Now, I don’t need to sell you on the idea that stories are important. We are all word nerds here. We already know that stories are important; it’s our job to write them, after all. The thing I want to address today is why stories resonate so deeply. What is it about storytelling that makes it so compelling, so powerful? Here are a few reasons why this might be the case:

1) Storytelling is associated with higher levels of empathy.

There’s a whole area of psychological research that looks at the connection between reading and empathy. In particular, this research shows that people who read fiction have higher levels of empathy than those who read nonfiction. The idea here is that fiction creates something akin to a “life simulator,” allowing readers to engage in experiences that might otherwise be out of their reach.

Reading fiction allows us to step into a character’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. This experience stretches our worldview and increases our ability to empathize with others. When marketers use storytelling in their promotions, they tap into the consumer’s empathy and create an emotional connection between the product and the audience.

2) Story tropes make a narrative feel familiar.

Tropes in storytelling serve as mental shortcuts, allowing us to understand quickly what the story is about. Think of the “Get a Mac” campaign from the early 2000s. In these commercials we have a buttoned-up guy in a suit and glasses as the PC and a relaxed, hipster dude playing the part of the Mac. These commercials tell micro-stories where the rivalry between the two characters plays out. The PC is supposed to be the big, powerful character, and the soft-spoken, chilled-out Mac is positioned as the underdog. People like rooting for the underdog, so it’s easy for the audience to align themselves with the Mac character. The Mac also comes across as more empathetic, where in some commercials he even wants to set their competition aside, but PC continues to show his competitive streak.

This campaign uses an “us vs. them” trope and creates a David and Goliath type of dynamic. We’ve seen this story trope time and again. A seemingly all-powerful villain is thwarted by a humble hobbit and his companions in The Lord of the Rings. A small country school basketball team faces off against a big city school in Hoosiers. And just about every Rocky movie ever made. This trope feels familiar, so when we see a commercial from this “Get a Mac” campaign, we recognize it right away. Immediately we understand what the story is about, with little explanation necessary.

3) Story makes it feel less sales-y.

This past holiday season, I went with my kiddos to Rockefeller Center and to see the windows at Saks. Now, if you’ve ever been to NYC during the holidays, you know that the best windows are always at Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s down on 34th street. The thing that makes these windows so great is that they often tell a story. One year, one store showed scenes from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Another time, one of these stores did an homage to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. For most of the year, these windows are designed to show off the store’s wares, but during the holidays, they take a break from pure promotion and tell a story instead.

That is, until this year. While it pains me to say so, the Saks windows left much to be desired, because they didn’t tell a story. Instead, they had these abstract displays showing products from the store, but there was no narrative, no sense of fun. Sure, there was a fancy intricate lightshow, where at times the whole front of the building was lit up, but that felt empty to me. It was all glitz and glitter without any substance.

You see, without the charming characters and the whimsical story, these windows felt like any other set of store windows on Fifth Avenue. Sure, they promoted the products inside, but the thing that usually made those windows feel special was missing. Not only that, you could tell that the windows didn’t resonate because even the week between Christmas and New Years—one of the busiest tourism weeks of the year—there was no line of people waiting to see the windows. Usually, the lines for these store windows stretch around the block, but this time there was nothing because the windows fell flat, all because there was no story.

When we tell stories, it takes the edge off of the marketing and makes it feel a little bit less salesy. Now don’t get me wrong, our readers aren’t ding-dongs; they still know there’s a promotional angle embedded in the story, but for some reason that angle doesn’t feel quite so sharp. Stories are entertaining, they pique our curiosity and make us want to learn more. When we weave our promotions into a narrative, our audience is more likely to want to hear what we have to say. They are also more likely to remember something that’s told as a story, rather than pure facts and figures.

Why It Matters

Whether we choose to publish traditionally or we go the indie route, we must all face the fact that we need to market our books. Some time ago, social media lit up with readers complaining that writers self-promoted too much. What these readers didn’t understand is that marketing is part of our job as writers, and if we want our work to reach our audience we have to be ready to do some self-promotion. Like it or not, it’s just part of the job.

This is why story marketing is such a game-changer. Not only does it tap into empathy, use tropes to our advantage, and feel less salesy, but it also plays to our strengths. We are writers. Words and stories are our jam. This type of marketing taps into what we do best. So let’s use our storytelling superpowers not only in our writing projects, but also to get our words out into the world and our books in the hands of our readers.

