Creating Content that Sparks!

So excited to have a guest post from my friend Livy Lynn today! She's a sweet young woman doing amazing things (and I just might get to meet her this year?!). Check out these wise words, a giveaway, and her launch of a new blogging course! Without further ado ...

Words are powerful little tools. With them, wars are waged, minds are changed, and cultures are formed. Every word has the potential to flicker like a flame and set the world ablaze.

As a blogger and novelist, my life pretty much revolves around words. Each time I sit down to write a post, I ask myself, “How can I create content that sparks? How can I write a piece that will touch hearts, change lives, inspire my readers to action, etc?”

Today, we’re going to be answering this question.

Creating blog posts that readers truly value is something every blogger strives for! We want our readers to be delighted, connect with us on a personal level, and keep coming back for more!

The first thing to discuss while exploring this topic is to realize that each post serves a different purpose. Sometimes we wish to encourage and inspire our readers them, other times we want them to laugh, or check out a book we can’t stop fangirling over!  

When we sit down to write, it’s important to know the purpose for our post, and what we desire the end result to be in our readers' minds and heart.

Let’s talk about three different kinds of digital content. Now, there are certainly more than three types of blog posts, but I’ve found that most every post can be categorized by these three umbrella categories.

1. Connection Content
2. Viral Content 
3. Monetized Content 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these and find out how you can create that sparks!

1. Connection Content

Connection content is a post focused on connecting with the heart of your readers. Being yourself, opening up, sharing a struggle, or something God is teaching you through your own life: those are all Hallmarks of connection content. Your readers want to know you: the real you.

Anytime you open up and are truly yourself, truly vulnerable, readers respond to that.  

On the internet, oftentimes all we see are highlight reels of all the exciting, Instagram-worthy happenings in the lives of others. It’s easy to place internet-personalities on a pedestal and forget that they struggle just as much as we do.

Many bloggers who build up faithful followings over the years, do so by being REAL with their readers.

On the flip side, we’ve all seen online personalities take this to the extreme. Talk about being real, and we all think of that one friend who never stops posting about their bad days, or the YouTuber who is endlessly venting about their woes. That is not what I’m encouraging us to do. If we’re going to be real about what we’re going through, we have to do so with an air of grace and a HUGE dose of hope at the end! Nobody wants to hear another sob story without a happy ending. Remind your readers why you’re sharing your current struggles and the beauty you believe will come out of it.

Connection posts, if done correctly, can truly SPARK and fling open a door to connect on a heart-to-heart level with your readers! One of my favorite way to do connection posts is by sharing what God’s been teaching me in my Quiet Time and through my current season in life.

2. Viral Content

We often think of viral content as something that’s gone viral, spun out of control in popularity and practically broke the internet! And while that’s true in some cases, the reality is, most of us are not going to write posts that do that.

The majority of bloggers don’t write posts that sky-rocket them to blogging fame. The most common path bloggers travel upon, is one that requires slow, faithful, consistency.

So when I refer to viral content, maybe a better phrase would be, “potential viral content”. In other words, posts that have the potential to be passed around, posted, shared, re-tweeted, etc.

Do you remember the last time someone shared your post on Facebook or Twitter? Do you remember what it was about, or why they shared it?

If you’ve never had anyone share your posts before: don’t be discouraged! The majority of your readers are silent admirers, they will never comment on your blog or share posts, but there are some people who will! So if you haven’t seen that happen yet, hang in there. :)

Not everyone is going to feel the urge to share a connection post on their social media, but they might want to share a post that discusses a trending topic, is perhaps a little controversial in a unique niche, or discusses a fun concept, but with a fresh, creative twist!

One example of potential viral content would be my post: If Disney Invaded Your Youth Group because my readers go to youth group, and love Disney, they totally enjoyed this comedic take on what might happen if these two worlds unexpectedly mesh together!

Another example of potentially viral content is an interview with a celebrity, artist, musician, author, or someone who has a larger platform than you. If your readers love for King and Country or the Willis Clan, they’re going to be really excited about your interview, and potentially want to share it!

