Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches
Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: How To Write the Bad Guys of Fiction
By Jessica Morrell
ISBN 978-1-58297-484-2
Coming in March 2008!
Creating a Memorable, Believable Antagonist
From unlikable protagonists and dark heroes, to bullies and mischief makers, to villains and arch nemeses, Bullies, Bastards & Bitches will show readers how to create nuanced, three-dimensional bad guys who are indispensable to the stories in which they appear. Through detailed instruction and examples from contemporary bestsellers and classic page-turners, this book will delineate the moral continuum of protagonists and antagonists; explore the connections between opposition, adversity, and evil; and illuminate a bad guy’s many purposes in a successful story. Bullies, Bastards & Bitches also will explore the rise in popularity of anti-heroes, how anti-heroes possess some of the same qualities of villains but with the soul of a hero, and how these complicated characters reflect contemporary society.
About the Author
Jessica Morrell (www.writing-life.com/ thewritinglifetoo.blogspot.com) is the author of the recently released WDB title Between the Lines: Mastering the Subtle Elements of Fiction. She has been teaching writers since 1991 through a variety of venues, including online at iVillage.com, where her instruction was voted by Writer’s Digest magazine as one of the best sites for writers. Morrell also works as a developmental editor and writing coach working with a variety of fiction writers. She currently writes a monthly column for the Willamette Writers newsletter and her own newsletter, The Writing Life, which is e-mailed and distributed to 2,000 subscribers monthly. Her annual slate of 20-plus workshops and classes and her conference engagements have rooms filled to capacity.