Until next time, keep writing and keep being awesome!

P.S. For more info on Gabriela Pereira, the founder and instigator of DIY MFA, check out her profile page.

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A villain is, by definition, an evil or immoral character intent on harming others. In literature, these characters portray evil and immoral behavior while also providing readers with an antagonistic force or bad guy – a figure against whom to root.

They are often presented as self-serving or selfish, especially when it matters the most. Their own survival ultimately trumps everything else and can typically be a reason why they fail in the pursuit of their goal, while the hero succeeds in being willing to sacrifice everything for the same goal.

Villains can be motivated by greed or lust or pride, or self-preservation, or they could simply enjoy the act of hurting others. This is the simplest type of adversary because, technically speaking, they don’t need a motive to do what they do.

But giving them a reason for being who and what they are will add complexity to storylines, as they provide tension and difficulty for the heroes of stories, making them work harder for their goals.

Villains often have deep-seated motivations and reveal something about human nature, which makes them attractive for readers to analyze. Moreover, many villains have secrets and pasts that draw readers’s sympathy, adding complexity to the story.

In literature, villains create compelling stories through conflict and challenge traditional notions of morality, and this brings out strong emotions in readers.

What Are the Top 5 Types of Villains in Literature?

Though there are many villain archetypes, these are my top 5 picks:

The Trickster

The trickster villain, who relies on cleverness and manipulation, is one of literature’s top five types of villains.

Think of characters like the Joker, Loki, or the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland – they rely on deception and wicked cunning to get their way. 

The Trickster often makes a deal with the protagonist, appealing to their needs and desires, but the price for the agreement is always higher than the main character realizes. They’re an incredibly entertaining addition to books and movies, always finding ways to throw a monkey wrench into plans and add more excitement and drama.

They may seem infuriating initially, but eventually, their motives become clear – they are simply out to prove their brilliance and superiority over the hero. Most often driven by greed or jealousy, they typically want something from the main character that they would otherwise be unable to get on their own.

The Trickster is brilliant and fun but lacks a moral compass, and is thereby perfect for adding nuance and richness to the world of literature!

The Evil Overlord

For anyone familiar with the great works of literature throughout history, the iconic Evil Overlord has become a symbol in its own right for an antagonistic force that brings about destruction and chaos.

From J.R.R Tolkien’s Sauron to Count Dracula to Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, this type of ultimate enemy stands out for their power and sagacity in crushing all who oppose them!

The Evil Overlord is among the most despicable of villains – one might even say they are evil incarnate. Typically offered with little backstory, their motives are nothing short of total domination, and they perform acts of evil because they can. They have no redeeming qualities, they fully embrace their nature, and they are driven only by their own selfish and impure desires.

As such, it’s often their unchecked hubris that proves to be their undoing through an act of extreme courage by the hero.

Having said that, the allure of evil overlords in literature remains as captivating as ever. This intelligent and ruthless character type presents a formidable challenge with their immense power and wicked cunning, making them a challenging foe for the hero to defeat.

Indeed, when these powerful villains are finally vanquished, it’s always cause for joy and celebration by the characters within the story.

The Bully

From power-hungry tyrants to heartless manipulators, villains in literature come in all shapes and sizes.

One of the most common types is the Bully – whose physical or emotional abuse threatens and intimidates their victims.

This villain allows readers to explore themes such as justice and to experience courage and sympathy by seeing how very human characters endure incredible hardship and prevail.

This is a universal archetype, as most people have had real-life experience with a bully figure. Audiences can relate, with fairly little explanation needed for them to understand why this character poses a threat.

Rather than using complex high-tech devices or mastermind plots – these villains’s strength lies in the power of their imposing words and actions. They have an inherent need to display their dominance over the main character through strength and cruelty to prove their superiority and mask their shortcomings and fragile egos.

Some famous examples include Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Miss Trunchbull from Matilda.

The Corrupt Politician or Authority Figure

The Corrupt Politician or Authority Figure is a villainous character trope explored in many genres throughout literature.

From the wicked orphanage owner Miss Hannigan in Annie to the tyrannical Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty and Alonzo Harris in Training Day, these villains are often seen as morally bankrupt figures who may have started as decent people, but whose unchecked authority has corrupted them. They command an organization or institution with an iron fist and little remorse – seeking their own agenda while taking advantage of those they rule over.