Potential viral content can also include hot news topics, popular Google searches, or keyword focused pages, but those are just a few examples.

Are you beginning to see how having a mix of heartfelt, connection content, along with fun, pop-culture (or book culture, whatever you’re into), potentially viral content, makes a delicious mix for readers?

3. Monetized Content

Finally, we have monetized content. This is a post style many bloggers avoid, or simply don’t think about. For most writers, blogging begins as a hobby and the idea of earning income from our blogs either isn’t important to us, or it seems impossible. Or maybe you’ve seen longtime bloggers suddenly switch gears and try to turn their blog into a business, and they’ve done it totally ungracefully, and it’s left a really sour, commercialized taste in your mouth.

One of the reasons that happen, is because hobby-bloggers aren’t creating monetized content, then when they suddenly whip out links to their new affiliate program, everyone is totally blindsided by the shift.

If the idea of earning income from your blog makes you uneasy, because you don’t want to sell out or lose the trust of your readers: that’s a good thing! That means you actually CARE about your readers. And the simple fact that you have the heart to always place your readers first, tells me you can earn income from your blog, in a really beautiful, natural, organic way.

So how can you do that?

I would encourage you to consider adding a new style of posts to your line up: monetized content. Monetized content is simply a post which gives you the potential to earn income from it, through affiliate links, sponsored posts, or brand partnerships.

But here’s the really cool part: you can start doing this before you ever sign up for an affiliate program or begin exploring how to earn income from your blog. By sharing your honest opinions on products, books, music, movies, restaurants, etc. (whatever your unique niche is!) your readers will get used to seeing these kinds of posts. In fact, if you add review posts to your blog on a regular basis, your readers won’t just be used to seeing them: they’ll love seeing them! They’ll know you’re the place to come when they want opinions on a book, hair product, etc.

Monetized content can totally spark and delight your readers! If you do this before you start partnering with brands and affiliate programs, your readers won’t be surprised when they learn you’re earning income from these posts. It will also give brands a “portfolio” of how you do reviews, what your style is, and what they can expect when they work with you.

If the idea of monetizing your website excites you, I would encourage you to start adding reviews to your line-up!

Once you’ve got a fun, colorful, tasty mixture of connection content (your readers trust you!), viral content (new readers are finding you!), and monetized content (they value your opinion on products, brands, and services), then you’re ready to slowly begin earning income from all your hard work! How cool is that?

Brainstorm Your Next Blog Posts!

Are you ready to start brainstorming your next blog posts? It’s not nearly as daunting as you may think! Simply grab a notebook and a pen, and divide your paper into three columns, one for each category, Connection, Viral, and Monetized. OR, take the easy route and use this free printable that I made just for you guys! :)

Write down ten ideas for each category and remember to keep the purpose for each post in mind before you even pick up your pen.

Ready to rock and roll? Woohoo! You’re well on your way to creating 30 new, sparkling blog posts your readers are going to ADORE!

Are you a new or aspiring blogger? Or maybe you’ve been blogging for years and the idea of learning how to earn income on your website sounds really appealing. But where do you even begin? I’m SO excited to share my 20 Day video series for bloggers! It’s called Fire Starter: Launching a Blog that Blazes! This interactive course teaches bloggers (both old and new) how to create their dream blog or website, monetize their site, AND give them all the tools, encouragement, and support needed to be truly successful on their journey! The Fire Starter course is listed at $150.00 but I would love to share my special code with you to get $100 off! You can check that out HERE.

To celebrate the release of Fire Starter, I’m giving away a free Skype Session to talk about blogging goals, writing advice, and how to take your blog to the next level! (Or, if you’re too shy to video chat, we can totally do it over email.) My sweet friend Bella and I love coaching bloggers and authors through our Cheerleader Sessions! This is our first time giving away a free session and we’re SO excited!

Entering for a chance to win is super simple! Just hop on over to my blog and sign up for my free email updates (and I’ll throw in a free e-book, just to say thanks!) and you’re all set!

