Something Wicked Blogfest Entry: The Shadow of Earthsea

Hosts:	Krista McLaughlin
	Krista Wayment
When:	October 29th, 2014
Who:	You, of course, and the villain of your choice.
What:	The “Something Wicked” Blogfest is in honor of Halloween and the release of Krista W.’s new book in her Trusted series. Krista and I are name twins, who ironically published books at the same time, both with a character named Lainey. Sometimes I wonder if I share part of her brain… We both thought it would be fun to share about villains

The rules are very simple - you have 400 words or less to write about a real villain, one you created in a novel, or write a flash fiction. Your villain doesn’t have to be necessarily a murderer or stalker, but any anti-hero in your writing will work just fine!

There will be 4 winners -- complete with prizes :)

Most Evil - Krista M’s Winner
E-book copy of “Breathless” AND First 3 Chapter Critique
Guest Post on Krista McLaughlin’s Blog

Most Creepy - Krista M.’s runner up
E-book copy of “Breathless”
Guest Post on Krista McLaughlin’s Blog


Most Villainous - Krista W.’s Winner
E-book of “Trusted: Dragons’ Trust Book One” AND e-book of “Burned: Dragons’ Trust Book Two”
Guest Post on Krista Wayment’s Blog


Most Suspicious - Krista W.’s Runner-Up
E-book of “Burned: Dragons’ Trust Book Two”
Guest Post on Krista Wayment’s Blog



Break-out your inner villain and join in our “Something Wicked” Blogfest! You are welcome to share the blog button and spread the word. Have fun and be sure to visit others on the list! :)

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For my entry in the Something Wicked Blogfest I wanted to write about one of my favorite villains, the shadow from A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The shadow in the book follows the main character Ged. He is responsible for its creation through an act of folly when he was young, reckless and arrogant. He runs from the shadow and attempts to hide from it well into adulthood. Until finally he decides to turn and face it. That is when he learns what the shadow really is. The dark side of himself.

In order to defeat the shadow, Ged simply has to accept that it is a part of him and give it his name.

That is why I think the shadow is one of the best villains. Because, let's face it: the most difficult enemy we face is the darker side of ourselves. We cannot remove it from being a part of us. It is always there. But we can accept it and conquer it to become the strongest version of ourselves.

Along those same lines, one of my favorite books is Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander.

WARNING: MORE SPOILERS AHEAD

In it, the main character (Taran) goes on a quest to find out what kind of man he is by finding his true heritage. What he learns instead is that it is not where you come from that makes you who you are--but the choices you make in your life.

Here is a quote from A Wizard of Earthsea that I especially love:

"Ged had neither lost nor won but, naming the shadow of his death with his own name, had made himself whole: a man: who, knowing his whole true self, cannot be used or possessed by any power other than himself, and whose life therefore is lived for life's sake and never in the service of ruin, or pain, or hatred, or the dark."