As characters, they help build tension and drama, giving the protagonists clear-cut obstacles to overcome to achieve their desired goal while inspiring readers to explore tales of agency and justice.

The Equal

Not all villains are created equal, unless they are compared with the hero.

One of the top categories of villains is the Equal – often presented as the mirror image of the main character. They share the same skills, knowledge and/or savvy, but their ethics and morals are polar opposites.

Whereas the hero is ultimately presented as moral, brave and just, the Equal is often shown as immoral, cowardly, and deceptive. On paper, they have everything it takes to win the conflict, but their lack of compassion and unwillingness to sacrifice tends to be their undoing when it matters the most.

Unforgettable examples include General Zod in the Superman comics, Saruman in The Lord of the Rings, and Renee Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Conclusion

There are dozens of different types of villains out there, each with their own quirks and motivations. As a writer, you get to find the most compelling villain type for your story. And as the saying goes, the hero is only as good as the villain.

After all, without a good villain or antagonistic force to drive the conflict, you can’t have a good story. So make yours memorable!

Do you have a favorite type of villain? Let us know in the comments below!

Neil Chase is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, actor, and storytelling consultant with extensive experience in a variety of genres, including action, sci-fi, drama, horror, and comedy. Neil has won over 90 international writing awards and is most proud of winning the FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards Grand Prize.

Neil’s screenplays have been produced for film and TV, and he is the author of the award-winning horror-western novel Iron Dogs.

When not working, he’s drawing inspiration from his amazing family, thinking up new worlds and adventures, and helping aspiring authors find the best tools for writing and follow their dream of writing something truly amazing.

You can find him on his website:  https://www.neilchasefilm.com or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Linkedin.

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I set out to write my second novel, No Such Thing as Goodbye, armed with a lot of tea, excitement, and an intriguing main character; a mobster’s sister who fakes her death in order to get a fresh start.

After a few drafts and helpful feedback from my beta-readers, I wrapped things up, ready to pitch the whole thing to agents. I was confident the manuscript was ready. I’d tied up all the loose ends, fixed the story and polished the prose till it sparked more than a smile in a toothpaste commercial.

Fast forward to a few months later. I checked the file before sending out the second round of queries, in case I caught any obvious mistakes or typos.

My eyes widened in horror. Had I sent out the wrong file? Was this definitely the final version? I didn’t remember my prose sounding so mediocre or the plot still having hiccups? What the heck was going on? I was certain I’d sent out a gemstone, while the thing I was reading was more like a rock dug out of mud.

I turned to my cats, who ignored me, then took some time to investigate what was going on. Soon, I realized I’d stumbled upon something important. Namely, the secret ingredient, so simple it was easy to overlook.

Yes, I’m talking about time.

It wasn’t the text that had changed; it was my skills. Leaving the manuscript to rest for a few months enabled me to read it with a critical eye, as a reader and editor, instead of as its creator. Suddenly, I could take a step back and spot the flaws I couldn’t before, and then remove them with a deft tap of the delete key. 

I sent a revised version of the novel out and, though it didn’t get me an agent, it was shortlisted and received an honorable mention on the 2020 Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize.

How to make time work for you

So, you’ve written a text, a story or a novel, and you’re tempted to plunge right into your first revision. Hold that thought. As counter-intuitive as this might sound, waiting with your revision might actually be more efficient. Here’s why:

You’ll hone your skills as a writer. 

While your work is standing still, you’re moving on, picking up new skills and honing your craft. Once you get to that draft, be that a week or a month later, your skills will have improved and you’ll be more experienced and better equipped. So, all in all, you’re likely saving yourself an additional revision.

You’ll gain critical distance.

If you start revising immediately after writing something, you’ll likely be close to the text. You might be more keen on protecting your darlings, or worse, not spotting them while they parade past you in their shiny costumes. 

Letting your writing rest, on the other hand, will allow you to approach the text with a sense of detachment. You’ll remember the gist of your story or article, but forget the details, making it easier to separate the crucial parts from the clutter.

Flaws and inconsistencies will jump out, darlings held in high regard will get slaughtered without a second thought, pointless characters and phrases will be easier to spot and take out. Critical distance is a priceless tool for taking a scalpel to your prose and dissecting it, as if it was someone else’s.