Keep writing, friends!

Lots of love,

~Livy Lynn

Livy Lynn is a twenty-something author, singer, and songwriter. She enjoys crafting YA fiction that is pure, lovely, inspirational, and of course, entertaining! When she’s not writing, you can usually find her playing guitar, blogging, drinking peppermint tea, connecting with new friends, planning her next trip to Disney, or pinning images of Europe and Golden Retriever Puppies!

Come get connected at www.livylynnblog.com

How I Remain Productive Amidst Chaos

Me, productive in July?? At first blush, not really. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I accomplished. It was a productive blur of craziness. I don't know about you, but I really want to know how I managed that.

OK, so first off I was not as productive as I wanted to be in certain things. However, some of the other things that ate my time were equally productive. (Hello, work?) So I think it's important to remember that every kind of productivity is productive.

If you're like me this means you get really good at productive procrastination. I think that basically sums up my July.

The aerial view of my life in July was being out of town the first two weeks and at work the last two weeks. Sounds like a recipe for productivity, right? Well ... yes, actually.

While out of town, I expected to:

• finish reading Thief of Corinth
• have ample quiet time to write toward my goal of 30k
• start reading The Blue Castle
• work for my aunt
• see fireworks once
• do some work on the train ride home

What I actually did:

• finished reading Thief of Corinth
• wrote half a chapter and then got a pedicure
• wrote the other half a chapter and ate ice cream
• enjoyed multiple Starbucks
• binge-read The Blue Castle
• attended my first major league baseball game and saw fireworks three times
• binge-read Where the Woods Grow Wild
• binge-watched Lord of the Rings with my cousins
• worked for my aunt AKA created flowers for two beautiful metroplex weddings
• had a movie night/sleepover with my other cousins
• googled things to do in NYC and visit with the girl next to me on the train ride home

Are you seeing a pattern here? Some things didn't happen so my inclination is to call it all unproductive. But actually a ton happened. No, it wasn't all productive, but it was all worth it. I'm not going to apologize for my goals; goals are a good thing. But I'm not going to kick myself (too much) for not hitting them all either. Sometimes I think we need to adjust our expectations and look at what we accomplished instead.

While back home and working, I expected to:

• babysit
• do secretary work
• go to church
• house sit
• celebrate my brother's birthday
• hit my Camp NaNo goal (now reduced to 10k)
• plan something for the Andora's Folly birthday
• edit for Kellyn

What I actually did:

• babysit, getting reading time, writing time, and treated to lunch
• joined a youth club to support local candidates
• did secretary work and handed out our info at a back-to-school event
• heard some of the best sermons ever and visited with friends
• binge-watched a TV show with my sister
• got down time at someone else's empty house and watched a movie
• decorated for an Incredibles 2 birthday party
• taught Sunday School
• had family in town
• attended a friend's violin recital
• did two sales, a giveaway, a painting, and more for Andora's Folly's birthday
• got over 200 downloads of Andora's Folly for its birthday (!!!!)
• hit my Camp NaNo goal of 10k
• almost finished editing for Kellyn
• wrote at a coffee shop
• researched NYC again at a coffee shop

Again, didn't technically do that all quite how I planned ... Being a goal-setter and general list-maker, that can initially be a little traumatizing. But I'm learning that things outside of plans aren't always bad. Being flexible is often a good thing.

Of course, deadlines must still be met and we can't shirk our responsibilities. That's not what I'm suggesting. But I think the only reason I was able to be as productive as I was in what was a very out-of-the-norm month was because I let myself branch out. Yes, that's right. Deviating from the plan can help be productive.

Everyone needs breaks, so make them worthwhile. All the non-negotiables and random things that popped up were nice breaks from all my to-do list items. Conversely, all my to-do list items were sometimes relaxing and different from how I earn money. In other words, I have "work-work" and "passion-work." One's always a nice break from the other.

Being productive isn't always fun, but fun can be productive. Breaks are productive simply because they energize me to keep going. TV shows and movies are blatant relaxations, but that doesn't mean I won't learn something or get a new story idea. ;) I guess it helps that I never fully switch my mind off. That means I can do things that keep me from burning out without it being a complete waste of time.

