Am I Evil? A Primer on Creating Villains with Sascha Illyvich

Character Am I Evil? A Primer on Creating Villains with Sascha Illyvich

Level
Mixed
Basic and Premium Members Prices
Premium Members $30 & Basic Members $40

Register by October 21st and save $5, use code VILLAINILLYVICH2019 at checkout!
Category
  1. Characters
$5 off Early Registration Coupon-expires 1 week before class starts
VILLAINILLYVICH2019
Have you crafted the perfect hero but now worry about his counterpart, the villain? Do you want to know what the difference is between the words evil and villain? Are you hoping to create the next Joker or original Dracula? Are you curious as to the numerous types of villains and their complex, yet often simplistic, motivations for being a villain?

This workshop will provide the student with a deeper understanding of what makes villainy, pulling from real world examples, the different types of villains, and how we deal with them to create an even deeper connection between readers and our stories, regardless of genre.

Making a villain that truly stands out will keep the reader engaged. We’ll break down some of our favorite villains, learn to categorize them in a solid, easy to remember manner, and break into some of the psychology behind their deeds. If I can pull examples from either literature, TV, or movies, I will, along with famous villains in history. Many of my references may be awkward because of my inspiration, so I’ll try to clarify if I use anime shows.

While this is not a class on the deep mentality of the serial killer, terrorist, or murder, we will go over those types of villains as well, to get a better feel for their psychology.

Before we get to those archetypes, we must first define villainy. Notice I didn’t say evil – that’s subjective. Morals are a moving thing for many, and one person’s moral compass may not be aligned with another’s, and in that, lies a difference between villainy and evil.

Next, we’ll discuss the motivation for the various types of villains. Those motivations are usually simplistic, even for the most complex of dastardly evildoers. (I got tired of saying villain.)

We will touch on the psychology behind sociopathy and psychopathy because they are different, but we will in no means go clinical deep – I am not a doctor. This will set the course for planning a villain, understanding his GMC (yes, those are things of SPECIAL importance here because the actions of a villain should not be so clear cut to make him or her stand out.

Lastly, we will cover why the villain in certain genres MUST LOSE. We will go over the cost of those losses to the villain, what it means for the ones who aren’t killed, and how we can factor in growth of a character for those who want to write longer, serialized stories.

My qualifications as an author include sixty-five plus titles published in multiple subgenres of romance, short stories, anthologies etc., for the last nineteen years. I’ve been an editor for medium sized e-publishers and still do the occasional story for Sizzler Editions or on a freelance basis. I’ve been teaching courses on craft for over ten years to writers through Savvy Authors and various RWA chapters.
Author
SaschaIllyvich
Start date
Oct 28, 2019 at 9:00 AM
End date
Nov 10, 2019 at 12:00 AM
Registration end date
Oct 30, 2019 at 12:00 AM
Rating
3.57 star(s) 7 ratings

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Latest reviews

I also found this class disjointed. I upgraded to Premium specifically for this class and am truly disappointed. If found it difficult to understand the instructor, she was all over the place. Her introduction was a bit uncomfortable. TMI! First class I've ever given a bad review!
SaschaIllyvich
From your Admin: Hi Day, I am so sorry you had a bad experience with one of our classes! I think RJ has reached out to you about this and we'll also follow up with Sascha. We'll work hard to be sure your next experience is a good one! thanks!
Disjointed and often hard to follow lectures. Could have been presented much better. Also the personal information shared by the instructor was often very unprofessional.
SaschaIllyvich
From your Admin: Hi KatJ, I am truly sorry this was a bad experience for you! I think RJ has already reached out to you and we've followed up with Sascha on this. Sascha's classes are usually edgy but it sounds like this may have crossed the line and that is never good. Our apologies!