I’m not in fact participating in the Round Robin this month because I’m not able to reply to comments or visit the other blogs. However, villainy is a favourite subject for most writers and I’m no exception.
I wrote my 6th Year Studies long essay on the Anti-hero in fiction. Everyone from The Bothers Grimm up to James Bond. The girls love a bad boy – or do they?
VILLAINY
The girls certainly like a touch of arrogance, a wild streak, maybe even a disregard for authority. What they don’t like is the bully. The weak man who uses his superior physical strength to intimidate his wife, family, employees, subjects and anyone else who can’t or won’t stand up to him. It’s what worries me more than a little about the current popularity of certain types of erotica.
I really think some men will believe that what they are reading of female fantasy is in fact female reality.
And the female villain? All of the above only I write historical romance mainly from a female viewpoint and so don’t dwell on the darker side. Bella’s Betrothal, having said that has two dark souled female characters and a truly malevolent antagonist.
GOODNESS
I should think living with a Saint is hard work and most of us would fall down on the job. I like my heroines flawed. I think the reader wants to travel a journey with them and watch them recognise their character flaws and grow through them. In Daisy’s Dilemma Daisy is young and suffers from the arrogance that goes with that territory, but she has a fall and it’s how she deals with the repercussions that made her story interesting.
In my debut novel, Mariah’s Marriage, the heroine, Mariah Fox, has had a sheltered but educated upbringing. She encounters a really nasty villain in Sir Lucas Wellwood and nearly loses everything. There’s nothing pantomimic about my villains. I do base their flaws on recognisable psychological traits.
London Girl
In the end, at present I am writing historical romance, so I’m not creating main characters who are too evil to be redeemable and I shy away from heroines who are too good to be true. i think there’s balance and I hope readers agree.
Although I’m not in the official group this month there is a list below of the participating blogs should you wish to read what others think of the topic. Anne
List of those participating:
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Helena Fairfax http://helenafairfax.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/
Novels Now 