That's how I define productivity: it's less checking everything off the to-do list and more using my time well.

There's not a set formula to being productive of course, but those are some of the things that ended up helping me this month! I can't guarantee I'll be able to read that much or even write that much this month, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. Everything's always worth a try!

I mean, let's be honest. As healthy as planning/goal-setting is, it's part of life to have plans change. Embracing all the crazy, fun things amidst my endless to-do list and letting a few things go paid off in the end. I have more memories as a result and didn't sacrifice much in the process.

It all comes down to balance. A thousand sayings sum it up. "All work and no play," imbalance. "Be in the world but not of the world" an easier-said-than-done goal for balance. The good news is we don't have to figure it all out alone, at least not if we think to ask God. In the end, I'm motivated to get things done so I have time to have fun. Meet the deadlines, but live a little.

I have to close with this Max Lucado quote because I feel like it was providential that I stumbled upon it while writing this post.

Guess what? This blog post was productive procrastination. It needed to happen, but I was only motivated to do it because I should have been billing for my dad, editing for a friend, or getting ready for bed instead. It's amazing what happens.

I mentioned all that stuff I did for Andora's Folly? The giveaway ends today, so you can still enter here! Or you can read the full post I did about the book's birthday here.

Have a good week, and prepare for an epic guest post next Saturday!

Andora's Folly Turns 1 // Christmas in July

Tomorrow will mark one year since I published the Andora's Folly e-book. In some ways this birthday has crept up on me and in some ways it feels like aaaggeesss ago that I released it. Strangeness. Lots of giveaways and random celebrating below--Christmas in July!

While Martin Hospitality was my first novel always intended for publication ... Andora's Folly is entirely different! Not only is it a novella, but it's a medieval retelling of Pandora's Box. I didn't dream up the idea or get inspired by watching a movie. I created it out of desperation for July Camp NaNo (a writing challenge) back in 2016. xP

The research was really hard, but the writing was the easiest I've ever done. I wrote every word of it in that single month of July two years ago. I learned that it was super fun to do retellings (no wonder  they're so popular!) and that novellas are probably my favorite length to write.

So what started out as a self-assigned discovery project for a writing challenge became this neat little story that I didn't completely hate. Thankfully all of you who've read it have enjoyed it as well. :)

Andora's Folly hasn't been a huge seller or won awards, but it doesn't really matter to me. Probably because Martin Hospitality is more of a success and also because I'm really quite happy with it as a story. It doesn't need all the accolades to make me feel better about it like I wanted with my first book.

As a result, I'd really love to do another Greek myth retelling at some point, possibly as a sequel. I  have so much on my plate (even just my writing plate) that I have no idea when or if that will happen! But I'd love to hear what myths you enjoy to get my mind going again. ;)

But enough about the book itself! It's a birthday party, so there has to be celebration!!!

And what's a party without a giveaway? Click HERE to enter for a chance to win all sorts of Andora merch.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's US only, but there are international options below, so stick with me. ;)

I'm so excited about the candle in the giveaway, you guys!! Ivy Rose created it custom through her Etsy, BookBurn Candles. The candle. is. AMAZING. The color and scent work so perfectly! For now, it's only available through the giveaway, but by the time you know if you won it or not, I'll also have it available for purchase through my Etsy!

As I'm sure you noticed, the book itself is not in that giveaway. Never fear! You can always find it on Amazon. You can get a signed paperback just by asking for $1 more than Amazon's price. I'd be happy to mail one to you!

If ebook is more your style, you're in luck! The ebook will FREE only Monday, July 30. (This is a change from what was originally announced.) So be sure to snag a copy and tell your friends that you think might enjoy it. This is a great option if you're international.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm part of a Christmas in July blog tour where we promote books and run sales. I've done all of that above! But part of the fun is both of my ebooks are part of two collaborative giveaways.

