Congruency

Post date: Jun 27, 2015 5:42:59 PM

Being congruent with yourself is an important attribute. I have tried to practice this principle (with more or less success at different times).

Being congruent is being true with your character. Without being so predictable that you are mundane and have no surprises or spontaneity. Likewise your characters should be congruent with who and what they are. Antagonists should have real strengths and weaknesses and nuances with which to flesh them out into living and breathing beings.

Whether they be aliens, or a life force or a human being these antagonists can be patterned after the real bad guys and girls that you have met and dealt with or wanted to deal with or if you have lived a sheltered life then one that you've heard about.

Hannibal Lecter. That name says it all. A great and powerful antagonist. Someone we love to hate and the realism that he is portrayed with has earned him a place and controversy in the villains Hall of Fame. He comes alive when we think of him and that is how your characters must be. Living, breathing, believable, people or beings with foibles, strengths and weaknesses.

They must be congruent with themselves but not so much that there can't be twists and turns in their character.

Write us characters that we can identify with and love or hate or have strong feelings about. Ones we can identify with or against.

Write that and throw in a good plot with the script to go with it and you've got something great.