My Quest to Destroy the Ultimate Evil

Key Words: quest, ultimate evil, destroy the ultimate evil, writing, fantasy, fantasy novel, novel author, hook, heroes, characters, bad character, plot, evil, epic fantasy, resolution, villain.

Definition: Quest to destroy ultimate evil when writing fantasy novel using author hook, heroes, and characters with a reason for being bad.

My Quest to Destroy the Ultimate Evil

By Brynneth N Colvin

Writing a fantasy novel? As an author you want a great story line to hook readers including heroes, action and something epic. So you pitch your characters against an all-powerful ultimate evil capable of ruining the known world.

My quest to destroy the ultimate evil consists of convincing you not to do this, and showing you how to do something more interesting.

Why All-powerful Evils Are Bad For Your Plot

Ask yourself this. How are the good guys going to win? The more powerful your evil figure/force is, the harder it will be to have good triumph and not seem far fetched. Readers want stories they can believe, not improbable rabbits out of hats scenarios. Yes, the villain must be powerful enough to make life horrendously difficult for your heroes and heroines, but that need not mean all-powerful. It’s not much use having all-powerful good beings coming to the rescue--why bother having your heroes in the first place if they can’t save the day? Anything blatantly silly can wreck a good story--like making the evil vulnerable to one really simple thing. To create a compelling story, the good guys must use their wits and skills to win the day. All–powerful, ultimate evils don’t lend themselves to this happening.

Why Is He Evil Anyway?

There’s nothing more irritating than a bad guy or girl who goes round doing bad things, because they are bad. Real people have real reasons for doing things – passions, needs or insecurities that drive them. Bad guys need motivation, a reason to go out and wreak havoc. One of the best reasons writers can use is having the villains think that they are the good guys--that people need them to rule despotically, or the kingdom would fall apart. They have to oppress this evil race of elves, or wipe out these dragons, or do something else for the best possible reasons. A little character and motivation in your evil being goes a long way towards making the story interesting. The sort of villain who will burn you to save your soul is far more effective than the one who does it just because he’s evil.

Does She Really Need To Be The Ultimate Evil?

Evil on a grand scale is very tempting in epic fantasy. Having the fate of nations, if not species or planets hanging in the balance offers a lot of scope for drama and excitement. It also creates an unwieldy expanse in which to tell your story. How will you illustrate all the bits of plot that happen across vast reaches of space and time? Will your readers be riveted, or confused? Sometimes, stories told on a smaller scale work much better. The fight to save one village, or one person from something evil can be far more personal and compelling.

Working on a smaller scale, it’s easier to create interest and keep the story human. Which sounds more appealing? The ultimate evil threatens to destroy the galaxy, various humans fight back, or, the evil overlord sends out a horde to burn down a village, after his daughter goes missing. One band of heroes must try to save their homes and rescue the girl. Small human stories are often more interesting than large, overblown dramas.

Looking For Resolution.

With an ultimate evil, the only satisfying resolution lies in destroying it. With a lesser evil, you have scope for all sorts of endings--retribution, having the villain see the error of their ways, redemption, poetic justice etc. A lesser villain can grow and change, because their evilness is a product of personality flaws not their defining quality.

My favorite villain (a man called Garder in my novel On Borrowed Wings) is a selfish snob who rules mercilessly over his household, is sexually immoral and utterly careless of the wellbeing of those around him. This particular villain cares only for his own pleasures, but he’s good enough at manipulating people to keep the support he needs. Gardar is a believable monster and a real challenge for the hero and heroine. He is motivated by greed, and a social insecurity because of his illegitimate origins. The entire drama plays out on a small scale, with a few people, thus making it easier for readers to empathise with the characters (although there’s no shortage of action). The lives of a few are at stake, not the fates of nations. On Borrowed Wings is published by Whiskey Creek Press.