Antagonists
Good Guy Vs. Good Guy
May
09, 2011 |Filed in:
Uncategorized“I’m a good guy, but I’m a bad guy for them.” These words of wisdom came out of my five-year-old’s mouth this morning while I blog surfed. She’s talking with her Lego people and has no idea what a profound a statement she’s made, but she always makes me stop, smile and think.
This time, I’m thinking because this is precisely the setup for the next set of stories I have in mind. I have an antagonist, but he’s not a traditional villain, (though he does some things that make me cringe). He’s a product of his culture and will protect that culture no matter the cost. So will my heroine. The challenge is how they each want to work their protection. This is a wide difference from my current ms, in which the villain is much more villainous and not that sympathetic until the end when it’s too late for him.
My question for you is, how do you treat your antagonists? When you read, what do you prefer? Do you like the more straight forward villainy or rooting for the antagonist with a heart? Do you think it depends on the story? Okay, that’s many more than one question. LOL I can’t help it, I’m curious. ;D