Enter the US-only giveaway HERE

Enter the international giveaway HERE

You can see the remaining posts with their discounts at the links below:

Author Alicia G. Ruggieri

Discount: The Mystery of the Missing Cufflinks

Author Amanda Tero

Giveaway and new release: “Finding Christmas Joy”

Thank you all so much for joining me! It's fun to have made it this far with Andora's Folly. Enter the giveaways, spread the love, and be on the lookout for some new things coming to my Etsy soon!

Are you enjoying July or looking toward Christmas?

Quest for Leviathan by Amanda Tero

Ah, biblical fiction. ^.^ Though I've been trying to exercise self-restraint when it comes to free books and the deadlines they entail of late ... sometimes I can't help myself. I think what hooked me on Quest for Leviathan by is the brevity of the story and the unique subject!

Leviathan took the life of Anath’s father. Anath has spent three years preparing for the voyage that will end the threat of Leviathan. Yet as the Valor launches into the depths of the Mediterranean, an inward quest also begins, taking Anath to depths he is not willing to face.

The story is around 4,000 words, but watch my review be just as long :P

I loved the length. Don't get me wrong, I still love a fantastic novel. But I'm more willing to gamble on something shorter (and less expensive) these days. Amanda's story proves that shorter does not mean less.

The characters were few, but well done and seemed to fit the era. The writing had strong imagery and a single focal theme that helped the short story pack a punch. I loved the illustrations--they added a lot to the story. Of course the background of the Leviathan (mentioned in Job) also made the story neat.

Overall, it I didn't find it endearing or mindblwoing, but it was a unique premise with a well-executed spiritual/character development arc that packed a punch. As a writer, I know that's quite the feat. 8/10 shrooms.

There's a giveaway of course!

Amanda is giving away TWO print copies of "Quest for Leviathan" to one winner--one for you, and one for your friend.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon 

 If you're looking for a short read or a taste of biblical fiction, this is for you! Have you read any other of Amanda's books? (This was my first.)

The Beautiful Cover Formula + Giveaway

In light of Livy Jarmusch's release of her gorgeous book The Rebellion, I want to discuss my favorite things to see in covers!

Anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm picky. People will also say not to judge a book by it's cover, but people do. It can't be helped! There are some basics such as having a cover that fits the book, has readable fonts, and is pretty to look at. Beautiful covers are often a matter of opinion, but here are some elements that are guaranteed to please:

• unique art medium (watercolor in particular!!!). Let's face it ... stock photos can get old, and it's much easier to mess up photoshop than paint
• simplicity. In my mind, the simpler the cover, the ore it packs a punch. However, this doesn't mean it can't have ...
• subtle details. Oh yes. My favorite. Don't you have those covers where you read the book and they mean even more?! Those are the best. Especially if they can look simple and then blow your mind up close.
• conveys the genre. This really shouldn't be as much of a bonus as it is. Isn't it nice when you know what you're getting just by looking at the cover? I personally like that. This does not mean it has to be cliche.

Why yes, I'd love to give you examples. Thanks for asking. (All of these are 5-star reads just so you know and the first one is currently on sale!)

   

   

I've got to admit that Livy's new cover also fits into the stunning cover category! :)

The images above link to their Amazon pages. And you can enter the giveaway for an autographed copy of the first book, The Coronation, right HERE!

What equals the beautiful cover formula for you? Are you excited for Livy's new book?

Writing a Meaningful Villain // Maddie Morrow

Today I have Maddie Morrow on the blog who takes over starting ... now! The Joker to Batman. President Snow to Katniss. The Wicked Witch of the West to Dorothy. All very different characters, but one main purpose: Be the villain.

In books and movies, we love these characters (or I should say, hate them). They drive the story forward: Thwarting our beloved hero at every turn, terrifying us with their cruelty, tugging at our heartstrings with their tragic past. Without them, there would be no story.

Who wants to read about a girl named Katniss who lives in Panem, where the government is kind and stable, there’s plenty of food, and nobody dies?

There’s no reason to destroy the One Ring if there’s no Sauron trying to wield its unbridled power.

