villain

Writing a Villian You Love

A good friend once asked me who my favorite literary character was and why. I immediately responded with Mary Katherine (Merricat) Blackwood from We Have Always Lived in the Castle. As I described Merricat—destructive, chaotic, manipulative—my friend interrupted to ask why I liked her. Clearly someone with so many negative qualities was the villain of… Read more »

The Good News about “Bad Characters”

I have a confession to make.  My two daughters loved Junie B. Jones when they were little.  Adored that whole (giant) series by Barbara Park.  And I hated those books with a fiery passion. As a narrator, Junie B. was rude, impulsive and disobedient, with poor grammar and misspelled words to boot.  She was my… Read more »