Season's Greetings and Something Writing Related...

Firstly, Merry Christmas, jolly folk! It is a day to rejoice and remember the birth of the One who hath saved us. For His birth is truly the best of gifts! :D

Secondly, something writing related! I need to write about something writing related... but I am writing; does that count as writing related? No, no, heavens no... I don't believe it does. Well, in a way it is. Anyways, today we'll either talk about cliche motives (and the like) or character development! Let's flip a coin. Heads we talk about cliche motives and tails we talk about character development. *Flips coin* It landed on heads, so cliche motives it is!

Cliche Motives...

There are several of these. To name a few: revenge, power, pure evil, bad childhood... etc. Although these are cliche, if done right, they could become good motives. 

Revenge: I believe that to do this one correctly, you really have to become your villain. If someone were to steal your money, kill your family, beat you, and then toss you onto the muddy road, you'd be pretty mad, wouldn't you? I know I would. I would want revenge. Here's an example of a bad revenge-related motive; you were supposed to be next in line for king, but suddenly, your perfect brother takes the throne - so you want to kill him. I wouldn't want to kill my brother if he became king, granted I'd be a little disappointed because I didn't get the position. But I wouldn't want to kill him.

Power: Most villains, as portrayed, are supposed to love power/wealth. In some cases, yes. Others? Not really. I don't actually know why anyone would want to take over the entire world; I mean, there would be a lot of things to deal with. This is not a recommended motive, unless you have a good reason for your villain wanting the earth to himself/herself.

Pure evil: I would say that this motive can only be mastered through fantasy. I don't know one person who is just pure evil. If you're writing a fantasy and are using this motive, you'll need a good back-story.

Bad childhood: Imagine you're beaten constantly, yelled at, left sleeping out in the cold with a root sticking into your back, starving and thirsty, depressed. This is an example of a 'bad childhood'. But does it make a bad person? Well... sometimes. Sometimes the outcome will be terrible, sometimes the outcome will be for the better. It depends on your villain's personality in the end.

Whew. That was a mouthful... or... uh.. a write-ful? Anyways, merry Christmas!

~CNGoodhue