Create a Great Villain

Posted by Jo | Filed under Characters

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This entry is part 0 of in the series, Characters.

What are your villains like? Who’s your favorite fictional villain?

In my opinion, the best villains are the ones that are at least partially sympathetic. He’s a bad guy, but there’s something about him that you’re drawn to. Maybe he’s physically attractive, or he likes children, or he’s good to his dog. Maybe you get a glimpse into his life, and you see why he’s turned bad, and you’re rooting for him to come around before the end.

No matter what the reason, this villain is two-dimensional. Rarely do you run across someone who’s arguably all bad or all good. Have you met someone like that? So why should your characters fall into that trap. Your main character should seem real, faults and all. Balance that with a villain who seems real too.

Here are some ideas that might get you started.

  • Have your villain and main character complement each other in their traits. For example, your villain may have a good quality that your main character lacks.
  • Your main character might be attracted to the villain because of the good traits he has.
  • Their personality difference might be the source of their conflict.
  • Think about why your villain has turned bad. This can often advance the story and give you insight into how he’ll act throughout your plot.
  • If you can’t understand why your villain does what he does, then your readers won’t understand it either. If they don’t understand it, the story will suffer.

Read More

Characters

Character Creation Worksheets

Creating Villains People Love to Hate

How to Create a Character

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Comments (1) | July 20, 2008

One Response to “Create a Great Villain”

  1. Sheila Sultani Says:
    July 24th, 2008 at 3:29 am

    I’ve always wanted to write fiction, these are some great ideas if I ever get started.

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