How long is enough, though?

The time needed depends on the length and type of your text. For short stories and articles, I’d recommend letting them stew for at least two to four weeks. When it comes to long-form writing like novels, leave them be for at least two months. If you can, three or four is even better.

I usually start working on something new right away, to help get my mind off the story I’ve finished. I’m continuously surprised how different that finished story feels once I get to it a few months later.

Your stories and narratives will develop

While you might give up on a specific story or challenge, your brains keep working with it in the background. That’s why sometimes, the answer or an idea pops up at a completely random time, possibly when you’re supposed to be doing something else and have nothing to write at hand.

Allowing for some extra time gives your work a chance and space to mature. You might think of a better opening, ending, or a fresh angle to approach things from. In short, there was not one single time where leaving a story to rest didn’t improve it.

Okay, so you’re ready to try this, to tweak your schedule and give the secret ingredient a chance. How to know when it’s enough, though?

When to stop revising?

The number of revisions depends on someone’s skills and confidence, and the latter doesn’t always reflect the former. If you’re not sure where to start, four revisions is a good rule of thumb, after which it’s good to get some external feedback. After that, one or two final swipes are likely enough.

Very skilled writers tend to need fewer drafts, though I’m immediately suspicious of anyone who stops at the second draft and isn’t Stephen King. 

I’d strongly advise against sharing your first draft with anyone. As hard as it sometimes is to curb the enthusiasm after finishing something, of riding on that endorphin rush and sharing it with the world, you’d do well to put it in a drawer for a while. This way, you’ll be confident your work won’t be caught out wandering around people’s living rooms barefoot, wearing nothing but underpants.

Karmen Špiljak is a Slovenian-Belgian writer and author of the award-winning short story collection, Add Cyanide to Taste. She currently lives in Belgrade with her husband and two cats. You can follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Goodreads, or learn about her secret lives on www.karmens.net.

The post The Secret Ingredient appeared first on DIY MFA.

In this interview, I got the chance to talk with Rochelle about why we love characters who are seeking a fresh start, how to incorporate our past lives into our writing, the all-important meet cute, and so much more. 

I hope you enjoy this interview!

About Rochelle Bilow

Rochelle Bilow is a food and romance writer who previously worked as the social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. A graduate of The French Culinary Institute, she has also worked as a line cook, a baker, and a wine spokesperson. Her first book, The Call of the Farm, a swoony farming memoir, was published in 2014. Raised in Syracuse, New York, Rochelle now lives in northern Vermont.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

About Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year

When a thirty-something American food writer moves to a Scottish village for one year to fulfill her dream of writing a cookbook, she finds more than inspiration—she meets a handsome Scotsman she can’t resist.

Ruby Spencer is spending one year living in a small cottage in a tiny town in the Scottish Highlands for three reasons: to write a bestselling cookbook, to drink a barrelful of whisky, and to figure out what comes next. It’s hard to know what to expect after an impulsive decision based on a map of Scotland in her Manhattan apartment—but she knows it’s high time she had an adventure.

The moment she sets foot in Thistlecross, the verdant scenery, cozy cottages, and struggling local pub steal her heart. Between designing pop-up suppers and conversing with the colorful locals, Ruby starts to see a future that stretches beyond her year of adventure. It doesn’t hurt that Brochan, the ruggedly handsome local handyman, keeps coming around to repair things at her cottage. Though Ruby swore off men, she can’t help fantasizing what a roll in the barley might be like with the bearded Scot.

As Ruby grows closer to Brochan and the tightly held traditions of the charming village, she discovers secret plans to turn her beloved pub into an American chain restaurant. Faced with an impossible choice, Ruby must decide between love, loyalty, and the Highlands way of life.

Interview with Rochelle Bilow

Lori Walker: First of all, I’d love to hear more about your journey to becoming a writer. How did you get your start? What was that magical moment you knew?

Rochelle Bilow: I wanted to be a writer—or perhaps I knew I was one—in college. But for a long time, my focus was on food writing. I spent years working as an editor and writer at Bon Appétit and other food magazines. 

It wasn’t until I went freelance and felt a bit adrift that I began dreaming about novels. I never thought I was “good enough” to write fiction, but my agent encouraged me to look into the romance genre. She instinctively knew it would be a good fit for me, and she was so right.

