Writing with Benefits
Another great email came in this week, this time from a longtime fan in Boston. Jackie M. asks: “What is the best part about writing a novel?”
This is one of my favorite things about writing. We often see interviews with actors who talk about how much fun he or she had in playing the role of a “bad guy.” Alan Rickman’s performance in Die Hard, Gary Oldman in Leon: The Professional, Gene Hackman in The Firm, and what about Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, and Glenn Close in OMG, Fatal Attraction!
Let me say from a writer’s point of view that being close to your hero is one thing, but the real fun is the cast of characters you surround your hero with. And if you know what you’re doing as a writer, at least two or three of them are going to be “bad guys.” “Bad Guys” drive the story. They give your narrative energy, electricity, and if you’re lucky, they send your work over the edge. When I wrote City of Stones, I loved creating Matt Jones, but I couldn’t wait to get to any chapter that included Jack Temps, a corrupt detective living in disgrace who is a truly horrible and dangerous. When I wrote City of Fire, I loved who Lena Gamble was becoming, but any chapter that included Martin Fellows, a maniac serial killer, had me completely stoked. Who needs coffee when you’re dealing with characters this outrageous? This awesome?
Thanks to Jackie for your kind words about my novels and for your great question! I hope I added something to this topic I love so much. No doubt about it, playing the “bad guy” in a film is thrilling. And writing about one, creating the character, is thrilling, too!
All best,
Robert
Link to City of Stones on Amazon
ROBERT ELLIS WRITER’S BLOG
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