I recently came across the following list on Amazon:  “100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime.”

As a fantasy writer myself, I decided to spend the next few years reading every book on this list and record the lessons I learned from each volume on how to be a great writer.

PLOT: Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature’s hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein. – goodreads.com

WHAT I LEARNED: There is little doubt that the most intriguing character in Frankenstein is the creature himself. In fact many readers will discover that he is the polar opposite of how he is portrayed in popular culture – a groaning dimwit who staggers as if he can’t bend his knees. In the original novel the creature is well-spoken, stealthy and intelligent (he references Paradise Lost for crying out loud).

The first half of the story is told from the regretful scientist’s point of view (with the exception of the opening chapters which are are a frame story told by an unlucky sea captain). The events go as follows: Victor Frankenstein creates life, decides the being is hideous, abandons it, discovers that his brother has been murdered, sees the creature near the crime scene and confronts it.

The story then shifts, and for the next several chapters it is told from the point of view of the creation. Readers today will already know that the “monster” is in fact a misunderstood reject, but take a step back and see the story from the point of view of readers in the early nineteenth century. Up until halfway through the novel they wouldn’t know anything about the creature except that he was ugly, killed a young boy and (probably) framed an innocent woman. Consider their surprise to discover that he is a complex character with an intricate backstory.

So what can we learn from this?

1) As I said in my post on Farenheit 451, our antagonists should be complex. This isn’t original advice, but let’s dig deeper for a moment. Don’t just give us a complex antagonist, give us a section of your story that is told form the villain’s point of view.

Obviously, this might be difficult if your story is told from a first person POV but you could have a section where the villain tells his or her life story, or someone who knew the antagonist when they were younger tells their story. Even if you have a Dark Lord sort of antagonist (like Voldemort or Sauron) you could easily make your story more layered by including a section where we are told why they want to conquer the planet. I don’t mean a James Bond-ish villain monologue, I mean a detailed backstory that depicts a gentler side to the character and shows us why they believe they are in the right. Every villain believes he/she is the hero.

2) On the flip side, keep in mind your hero doesn’t have to be perfect.

Granted, I am viewing Victor Frankenstein from a twenty-first century point of view but let’s be honest, he’s kind of a jackass. Not only does he allow an innocent woman be hung without trying to explain who the real murderer is, but he spends most of the novel in a deep malaise, cursing himself for tampering in God’s domain, while the rest of us shout, “You aren’t in this situation because you tampered in ‘God’s domain,’ you’re in this situation because you abandoned your creation!” Had Frankenstein stuck around to love, educate and care for his creature, the story would have turned out completely different.  In fact Shelley’s novel can easily be interpreted as a story about an abusive parent.

I’m not saying that your protagonist should be an unlikable jerk – there needs to be some aspect that will connect us to them. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to give your character moral flaws. We might disagree with some of the things they say or do but if you do it right they will be more interesting and therefore more memorable.

OTHER THOUGHTS: The story of Frankenstein’s origin is almost as famous as the story itself. A condensed version goes: Mary, her lover (and later husband) Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron were entertaining themselves with tales of horror from Germany. They challenged one another to create their own ghost stories. It took Mary some time, but in the end she decided that her “ghost” shouldn’t be a supernatural spirit. Instead it should be a physical being, constructed out of corpses and brought to life by science.

As I said, this is a simplified version, and I don’t know how historically accurate any version is. However, the story behind Frankenstein still displays an important point: when writing your novel, do your best to think outside the box. Frankenstein is an excellent example of a ghost story that isn’t a ghost story. Had Shelley given us a tale of rattling chains and slamming doors, we wouldn’t have the masterpiece we have today and she wouldn’t be known as “The Mother of Science Fiction.”

Take your time with your stories. Don’t go for the most obvious characters, settings or situations. Rather than jumping to the tropes typically used in genre, ask yourself how you can tell a familiar story in a new way. If Frankenstein is a ghost story that isn’t a ghost story, then what would a space opera that isn’t a space opera look like? Or a detective story that isn’t a detective story? Break the rules, defy conventions.

Unfortunately your story may be harder to sell because some agents/publishers might not know how to fit it into a distinct sub-genre, but if you can get it out into the world there is a much better chance that it will stick with your readers and become something that stays with them.

DISTINCT PASSAGE: “Be calm! I intreat you to hear me, before you give vent to your hatred on my devoted head. Have I not suffered enough, that you seek to increase my misery? Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it. Remember, thou hast made me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to thine, my joints more supple. But I will not be tempted to set myself in opposition to thee. I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection is most due. Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.” – The Creature speaking to Frankenstein.