故事中的英雄们总是承包了所有的荣耀。但到底是谁使这些好人鹤立鸡群的?当然是大反派!每个优秀的故事里总需要一个强大而又卑鄙的反派角色。

The Demented Villain
疯狂型反派

You can use a few techniques to let your readers know that a certain character is going to be rotten to the core.
你可以使用一些技巧,来使你的读者明白某个特定的人物坏透了。

1. You can start by introducing your character into your story in a situation that makes the reader raise an eyebrow.
你可以在一个场景中,在故事中介绍这个人物,引起读者的注意。

 In the passage below, we find Danny in an odd situation from the very beginning. Why is he in an unfamiliar location, and why is he awake at 3:47? Something just isn't right.
在下面的文章中,我们可以发现丹尼从一开始就很奇怪。为什么他出现在一个陌生的地方?为什么凌晨三点四十七分他还醒着?一定有什么事不对劲。

2. In the next few sentences, we can determine that Danny has some unpleasant feelings about a family member. Full alert! Notice that the writer doesn't need to describe Danny as an unpleasant person. She paints a picture through Danny's thoughts.
在下面几个句子中,我们可以断定丹尼对某个家族成员十分不满。留神了!请注意,作者不需要将丹尼描绘成一个郁郁寡欢的人。她描绘了丹尼内心的想法。

Danny woke in the cold, unfamiliar room of his new home and checked the time on his phone: 3:47. The sound of his new stepbrother Mark’s soft snoring a few feet away set his teeth on edge. He hated having to share a room with that whiney little brat.
丹尼在寒冷而又陌生的新家里醒来,看看手机上的时间:三点四十七分。就在几尺之外,传来了继兄弟马克轻微的鼾声,这使他十分不舒服。他讨厌和一个烦人的小屁孩共用一个房间。

3. In the next paragraph, the reader might begin to suspect that our Danny is a little bit disturbed!
在下面段落中,读者可能就会开始怀疑,丹尼蠢蠢欲动了!

The example below demonstrates how to describe a character through his own thoughts.
下面的例子展示了怎样通过一个人的思想来描绘这个角色。

His tension eased as he remembered the dream he’d been having. Mark is a wimp and deathly afraid of ants. In his dream, Danny stood at the top of a giant ant hill, controlling millions of ants with his will. Mark was lying on the ground below him, crying and screaming for his mommy as the ants swarmed him, biting him and crawling into his mouth, ears and nose.
当他记起那个一直以来都在做的梦时,才从紧张的情绪中舒缓过来。马克胆小懦弱,超级害怕蚂蚁。在他的梦里,丹尼站在一座巨大的蚁丘的顶端,用意念控制着无数的蚂蚁。马克躺在下面的空地上,哭着喊娘,因为蚂蚁已经将他团团包围,咬他,还爬进他的嘴巴、耳朵和鼻子里。

Danny wished he had that power in real life. Then he remembered the ant hill at the edge of the yard. He smiled as an idea formed.
丹尼真希望自己在现实中也拥有这种超能力。随后他想起了院子边上有个蚁丘。他笑笑,心生一计。

The next morning, Danny was awoken by the sweet music of Mark’s screaming.
第二天早上,丹尼在马克那美妙的尖叫声中醒来。

Who could consider the sound of a scream to be sweet? Only a really nasty person!
有谁会认为这尖叫声会悦耳呢?只有货真价实的卑鄙小人!

The Power-Abusing Villain
滥用权力型

Another strategy is to create a character who abuses a position of authority or power to instill fear. This type of villain often takes his time tormenting his victim, in a slow, pressure-cooker style of fear.
还有一种模式,就是创造出一个滥用权威或权利的角色,来使人们感到害怕。这种类型的反派通常会慢条斯理地折磨人,来慢慢制造恐慌。

Power relationships come in all forms:
权力关系的形式:

•bully - nerd
恶霸-呆子

•father - son
父亲-儿子

•boss - employee
老板-员工

•person - pet
人-宠物

•teacher - student
老师-学生

It's easy to resent someone in a position of power; that's the rebel in all of us. But it's really easy to dislike someone who abuses their power. This is the type of villain who keeps the reader hooked, because there's such a strong desire to see the downfall.
讨厌一个手握权力的人很简单,因为他是我们中的叛徒。但要想讨厌一个滥用职权的人则更简单。这种反派人物会牢牢吸引读者,因为大家都迫不及待地想看他垮台。

The power villain is best used in longer stories, because he/she creates fear over time. You never know when the villain will erupt. This slow-moving villain keeps the reader in suspense. You can establish nastiness in the words and behavior of these villains.
手握权力型反派人物在长篇小说中屡试不爽,因为他/她能够引发恐惧。你永远不知道什么时候反派会突然冒出来。这个慢条斯理的反派能够把读者的心弄得七上八下。你可以在言语上辱骂他,或者描写他的行为。

Everyone in the office froze when Kate walked in the door. Her first stop was Mary at reception.
凯特一进门,办公室里所有的人都定住了。他首先朝接待处的玛丽走去。

“Mary…did you intentionally come to work looking like bloated walrus? You are the first face our clients see, for heaven's sake.” Kate smiled and walked away as tears welled up in Mary’s eyes.
“玛丽······你是故意弄得像个发胀的海象似得来上班是吧?我的天,你可是我们客户见到的第一张脸啊。”凯特笑着离开,留下玛丽泪流满面。

As their supervisor passed by the cubicles one by one, the other workers did their best to avoid eye contact. The echo of Kate's stiletto heels cut through the silence as the woman-beast surveyed her surroundings.
当主管经过一个个隔间时,其他的员工都尽量避免与他们进行眼神交流。在这个母老虎环视四周时,凯特那细细的高跟鞋鞋跟打破了宁静。

Then the unthinkable happened. One of the three-inch heels caught the strap of a purse that rested outside Sherry Baker's cubical. In one awful moment, Kate went stumbling to the ground.
然后一件不可思议的事发生了。在经过谢里·贝克的隔间时,她那三英寸的鞋跟绊到了放在外面的手提包带子。而在这个可怕的时刻,凯特被绊倒在地上。

The unfortunate owner of the purse trembled with fear as Kate got to her feet.The office supervisor brushed herself off and walked away slowly.
当凯特站起来时,倒霉的手提包主人吓得发抖。主管并没理睬她,慢慢地走开。

It could be several chapters before we find out what happens to poor Sherry Baker. This is a great way to build suspense.
在我们知道可怜的谢里•贝克身上到底发生了什么之前,前面几章可以描写这些内容。这是一个制造悬念的好方法。

Types of Villains
反派的类型

You should have a lot of fun with creating a villain by making them as complex as possible. In the case of Kate, you could follow the passage above with Kate sobbing at her desk. You can leave it up to the reader to decide if she's sobbing from fear, embarrassment, or anger. But a touch of compassion for the villain is sure to keep that reader hooked.
在尽可能增加其复杂性来创造反派的过程中,你会得到许多乐趣。在凯特的例子中,你可以参照上文凯特在桌子前哭泣的例子。你可以将它留给读者,让他们来决定她是因为恐惧、窘迫还是愤怒而哭泣。但是,对反派的怜悯无疑也会吸引读者。

A few other types of villains to consider for your creative writing projects are listed below.
在你进行创造性的写作时,还有一些类型的反派,如下所示。

•The insane villain: very unpredictable!
癫狂型:超级出乎人意料!

•The vengeful villain: revenge can make us do some dastardly things!
复仇型:仇恨可以让我们做出一些卑鄙的事!

•The passive-aggressive villain: this is the star of mean girl, nightmare scenarios.
消极攻击型:贱女孩的主人公,噩梦般的场景。

•The monster villain: your villain could be something unworldly!
怪物型:你的反派角色还可以是地球上本没有的存在!

Just remember to add the touch of human to your character. Even monsters have a soft side.
记住,要给你的角色增添人性。即使是怪物也有柔和的一面。

声明:本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容,转载请注明出处。中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点,仅供参考。如有不妥之处,欢迎指正。