Tessa would have never met Will Herondale in The Clockwork Angel if the dark sisters hadn’t kidnapped her for the magister first, and that my friends would be the greatest tragedy since Jack didn’t survive in Titanic.

So what makes a good villain, and how do we write one? This is a question I struggled with for years before a lightbulb came on. Here’s a few of the things I’ve discovered when it comes to writing meaningful, dastardly devils.

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times, but it really cannot be said enough. Without a goal, your character is just evil for the fun of it. Very rarely is anyone evil just for the fun of it. They need a goal. A strong one.  I’m going to use Disney’s Cinderella for an example, because I feel like at this point everyone should know the story (If you don’t, what have you been doing your entire life?), and no one will be terribly upset about spoilers. The writers could have just made the stepmother a jerk because Cinderella wasn’t her biological child. Plausible, yes, but it doesn’t add any depth to the story. However, when we realize that the stepmother’s goal is for one of her own daughters to marry Prince Charming, then we have a goal that adds something to the story. Now not only are they horribly mean to her, now they’re actively plotting against her, trying to keep the prince from finding her, and trying to convince him that the ugly sisters are actually the girl he danced with at the ball. A goal creates that tension that fuels the story, the back and forth battle that makes the hero’s final victory so sweet. It’s not special that the hero wins if the villain never fought them. A goal can also carry into a sequel, like in Cinderella II. Cinderella was already engaged to Prince Charming. Think she’s won, right? Not so fast. Stepmother got the magic wand. Now she can make Anastasia look like Cinderella, and hypnotize Prince Charming, still trying to achieve her goal. The battle begins.

Backstory gives us a reason for why the villain is evil. It also makes them more relatable, which we’ll talk about in the next point. In the TV show Revolution, we immediately find out that Sebastian Monroe is the leader of the Monroe Republic, and he’s a bad dude. Throughout the series though, we learn more and more about what led him to this point. We see how he idolized Miles Matheson. He didn’t have any family left. Miles was all he had. They were best friends. Miles was harsh, and not afraid to kill and hurt people. We get to see how Monroe starts to copy him. A good choice? Not at all. Does it take away from the fact that what he’s doing is bad? Nope. It does show us how he started though. Making small bad choices based off his love for Miles, that snowballed into the villain we saw on the screen. His backstory also gave us his tipping point. It showed us a few bad choices, and then we find out that Miles tried to assassinate him, and then abandoned him, and it all makes sense now why he’s got such a burning hatred for the man who used to be his friend, as well as why he knows anything about Charlie and her family.

Villains that are relatable stir up emotions in your readers, and that’s exactly what you want. At face value, I can’t relate to Gollum from The Hobbit at all. I don’t talk in riddles, wear rags, have a split personality, or eat things raw. However, when we find out that Gollum was once a person-like creature, who happened to find the ring, he becomes more relatable. We can understand greed, what might make him want to keep the ring for himself, and not let anyone else see it. We’ve all been greedy at some point. We can understand the fear and guilt that drove him to the caves after killing his friend (though I hope none of us have ever killed their friend. You get my point). Then he becomes relatable. Even though we still think he’s a sick, creepy little troll, we can feel empathy toward him. Maybe even sympathy. And suddenly the reader is conflicted. This guy is a creep. He kills people, and talks to himself. Yet here we are feeling sorry for him, because the ring has taken over his mind and reduced him to a sniveling little blob, who has no friends, so he has to talk to himself. Neat, huh?

A bad boy does not a villain make. I’ve seen this in a lot of first drafts when I beta read, and in a lot of my old stories. There’s a character (usually one with black hair, who wears a leather jacket, and probably rides a motorcycle) who is annoying. He probably teases the poor sweet girl in school. He might smoke cigarettes in the parking lot. He’s a bad boy for sure, but he never gets developed past the annoying stage. Lots of people in my life annoy me, but they don’t graduate to the role of antagonist unless they try to oppose me. It’s not enough to have a character get on your main character's nerves. They can move past annoying without batting an eyelash. Make the bad boy step up his game. Maybe he breaks into the damsel’s locker, stealing her answers off the test, and then changing hers so she fails, because he’s jealous of her perfect scores while he can’t get good enough grades to make the football team. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you conflict. Now we’ve got an antagonist. Our dear sweet girl is going to try and figure out who sabotaged her test, and the bad boy is going to do everything in his power to keep from getting found out. The hunt is afoot.

