: The problem with tropes isn't that they're tropes, it's that they're symptoms of lazy writing. In this case, having a species that always does the worst possible thing is a) too easy b) not

The problem with tropes isn't that they're tropes, it's that they're symptoms of lazy writing. In this case, having a species that always does the worst possible thing is a) too easy b) not very interesting and c) uncomfortably close to how real groups have frequently been stereotyped in real life.

You should take the time and effort to make this group a little more three-dimensional and multi-faceted, if only in your world-building notes. Do they think they are doing good? Is there a case to be made for their vision? Is it possible that they're right, and your protagonists are wrong? Conversely, are there individual "Degenerates" fighting their brain parasite? If you understand and can emphasize with their culture and society, it will add depth to how you portray them, even if your protagonists can only conceptualize them as pure evil.

Consider the Borg, the memorable villains introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, an implacable, technological, hive-mind monstrosity. Part of what made them so effective is that they were easy to understand. They weren't just doing evil for the sake of evil. Instead, they were fulfilling their mission of absorbing all other species into themselves, at all costs. Their fixation on efficiency was a direct extrapolation of modern trends in technological advance. This made them believable as a credible possible alternate future for the human species (versus the more optimistic vision represented by the protagonists). That, in turn, kept them from being cardboard stock villains of the type you are describing.

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: The problem with tropes isn't that they're tropes, it's that they're symptoms of lazy writing. In this case, having a species that always does the worst possible thing is a) too easy b) not

More posts by @Sarah872

: Should you avoid redundant information after dialogue? Should we avoid repeating redundant information after a dialogue and is there a way around this? Sometimes, you feel prompted to write the

: When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? Let's say you have a character

: Is the MC in first person singular always all knowing? While writing a first-person singular novel, is the MC all-knowing? How do we handle plots which do not include the MC, like something

: What are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses? As a novice writer to improve my writing I have taken one online course. I want to ask, what are good ways to improve

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