This is a reprint of a blog post that originally appeared at Fresh Fiction. I think it bears a repeat. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
In
every story, writers hope readers will root for the hero and the heroine.
They’re the main characters, the center of the story. But without other
characters, readers can’t fully understand the motivations of the hero/heroine.
That’s
one of the reasons I love antagonists. Not necessarily a villain, but someone
who doesn’t blindly follow the others. Someone who questions why the h/h do
what they do, or who may oppose them.
To me,
the antagonist is every bit as important as the hero or heroine. Without
antagonists and the conflicts they present, the main characters might not show
readers what they’re really made of.
In Twice In A Blue Moon, Hayden can be a
real jerk. He’s sarcastic, snippy and downright rude sometimes. Just as I
imagine a reality TV set to be like, with at the participants adding extra
conflict by acting out personal drama. Audiences love the conflict they
provide, and love to hate the jerks, which is one of the reasons viewers keep
tuning in week after week. So I imagine producers would love Hayden too.
Let’s
take a closer look at Hayden. He’s a video guy for the reality show No Boundaries, so it’s his job to see
everything that goes on around him. His camera adds a bit of distance to what
he sees, so it gives him a better perspective. He knows Melanie’s falling for
Buck even before she does.
I threw
in a few hints about another reason Hayden’s more attuned to Melanie than most.
He’s got a crush on her. Not head-over-heels in love, but he’s definitely In
Lust with her. His actions speak pretty loudly about this. It’s his one saving
grace.
Readers
aren’t supposed to necessarily like Hayden. But without him, Melanie might have
avoided the truth even though it was right in front of her. Hayden helped force
her to realize she had to make a decision, one that would impact her future.
Antagonists
help reveal the real character of the hero/heroine by challenging them on a
deep level. They hold up a mirror of the soul to the main character, and though
the main character might deny what s/he actually sees in that mirror,
eventually s/he has to deal with the truth.
Without
the antagonist, the story lacks an added believability and depth. I believe in
HEA, but without an antagonist, that ending would be far too easy to get to,
and a less interesting read.
How do you feel about antagonists in stories? Do you have
any favorites? Bad guys/girls you loved to hate?
TWICE IN A BLUE MOON by Cate Masters
Publish Date: 1/19/2015
About 48,000 words
Can true love strike twice?
After the death of her first love, Melanie
Michaels buries her grief in the risky demands of a reality show, where her
extreme stunts leave her teetering on the edge of danger. That’s exactly where
she wants to be—until she arranges for her crew to traverse the Swedish Lapland
in the dead of winter. It’s the one place she shouldn’t go, on the one day she
should avoid—her would-be wedding anniversary.
Instead of romantic nights spent in the Ice
Hotel or under the Northern Lights, Melanie is stuck with Joe “Buck” Wright, a
snarky loner tour guide who loves his sled dogs and nothing and no one else.
But Buck is also trying to numb a painful past. Can two people skilled at
pushing others away find warmth at the edge of the Arctic?