There’s three different types of villains, in my opinion. The first is the bad guy who knows he’s bad and he’s alright with it. Villains like Black Beard and Davey Jones in some of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

The second type, is the villain that knows he’s bad, but thinks the ends justify the means. Back to Cinderella’s stepmother; it wasn’t bad for her to want the prince to marry one of her daughters. He was looking for a wife, after all. Any mother would hope her girl would be the one to catch his eye. So she has a good goal, but she was willing to do evil (lock up Cinderella, let the girls destroy her dress, etc.) to accomplish the goal.

The third villain is the scariest in my opinion. The villain who thinks he’s a good guy. Villains like this are how we get Adolf Hitler. The man honestly believed he was doing some divine work by eliminating “lesser” races. The rest of the world saw him as the murderous, vile, creature that he was, preying on thousands of innocent human beings. A fictional example would be Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He’s a self-righteous fiend, who is under the impression that he’s doing the right and holy thing by killing gypsies and keeping Quasi locked away. A villain like this can really up the shiver factor for your story.

Nothing kills me more than the villain with hordes of mindless followers. Make them something worth following, in some twisted way. Take Tess Tyler from Camp Rock. (I’ve got little sisters, cut me a break.) For some reason Ella and Peggy follow her around like puppies, while she constantly degrades them. She never gives them anything in return for their loyalty. They gain the very shallow satisfaction of being one of the ‘cool girls’ but at the cost of being ridiculed constantly. Why? Make your villain have something appealing to the minions who follow them. The YA Western Dystopia I’m working on right now features a villain who is in charge of the largest gang in Cody, WY. He’s a ruthless killer, yet the men in his gang follow him. Why? Because I’ve given him something they want. He supplies them with the best food and water, the best housing, the prettiest women, and the easiest means to make ammunition. As long as they follow his orders, they can raise all the heck they want without reprimand. That’s appealing to them, so they don’t care if he shoots someone, or lies and cheats. Give your villain something that makes them a leader. Your readers will thank you.

Not all antagonists are truly villains. If two guys are trying out for starting quarterback, they immediately become each other’s antagonist. Neither one is evil, but they stand in the way of the other’s goal. One boy might try to spend extra time with the coach, or have his dad call and pull some strings to get him a better chance at starting. The second boy might have to work an afterschool job to help support his single mom and siblings, so he doesn’t have time to practice extra, and he doesn’t have a dad with connections. It doesn’t make the first boy a villain, just an antagonist, standing in the way of what our underdog hero wants. Sometimes this kind of character is what your story needs, more than a snarling, treacherous monster.

 ______

A huge thank you to Maddie for that awesome post! Here's some more about her and her closing questions:

Maddie Morrow is a Nebraska farm girl who puts way too much emphasis on Husker football. When she’s not arguing play calls, you can probably find her poking around in the garden, begging her flowers to grow, chasing her little boy around, or looking for tasty new things to feed her husband. Some of her hobbies include getting lost in books, trying to scribble out stories of her own, admiring her guitar collection and sometimes playing them. You can connect with her at her blog, www.wonderfulworldofmylife.blogspot.com

Also, a special thanks to Abigayle for having me on the blog today. It's been great spending time in her corner of the Internet.

How about you? What do you think makes a great villain? Who is your favorite fictional baddy? Drop a note in the comments section. I’d love to chat.

_______

Abi again! Wasn't that a great post?! Last week I asked how long you guys thought it took me to write the MH birthday post ... my estimation is around 11 hours o_o That's with having to create some images, set up the Etsy shop, film the vlog, set up the giveaway, etc etc ;) The giveaway is still open!