Good Guys and Bad Guys

Psalms - David crafted the words to the Psalms during the many ups and downs in his life. Psalm One speaks of the righteous man and the wicked man.

The righteous man delights in God's laws and doesn't follow in the way of sinners. In the end, he prospers, and God watches over his way.

The wicked man will perish, not succeeding in the end.

Often it seems the wicked man prospers and the righteous man suffers. But, God promises that ultimately, the righteous will prevail and the wicked lose.

Isn't this just the way it is in a story involving the good guy and the bad guy? Ultimately, our protagonist will win in the end, but the reader wants to see her work for it. The villain has to make headway and even seem to be winning. This raises the tension.

Study your bad guy. Have you developed him enough? Can your reader get an understanding of why this villain is tugging in the opposite direction than your protagonist? Your villain will be more believable if his motives are more than just taking a victory away from your good guy. The bad guy has goals and reasons for what he does. It's okay for your villain not to be completely bad.

Locate the first time your antagonist is met in your story. Is there more description that should be added so your reader has more of an understanding of your bad guy?

As writers, we sometimes feel we aren't winning in getting our message out for others to read.

Psalm 1:3 says, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

As Christian writers we must remain grounded in God and His commands. We will yield fruit in season. We may feel that "the other side" is winning, but in the end, we will prosper.