How I Read From The Villains Phil Hogan Summary

Most if not all humans have a secret that resides in the shadows of their souls. These creatures of the dark are usually embarrassing, disturbing, and are just not suitable subject matter for common conversation such as obsessions or fetishes. In his review of his own book, Phil Hogan suggests just this. In the article “How I Wrote from the Villains POV”, Hogan discusses where the antagonist or villain in a story derives from, using his own and personalized characters as the perfect example of the semi-unintentional connection between character and creator.

This article basically begins with the question “So is this character based on you?” which has become a common reaction to Hogan’s characters (Hogan). This comment entices the audience making them want to press on

into the rest of Hogan’s work. Hogan utilizes the unsettling description of his character to officially hook his readers with deep interest towards his work.

Hogan's character William Heming was a "[…] a smalltown real estate agent who creeps into other people's homes and snoops through their private affairs[…]"(Hogan). When introduced to a character, such as William Heming, who comes off as strange or disturbing, a common question is how the author creates such a spine-chilling persona. In regards to the previous question, many authors inadvertently add bits and parts of their own personality and lives to their characters, so when a reader meets the character, he or she cannot help but seek the connection. For example, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood (a first- person narrative), there is a widespread theory that Capote fell in love with the real life character Perry as he visited and questioned him while Perry was on death row. Once Perry had finally been executed, these feelings of admiration and love became stronger as the novel came to a close. Now, while this is not an example of the author’s personality showing through his or her character; however, it is an example of the personal and private feelings of Capote being revealed unintentionally throughout his work. In parallel, Hogan hits the nail on the head with his claim that “[…]

there’s an undeniable appeal of not having to make someone up out of nothing.”(Hogan). By this he is saying that it is easy for one’s inner persona to shine through the actions of their character whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally. This remark is credible because many authors actually do this and sometimes they do not realize that their characters are almost a close replica of their creators. To build on this claim, Hogan continues by stating that he “[…] pretty much knew what [his] character would need to be capable of once he was made.” (Hogan). In this situation, some authors use their own experiences as a foundation for each of their characters which is why many say that certain characters reveal a lot about their creator, the author.
Now back to the topic of what hides in the shadows of most humans' souls. Hogan, while discussing the origin of one of his characters, raises the question of "[…] who among us—even those with the best concealed fetishes and disorders—can really say why they turned out as they did?" (Hogan). By this, Hogan is saying that not many can determine why or where their secrets came from. This question is the perfect starting point for someone wondering the origin of a character. It calls for the evaluation of the characters actions which may lead to the understanding of why and how a character was created. In regards to a certain character, such as a villain, some of the actions taken by the villain may reflect the imagination of the author as well as his or her past or present dark desires. To most readers, the idea of Heming is disturbing and unsettling. Many antagonists share these similar traits, especially villains. With a villain comes a bombardment of darkness, disturbance, and ill intention. However, even though ill intention is the driving force behind all villains, it was not what Hogan intended when creating Heming's story.
It is now obvious that most characters resemble their creators as they hint at different aspects of the authors' lives. However, according to Hogan "Heming presents his tale with candor, but if his insights look too maddeningly like guesswork or lack rigor, well, that’s no worse than the rest of us. I suppose what I’m really saying is, blame him, not me."(Hogan). What Hogan is saying is let the character speak for itself. Yes, authors do sometimes shine through their creations, but that should not draw the reader's attention away from the story itself. Maybe there is a touch of Hogan in Heming, but that should not replace the significance of the story. Hogan touches on this by writing "My crucial aim, in trying to inhabit a character weirder than myself, was to persuade the reader that there was nothing weird about him at all— to keep faith with Heming in his cheery pronouncements and deeds, to be his unjudging proxy."(Hogan). Heming's purpose was not to make the reader wonder why or even where but to draw the reader to his side ignoring the fact that he does some unusual things. This may sound like Hogan was trying to hide something, maybe a connection, but in all honesty Hogan is right. Do not lose sight of a character's true purpose. Do not be eager to look past the character in search of the author. The reader must understand the character and follow it throughout the story in order to create his or her own judgment about the origin of the character. That is the only way to enjoy a story.
In conclusion, many characters either purposely or inadvertently reflect their authors. In regards to a villain, this can be interesting as well as disturbing, raising questions that dive into the personal life of the author. However, that is not a villain’s purpose, while the purpose behind a villain is an interesting subject; the true purpose of a villain is to intrigue the reader. A villain's purpose is to give the reader something to be attracted to or resent, not to purposely make the reader contemplate the dark secrets of the author that built the character. Phil Hogan's explanation of his character, William Heming, stands to justify this claim. While the purpose behind a character and its creator is interesting, why not sit back and enjoy the story just as Hogan suggested?