“I think there’s a little bit of a villain in all of us.” – R.J Joseph.
What does it take to create memorable villains? Last month, the WLT’s July Third Thursday focused on answering that exact question. Program Manager Lore Arnold moderated a conversation between Yasmin Angoe (Behind These Four Walls and The Ferryman’s Daughter), R. J. Joseph (My Monsters Ain’t Like Yours), and Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow and Heavenly Tyrant) to uncover the ways in which authors craft their villains.
R.J Joseph‘s heart belongs to the horror genre. She mainly writes short stories that focus on examining the intersections of race, gender, and class in the horror genre and popular culture, making her book, My Monsters Ain’t Like Yours, no different. In her book, Joseph argues that horror can be used to explore human behavior alongside the idea of what it means to be a monster. It explores the relationship between monsters and fears shaped by individual experiences: a phenomenon set in place to explore the broader systematic issues. It appears that, My Monsters Ain’t Like Yours, is a vessel for exploring broader social issues. During the July Third Thursday panel, Joseph explains this very concept. When asked, How do writers tackle injustices in their writing, Joseph states that she has “always embraced what is now called social justice writing,” and she has remained firm in her belief that the system is the monster, resulting in the creation of numerous villains, because “there are systems in place that are villainous.”
Yasmin Angoe’s storytelling is supremely human. The characters created by Angoe aren’t meant to remain exclusively on the page, they’re meant to embody the qualities possessed by those around us, often expressing emotions the author embodies themselves. When crafting a villain, Angoe focuses on creating “three dimensional villains,” those that possess a level of depth that can relate to the reader. By creating these “three dimensional villains,” Angoe creates a connection between an individual’s humanity and their ability to exhibit villainous behavior. Angoe states that, “humans can do some really monstrous things,” making it difficult to pinpoint the end of a person’s humanity and the beginning of their monstrosities. When asked what makes a villain readable, Angeo states that she often portrays the villain’s actions as almost understandable by giving them “a reason why they do what they do,” reinforcing her views on creating these morally grey characters. A villain can still be classified as a villain, but giving them a “why” establishes a level of depth and understanding that allows the reader to digest the greater theme of a human’s ability to embody these villainous qualities as a result of their circumstances.
Xiran Jay Zhao relied on the classics to craft the perfect villain. While creating her villains, Zhao would not only draw from her life, she would reference characters from the past. During the panel, Zhao frequently referenced Heathcliff, one of the main characters in Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights. In Bronte’s infamous novel, Heathcliff and the protagonist share a complicated relationship where the reader almost feels conflicted as to who they’re supposed to root for; Zhao believes this to be important when assembling a villain. She states that a villain is more enjoyable to read when they have an “active dynamic protagonist,” who is also morally “gray,” because she believes that it’s more fun to read about “two terrible people going at each other,” a concept that she circles back to Wuthering Heights. However, when writing a villain Zhao believes that there should be a line between villainous behavior and monstrous behavior when creating human characters. Zhao stated that, “there’s nothing immoral about being human” and to “dismiss them of being monstrous is to rob them of their humanity.” Humans have the potential to do horrible things, but labeling things as monstrous beings strips them of their fundamental right to be supremely human.
This Third Thursday was truly one of my favorites, because it opens a greater conversation about what it means to be human with villainous qualities. Each of the panelists carefully consider the greater implications when constructing villains.
Joseph often writes about systematic failures and how some suffer while others prosper as a result of the structure. Within this system, characters file within a broad spectrum often creating complex characters that carry the villain title. I just love the way that Joseph uses these characters to further explore what it means to be a member of today’s society. With Angoe, I can’t help but admire the way she carefully crafts the “why.” Why do people do what they do and ultimately receive the title that they do? It allows the reader to understand the complexities behind structuring characters that are outside of the traditional black and white framework. Lastly, Zhao concludes the conversation by questioning the limits concerning stripping humans of their humanity. This segment truly allowed viewers to digest what it takes to write a villain, with or without their monstrosities.
Continue to support our authors by purchasing their recent releases. You can check out Yasmin Angoe Behind These Four Walls and The Ferryman’s Daughter, R. J. Joseph My Monsters Ain’t Like Yours, and Xiran Jay Zhao Iron Widow and Heavenly Tyrant here.
For more insight into writing and publishing, please join the Writers’ League of Texas today, August 20, for August Third Thursday: “MFA nor NYC: Alternative Ways of Becoming a Writer”