It’s March and the RewriteItClub post this month is all about three-dimensional villains. To read the blog post all about villains, and the month’s assignment, please click here.
If you want to know more about the year long project to delve into story, please click here. I’m working on THE LANDS TOUCHED BY THE GRIFFINS’ WINGS (aka GRIFFINS for short), an adult political fantasy about grain treaties, scarce resources, geopolitics, and religious tensions.
This was originally MUCH longer, but I’ve trimmed it in half, because you did not need that much detail…
Meet the Villain
The central villain/antagonist of my book is King Henry of Michallian, conqueror of Vialon (kingdom at the heart of my book, and the home of most of my main characters). He’s clever, reasonably ruthless, and devout. He likes outdoor pursuits, particularly hunting and riding.
Visually, I’m using a vague approximation of the young Tom Hiddleston (when he played Prince Hal/King Henry V in the BBC The Hollow Crown), but with grey eyes and a few streaks of grey among the brown even though he’s just touching 30.
What does he want?
Henry’s political actions are driven by the desire to protect his overlooked country from the greed of his neighbours – and make his name as a powerful king.
What will he do to achieve his goals?
Hahaha – SPOILERS for the book as it revolves around uncovering Henry’s plans (and thwarting them).
Prior to the book, Henry’s conquered Vialon, and that’s the first step in his master plan.
How is he in opposition to the main characters?
Adam and his family want to protect their home Vialon from Henry – which immediately puts him in opposition to them. He wants their home. They want freedom. He also has a very different model of leadership to Adam, so they are opposed in ideology.
How does he grow over the course of the book?
In this book, he grows more in terms of how he’s portrayed. He very much has the upper hand, so there’s not much challenging him right now. Instead, I’ve tried to give him more depth the more time he spends on page, so he becomes more human and less evil dictator over the course of the book.
What are the villains like in your book?
Read the other posts in this series:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 