to ask anybody a question. Instead, they go home and call or email us. What's up with that?

I'm also bombarded all day long at work with the sound of people's cell phones ringing in the library. Not to mention people having lengthy, and loud, cell phone conversations in the middle of a room where people are trying to study. This isn't just a problem with younger students, either. I work at a community college and the average age of our students is 28 and older. When politely asked to please take their conversations outside, some of these people get irate, or at the very least, give me looks so dirty you'd think I just insulted their mama. The fact that they are being rude and disruptive never occurs to them, which makes me wonder what cell phones are doing to our brains.

Like I've said, I'm not against technology, especially when helps expedite things and cut down on mailing costs, such as email queries and electronic submissions to publishers and agents. I pay all my bills online which is a huge convenience. Or in the instance of book promotion, doing online chats with faraway book clubs, or virtual book tours. But sometimes it's just better to talk to someone face-to-face.

Angela

REMEMBERING MLK

Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. While I'm enjoying the day off from work, I always take a moment to give thanks for all the doors his efforts opened for me.

MLK was only 26 years old when he led the Montgomery bus boycott. It seems absolutely remarkable that someone so young could have made such an incredible impact on society. I often wonder how much further along African-Americans would be if MLK were still around to provide his inspirational leadership to the world.

As writers in a genre where African-American characters are rarely depicted, each of the Crime Sistahs has a chance to change how the world perceives African-Americans. I began writing legal fiction because I never saw African-American or women lawyers in the novels I read. I think my fellow authors would agree that it's been quite a challenge to get "our" stories out there to the world because of the views held by the publishing industry. We are hampered by the perception that our audience is limited because "blacks don't read." We all know that isn't true. That's why we continue to write what we love in the face of what often seems like an uphill battle.

So as long as there are readers out there who want to read entertaining mysteries that center around engaging African-American characters, we'll keep writing.

Pamela

King's words

Jan. 15, 2008, marked the Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 79th birthday. The federal government chose the third Monday of January to officially observe King Day. I'm pleased to mark its observance with you today.

It's undisputed that Dr. King was one of the greatest orators of modern times, but I think you'd agree great speeches begin with great text. And Dr. King was an exceptional writer. Look at his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Through pacing, Dr. King quickly builds the intensity of his speech as he tells us, "... the Negro still is not free." Once he's captured your attention by referencing a defaulted promissory note -- what's initially at stake -- Dr. King skillfully builds a world with his words as clearly as though he's held a photo in front of you, "... we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Then he raises the stakes again by introducing our children.

He increases the pacing even further with spare words judiciously chosen for maximum emotional connection. He doesn't write, "I dreamed last night." He doesn't say, "I hope that ..." No. He proclaims, "I have a dream today." It's direct. It's succinct. It's immediate.

It's not just the way Dr. King delivered his words, but the words he chose to deliver. Those words continue to resonant with us today, keeping his dream alive.

Patricia