Epic Post Round-Up: Crafting Villains | 32 Articles on How to Write a Villain
It's simple: the same way you craft the hero.
The difference is that somewhere along the way the villain's morals become skewed. The villain could want the same thing as the hero, the villain could even want something GOOD. He could even be stronger than the protagonist's. His goal even better. So what makes a villain different from the hero? Most specifically, his actions. The way he goes about achieving his goals. I'm looking at you, Ra's Al Ghoul.
My favorite villains:
Elias, Jonathan Nolan's Person of Interest
President Snow, The Hunger Games
The Commandant, An Ember in the Ashes
Colin, The Memory Lights
Von Linden, Code Name Verity
I love these villains because their sheer cleverness, intelligence, and their goals scare the life out of me. The pure evil villain holds no fear for me any more. If I could add one more to that list it would be the Apache Indians from Louis L'Amour books. Apaches were not only vicious and evil, but they were smart, clever antagonists. Nothing is more scary to me than a clever villain. But not a wacky clever villain, but an intelligent clever villain. A villain who doesn't do all the normal, cliche, tacky villain stuff. Tip of the day, friends.
And with that we lead into our first villain category. This list is by no means complete. I will keep on adding to it over time. Meanwhile, I hope you find the articles here helpful and don't forget to leave a comment on each author's post!
How NOT to Write Your Villain
1. 10 Signs Your Villain Might Be Cheesy - InkandQuills.com
2. Why Christian Stories Have Lousy Villains - TheStorymonger.com
3. 8 Warning Signs That Your Villain Isn't Believable - BetterNovelProject.com
4. The Difference Between Villains and Antagonists - WriterProud.blogspot.com
5. Five Disappointing Villains - Mythcreants.com
6. How Not to Create a Villain - WritingWorld.com
7. How to Avoid Creating a Weak Villain - WikiHow.com
Crafting Dynamic Villains
1. How to Create a Powerful Antagonist - ShesNovel.com
2. Villains Are More Important To Build Well Than Heroes - KarenWoodward.org
3. 9 Evil Examples of the Villain Archetype - TheWritePractice.com
4. Writing Great Villains - GoTeenWriters.com
5. 10 Ways to Make Readers Loathe Your Antagonist - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
6. 6 Tips for Writing an Imposing and Complex Villain - HannahHeath-Writer.blogspot.com
7. 10 Traits of An Epic Villain - Storyport.com
8. The Best of the Worst: Favorite Villains - TheKillZone.com
1. "Choices, Not Just Backstory" - KillZoneBlog.com
2. 50 Questions to Ask your Antagonist - AlyssaHollingsworth.com
3. The Moral Villain - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
4. How to Make Your Dastardly Villain Memorable - Mythcreants.com
5. 6 Ways to Write Better Bad Guys - WritersDigest.com
6. How to Write an Antagonist You Hate - TheWritePractice.com
Villain & Protagonist Relationship
2. How the Villain Should Affect Your Hero - WritingIsHomeToMe.wordpress.com
3. How the Villain Affects Character Arcs - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
4. How to Create a Remarkable Villain (Beyond the Cliches) - BetterNovelProject.com
5. How to Write Multiple Antagonists - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
6. Why Your Protagonist and Antagonist Should Be Stuck Like Glue - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
Empathetic Villain
1. Why Your Antagonist Needs a Mushy Moment - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
2. Why Your Characters Should Be Gray - HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com
3. 6 Ways to Make Your Villain Likeable - Mythcreants.com
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