March 6, 2012 · 14:53
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Hero goes south… Bad Guy goes right??? Your thoughts?

I got this question from a student. Never had thought of this before!

“When everything goes wrong for the hero, does that mean everything goes right for the bad guy?

What do YOU think?

5 Comments

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5 responses to “Hero goes south… Bad Guy goes right??? Your thoughts?”

  1. Melody Lopez
    March 6, 2012 at 15:41

    Perhaps it goes right for the bad guy if the things that go wrong for the hero were intended results by the bad guy. Or the bad guy takes advantage of the hero’s misfortune.

    If you write the story where the bad guy truly thinks he the star of the story and he’s forcing the hero to navigate the world the villain has created…then I think the answer to your question is YES! and WELL DONE! Hitchcock would be so proud of you!

    Reply
  2. Melody Lopez
    March 6, 2012 at 15:42

    We took a workshop with a local author — specifically on Villains…studied the 39 Steps… was very cool… he taught that tidbit I just wrote above about Hitchcock’s philosophy on the bad guy….

    Reply
    • yourscreenplaysucks
      March 6, 2012 at 17:30

      Very cool! Generally the Bad Guy does think he’s the hero of the movie.

      Just ask any man or woman who are in a divorce! Each one is the hero. Always. No one ever says, “I am horrible and 100% at fault here…”

      That’s what makes for an interesting story.

      Reply
  3. Larry N Stouffer
    March 7, 2012 at 11:31

    Well, not to be glib but to turn the table, if everything goes wrong for the bad guy does that mean everything goes right for the hero?
    I can’t say categorically that this “formula” works every time, but I’m fairly certain is does 99% of the time. I mean, isn’t that the goal of the hero? To get what she wants? And the goal of the bad guy is to get what he wants? I believe that’s called Conflict. Without it ya got no story. Right?

    Reply
    • Melody Lopez
      March 7, 2012 at 12:21

      @Larry… yes I agree…per Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! method of story structure… things should start to go right for the hero in the middle of the third act..after he’s already tried to execute a plan and it didn’t work out… and then he executes a new plan…part of the 5 point finale he wrote in his third book…

      Reply

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