LW: What does a typical day of writing look like for you?

RB: When I’m drafting or revising, I prefer to do so in intense, immersive bursts. That’s not to say I don’t write at home or in shorter spurts, but typically I block off week long periods and book myself into a hotel or Airbnb. That way, I can entirely live in my characters’s worlds and work without distraction. 

Those days are wild; I roll out of bed and find some way to get coffee into my belly, then begin writing. I like to start each writing day at a proper desk or table, but by noon I’m sprawled on a couch or bed, where I stay until nightfall. 

Every once in a while, I may come up for air and take a short walk or do some stretches, but for the most part, it’s all writing, all the time. Then I come home, bonk, and don’t touch the manuscript for another week.

LW: How do you know when a nugget of an idea has the legs to become a full-fledged book or story? What is your process for getting it there?

RB: My agent, Sharon Pelletier, is crucial in this process. She’s so smart, and so good at developing ideas. I’ll share a concept or pitch with her, and she’ll tell me whether it has potential or not, and what it’s lacking to get there. Getting that kind of feedback is like a deep tissue massage; it hurts in the moment, but feels great afterwards.

LW: One of the things I love about Ruby is that she’s sold all of her possessions and moved to Scotland for a fresh start (and to “become the sort of person she wished she was”), which by normal standards is pretty drastic. Yet readers love books like this. Why do you think that is?

RB: It’s a living vicariously thing, I think. Because there’s so much about Ruby that readers can relate to, it’s not hard to imagine themselves taking those big, drastic steps. Reading, especially in the romance genre, can feel like a delicious escape.

LW: You have a past life as a food writer, which you incorporate into your fiction. What’s your advice for writers to bring their past experiences to their writing without writing autobiographical fiction?

RB: I love this question! Use your knowledge to add detail and set the scene, but consider your characters to be outside that sphere of influence. 

Because we shared careers, I could write about the logistics of Ruby’s life well, but we’re very different in terms of personality. It was important to me to write a character that had different motivations, fears, and goals than I did.

LW: In every romance, one of the most important scenes is the meet cute because it sets up the whole rest of the story. What are some of the qualities of a good meet cute and how did you use them in your own meet cute between Ruby and Brochan?

RB: I think a great meet cute has to feature physical attraction—even in an enemies-to-lovers story! In Ruby and Brochan’s case, we get to witness her “shaken-to-the-core” attraction to his physical appearance in a way that reveals more about her personality (she can be impulsive and “all in,” to a sometimes-detrimental degree). 

I also love a meet cute that has a tinge of awkwardness. In this one, Ruby’s trying and failing to use an electric drill for the first time ever, unaware that Brochan—a handyman—is watching her with amusement.

LW: How did you weave together the emotional and dating history of Ruby so that it was complex, rich, and relatable?

RB: If you’re in your thirties and you’re single, your romantic experiences have run the gamut. I wanted Ruby’s past to reflect the good, the bad, and the indifferent that comes along with dating. So she’s experienced big-time love, shattering heartbreak, and a whole lot of the “meh” stuff that happens in between.

LW: If you could go back to the beginning of your career and give yourself one bit of advice, what would that be?

RB: Stick it out when things get hard. I struggled with living in New York City, and left my full time food writing job before I really felt ready to. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had kept at it, through the challenges. That said, I’ve finally learned the lesson. Now that I’m a novelist, I’m not going anywhere—even if the going gets rough.

LW: A lot of authors are creating playlists to accompany their books, but this being a reading column, I’d like to know what your “reading playlist” is. What three books would you recommend to people who are interested in Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year?

RB: Much Ado About You by Samantha Young This book has aaaall the cozy UK-centric vibes you could want and more!

The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan Nobody does charming Scottish small-town like Jenny Colgan.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella Another UK-based romcom, this one featuring a fun city vs. country push-pull.

Lori Walker is the Operations Maven at DIY MFA. She is also the producer and co-host of DIY MFA Radio and editor-in-chief of DIYMFA.com, among other roles. Lori is a copyeditor for Amanda Filippelli and collaborating fellow for The Poetry Lab. She writes personal essays and memoir in Tulsa, where she lives with her husband and cat, Joan Didion. You can follow her on Instagram at @LoriTheWriter.

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