I have to admit I only found out about the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (April 2017) today, having been out of commission for a week and a half with balloon head and cotton brain, brought on by some nameless March virus.
Allison Maruska posted her Theme Reveal five whole days ago. By the way, this looks like a fantastic A to Z topic lineup that I’m definitely going to follow. Allison, Dan Alatorre, and some other bloggers have already released their A-posts.
While I grapple with the rules of the challenge and my own Theme Reveal—what theme can I sustain for 26 letters?—here is today’s A post, with a Haiku poem tossed in for good measure.
A is for Antagonist
Haiku: Antagonist
Wherever I turn,
His form arrests my purpose–
Always the same face.
The antagonist is an important person in your story.
The prefix anti means against. The antagonist’s desires and goals run against the protagonist’s.
THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT US — 2Cellos
Just as your protagonist is a whole character with desires, motivations, strengths, and flaws, the antagonist is a similarly three-dimensional character who also tries to accomplish something—either gain it, avoid it, or prevent it from happening. The antagonist should have a personal agenda, reasons for his or her actions, and these actions should come with consequences.
This personal agenda conflicts with the protagonist’s goals, making life for the protagonist difficult and often miserable or dangerous. The protagonist and antagonist engage in figurative or physical combat, opposing and obstructing one another in emotionally tightening concentric circles toward the climax.
A powerful antagonist has his own personal story, and we can relate to him. What if he is not simply an aggressor? What if he is also a victim?
More information: 10 Traits of a Strong Antagonist by Janice Hardy
I’m glad you decided to jump into the challenge! I like your take on antagonists. It’s hard to remember that they need to be as 3-dimensional as our protags.
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Thanks, Allison. Yes, talk about jumping in. At least I found out about the challenge before the end of the first day, so I might as well give it a whirl.
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I just finished a writing course which explained how important the antagonist is. Great A choice, and welcome to the challenge.
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Thanks for dropping by.
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Antagonist Weighs as much as protagonist. Very nice haiku as well. 🙂
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Weighs as much — nice way of putting it.
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🙂
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Eek! You reminded me I was going to do this! Well, it’s only the 3rd, and the 2nd was a Sunday, so I think I can probably catch up . . .
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Sure you can. Go for it!
I found out part way through April 1. Had no preparation, hadn’t thought of a theme, but I dove in and it’s coming together now. (My theme reveal is posted on April 2, lol.)
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Such a compact haiku and a lovely description of how an anatgonist works in fiction. I’d love to see layered interpretations too, where the protagonist must act as an antagonist at times to further the plot or his own motives. Complex characters fascinate me. Glad I found you via the Reflections post.
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Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments.
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You might like the Phantom poem here https://evablaskovic.com/2017/04/13/k-is-for-killing/
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“A powerful antagonist has his own personal story, and we can relate to him. What if he is not simply an aggressor? What if he is also a victim?” That’s exactly what makes an antagonist compelling, in my opinion. When one begins to question the hero’s purity because of sympathy the antagonist evokes, THAT is the mark of a strong “villain.” Of course, this mustn’t always be the case, but it is a strong case. Great post, Eva.
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Thanks for reading, JJ.
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