Recommended for Writers: Writing About Villains by Rayne Hall

Rayne Hall writes excellent Horror and Dark Fantasy… and her ability to craft deliciously evil villains accounts for many of the shivers she delivers. In Writing About Villains, in her usual no-nonsense style, she uses Archetypes to explain the motives of different kinds of archetypal villains. Then she explains exactly how to individualize and flesh out your villain, so he or she is more than a stereotype.

She explains what descriptive details about villains activate the most primitive, subconscious parts of our brains, instinctively making us fear the villains… even without realizing why. In fact, Rayne Hall cautions against overusing, or exaggerating certain details because they’ve become so cliche, the attempt to “villainize” a character will be too obvious. Instead, she explains more subtle alternatives that will chill the reader but not smack of a cackling melodrama villain.

This month, look out for Rayne Hall’s guest posts on Writing Craft, where she’ll share some excerpts form her book Writing About Villains with us.

 

 

Buy Writing About Villains by Rayne Hall.