While reading Harry Potter...

[Windlord]

While rereading the Harry Potter books(I read the first four about 3 and a half years ago) I realized something today. All of the Villians in the Harry Potter books are flat characters. There is no Character growth, they all remain the exact same. They are the same in the fourth book as they were in the first. Now, maybe this changes later (I just started in on the fourth one last night, about 200 pages in) but so far I it hasn't.

So what do you all think. Just how important is Character Growth in villians to you? I know that sometimes, henchmen type characters are usually flat Characters, but re-occuring characters should, imo have more growth.

Peace,

Windlord.

 

[oncewaslost]

villan character development's better in the newer books.

anyway, in answer to your question, i guess it depends how prominent your villan is, how often they show up, etc. it's hard to develop a villan if they're never there except sparingly.

 

[Tariel]

villians should be excitings...interesting...

if your villian doesn't grow over the course og the story-then your villian had better have an EXTREMELY good reason for it.

And actually...no the villians in the Harry Potter book don't get much better--I mean I guess they get a little better...but...yeah...

 

[morningstar2651]

While rereading the Harry Potter books(I read the first four about 3 and a half years ago) I realized something today. All of the Villians in the Harry Potter books are flat characters. There is no Character growth, they all remain the exact same. They are the same in the fourth book as they were in the first. Now, maybe this changes later (I just started in on the fourth one last night, about 200 pages in) but so far I it hasn't.

So what do you all think. Just how important is Character Growth in villians to you? I know that sometimes, henchmen type characters are usually flat Characters, but re-occuring characters should, imo have more growth.

Peace,

Windlord.

There is a lot of growth in book 6.

 

[morningstar2651]

villians should be excitings...interesting...

if your villian doesn't grow over the course og the story-then your villian had better have an EXTREMELY good reason for it.

And actually...no the villians in the Harry Potter book don't get much better--I mean I guess they get a little better...but...yeah...

One thing I learned is that in writing for video games, the villian needs to be more interesting than the hero. The player makes the hero interesting, but the designer makes the villian interesting.

Cliched villians are tired. Villians that honestly believe that they are doing the right thing are interesting.

 

[knownbeforetime]

There is a lot of growth in book 6.

I wouldn't say that... Although, you do find out a LOT about Tom Riddle as a child... which was mildly interesting...

 

[Tariel]

I wouldn't say that... Although, you do find out a LOT about Tom Riddle as a child... which was mildly interesting...

I agree

 

[Tariel]

One thing I learned is that in writing for video games, the villian needs to be more interesting than the hero. The player makes the hero interesting, but the designer makes the villian interesting.

Cliched villians are tired. Villians that honestly believe that they are doing the right thing are interesting.

I was actually thinking about villians in video games when I wrote that

and yes, the villians who truely believe that they are doing the right thing are the best (but a pain to create)

 

[Mister Emu]

So what do you all think. Just how important is Character Growth in villians to you?

Very...

I find the idea of long standing characters of any type without change as horrid...

 

[NeoScribe]

In book six Malfloy starts getting a little weird.

Villians who belief what their doing is right are hard to create. And they are the most crazy ones too! I like villians who have a goal, and villians who have a hidden motive are fun too!

 

[Tariel]

In book six Malfloy starts getting a little weird.

Villians who belief what their doing is right are hard to create. And they are the most crazy ones too! I like villians who have a goal, and villians who have a hidden motive are fun too!

villians are some of the most fun characters to write

My favorite one (that I wrote) is somebody who really believes that he is saving the kingdom from a terrible being--a creature that shouldn't exist. That "creature" is my main character. It's so much fun to write

 

[NeoScribe]

Hey, heres a hard one to make! A villian who is evil, knows it, enjoys it, fluants it, and isnt some nutcase (apart from being evil) and actually makes the readers scared of him/her instead of making them go "How lame!" or "whata wannabe."

 

[Tariel]

Hey, heres a hard one to make! A villian who is evil, knows it, enjoys it, fluants it, and isnt some nutcase (apart from being evil) and actually makes the readers scared of him/her instead of making them go "How lame!" or "whata wannabe."

oh...I need to try that sometime

 

[Windlord]

Hey, heres a hard one to make! A villian who is evil, knows it, enjoys it, fluants it, and isnt some nutcase (apart from being evil) and actually makes the readers scared of him/her instead of making them go "How lame!" or "whata wannabe."

The Tisroc from Lewis' "The Horse and His Boy" had great potential for a role like that if Lewis would have fleshed him out a bit more.

Peace,

Windlord.

 

[notanordinarygirl]

While rereading the Harry Potter books(I read the first four about 3 and a half years ago) I realized something today. All of the Villians in the Harry Potter books are flat characters. There is no Character growth, they all remain the exact same. They are the same in the fourth book as they were in the first. Now, maybe this changes later (I just started in on the fourth one last night, about 200 pages in) but so far I it hasn't.

So what do you all think. Just how important is Character Growth in villians to you? I know that sometimes, henchmen type characters are usually flat Characters, but re-occuring characters should, imo have more growth.

Peace,

Windlord.

READ HBP.

And OotP too, I guess.

 

[notanordinarygirl]

...which I forgot to do. I looooooove well-developed villains. I love to learn about them and know what made them the way they are. I live for that moment in the book where you just go - "Oh, is that why he/she did this? Wow." Which is probably why HBP was one of my favorite HP books.

So to me, a [good] reason for being... "evil" (I love it when it makes us wonder, "hmm... are they really evil?) is a must in any character, just like a [good] reason for being good is important in the heroes.

 

[Tariel]

...which I forgot to do. I looooooove well-developed villains. I love to learn about them and know what made them the way they are. I live for that moment in the book where you just go - "Oh, is that why he/she did this? Wow." Which is probably why HBP was one of my favorite HP books.

So to me, a [good] reason for being... "evil" (I love it when it makes us wonder, "hmm... are they really evil?) is a must in any character, just like a [good] reason for being good is important in the heroes.

I know what you mean

A sympathetic villian is the best The kind of villian that makes you wonder what their life could have been if it wasn't for...well...whatever happened that made them evil.