DEVELOPING A BELIEVABLE ANTAGONIST w/ Neil O'Donnell

The Birthday Blog Extravaganza keeps going today with some great antagonist pointers from Neil O'Donnell, author of People of the Sword...

In writing my first novel, People of the Sword, I learned a great deal about the writing process. One of the most important things I learned was that the villain of any story is as critical as the hero. Consequently, creating a well developed and believable antagonist is essential for crafting a tale worth reading. How does a writer succeed in accomplishing this?

First, devote time to develop the villain. A writer will find it difficult to generate a convincing antagonist if she or he spends little time crafting the villain. The antagonist needs to be as three-dimensional as the hero or readers will lose interest quickly, which requires a writer to spend an equal amount of time constructing the antagonist's motivations, history, strengths and frailties.

Secondly, establish clear motivations for the antagonist. People, generally, don't just wake up and say "hey, I'm gonna be bad today." Villains in books don't either. Writers need to provide readers with an understanding of what motivates the antagonist to commit "evil" acts. Is the antagonist acting out of a need for revenge [as was my ‘villain’ Crarnock], or is the antagonist suffering from a mental disorder? Readers want to understand why villains do what they do. Give your readers that.

Lastly, expand upon the relationships between the antagonist and her or his underling. One characteristic I find amongst my favorite novels is that the authors revealed in detail the intricacies of the antagonist's relationships with underlings. Does the villain find his or her underlings to be a source of frustration or stability? Does the villain trust every detail of his or her ruthless plan with a henchman or is the underling to become a casualty in the end along with the hero? In answering these questions, the writer may very well hook an entire legion of readers.

Neil Patrick O’Donnell, an anthropologist and life-long resident of Western New York. After years of studying changes to Native American and European societies through contact, he incorporated his discoveries into journal articles and short fiction pieces. O’Donnell’s intent was to relay professional discoveries to a wider audience. People of the Sword, the first in a historical saga, is the culmination of these efforts.

Thank you for sharing with us today, Neil! And now, readers, here's a peek at his book:

People of the Sword combines myth, history, and conquest with music, sorcery and a touch of romance to impart the struggles of two vastly different cultures suddenly dependent on one another for survival. Confronted by a common enemy, the wizard Crarnock, the druids and knights of Tropal realize that only through cooperation can they defeat Crarnock’s goblin army. The journey will test the resolve of both peoples as they realize that their collective bias and misunderstandings are as much a threat as Crarnock himself.

FINDING THE WORDS ON MOTHER'S DAY w/ Lisa Lipkind Leibow

Today is Day 1 of my big Birthday Blog Extravaganza! As I've mentioned, to celebrate my birthday this week I wanted to bring some of my favorite writers to Cozy and give them the chance to share their thoughts of writing. Today fellow The Roses of Prose blogger, the awesome Lisa Lipkind Leibow gives a writing tribute to mothers. Take it away, Lisa:

We all play so many roles in life. In no particular order, I am a daughter, dog lover, wife, foodie, recovering-attorney, mother-of-three, writer, author of smart women’s fiction, skier, cyclist, yoga enthusiast, and more.

When Amber invited me to visit The Cozy Page on Mother’s Day of all days, it thrilled me! Of all of the facets that help to define who I am, two of my favorites are mother and writer. So, today, I’m going to share the fruits of the first time I discovered these two aspects of me could meld together to make a something special.

It happened when I was a young child of six – just learning to write, and looking at motherhood from a daughter’s point of view only. My mother provided unconditional love, plenty of hugs, bedtime stories, lullabies, play dough, crayons, and home-cooked meals. Mother’s Day arrived and I wanted to thank her in a special way. I climbed onto the desk-chair, tucked my feet under my tush, and grabbed paper and crayons. I set to work, writing my very first heartfelt poem. But how could I capture all of these complex emotions with a six-year-old’s vocabulary? Here’s what I came up with. DON’T LAUGH!

Mothers are nice.
Mothers are sweet.
Mothers don’t have smelly feet.

…okay, … LAUGH, but remember, I was only in first grade! I’ve come a long way baby!
Today, I’m a writer and many of my tales explore the complex interactions of mothers and daughters, families, friends, and more. I hope you enjoyed learning a new tidbit of where it all began.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Lisa Lipkind Leibow is an author of smart women’s fiction. Her novel Double Out and Back (Red Rose Publishing) takes the reader on the roller-coaster ride of infertility treatments as seen through the eyes of three women. Originally working as a lawyer, Lisa decided to trade the billable hour lifestyle for fiction writing. Lisa’s work has also appeared in Pisgah Review and Sanskrit Literary Arts Magazine. She lives and writes in Northern Virginia with her husband, three sons, a clumber spaniel, and two red-eared sliders. You can learn more about Lisa and her writing at http://www.LLLeibow.com

Lisa, I know you're a mom, too - both at home in Virginia and as Blog Mom at The Roses of Prose! Happy Mother's Day from one of your blogettes! And now a peek into Double Out and Back:

Who will find friends, family, and fertility?

Three women-s lives are intricately intertwined, as Amelia Schwartz and Summer Curtis struggle with the complex dynamics of intrafamily embryo adoption, and Chandy Markum strives to make her patients- dreams a reality.

After more than a decade, of mourning her parents- deaths, anal-retentive Amelia Schwartz decides to take control of her life, pursuing single motherhood via embryo adoption. While her fertility doctor, Chandy, is preoccupied with the destruction of the cosmopolitan Cape Town of her youth and her first love in apartheid-torn South Africa, believing all is lost, her niece, a young, married, overachieving attorney Summer Curtis, juggles zealous career ambitions, demanding bosses, and friction with her husband over family and fertility issues. They must confront the painful reality that, no matter what technology humans devise to manipulate reproduction, prolong life, and construct family units, they have not yet mastered control over their beginnings and endings.

Thrown all into this is one story that can make or break. Are you up to it?