{"id":2167,"date":"2019-12-10T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T14:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shanafigueroa.com\/blog\/?p=2167"},"modified":"2020-02-16T16:46:28","modified_gmt":"2020-02-16T21:46:28","slug":"3-easy-steps-to-write-a-compelling-villain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shanafigueroa.com\/blog\/3-easy-steps-to-write-a-compelling-villain\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Easy Steps to Write a Compelling Villain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[This blog was originally published in Night Owl Reviews<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Crack open any Storytelling 101 book and it\u2019ll tell you conflict is your story\u2019s engine<\/strong>. Every story since the history of forever has centered around someone trying to solve a problem; otherwise, it\u2019s not a story so much as a series of anecdotes, or an aside, or your drunk uncle\u2019s ramblings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Stories which lack a strong central conflict feel weak or meandering. They \u201cpeter out,\u201d we say, like a Toyota Camry with a 4-cylinder engine trying to lug you and your 250-pound friend Denny up one of those iconic San Francisco cityscape hills as cars honk behind you. No offense to Denny\u2014he\u2019s an awesome guy\u2014or Camrys or San Francisco. The point is your conflict\u2014specifically, what\u2019s keeping your protagonist from getting what they want\u2014needs to propel the entire story. If it\u2019s not strong enough, then even the flashiest car (i.e. your concept) packed with the best people (i.e. your characters) still won\u2019t be able to get up that hill (i.e. reader engagement). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere\nare lots of ways to create conflict, but the most tried-and-true method is\nthrough a villain. <\/strong>A villain\u2019s\npurpose is to antagonize the protagonist and keep your hero from getting what\nthey want. Villains are staples of fiction because they focus the audience\u2019s\nattention, giving us something to root against while rooting for the hero.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[One important detail here – a villain is a specific kind of antagonist. An antagonist is any force, usually a person, preventing the protagonist from getting what they want and\/or need. An antagonist isn’t necessarily a bad person – for instance, in romantic comedies the central pair are often each other’s antagonists (sparks fly!). A villain is a specific kind of antagonist who has malicious intent.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best villains are captivating and commanding, often more\nso than the hero. Honestly, most heroes are boring on their own. Who gives a\ncrap about Ned Stark if Joffrey isn\u2019t turning his screws? Who would Batman be\nif he had no one to fight\u2026does anybody really care about Bruce Wayne? (Answer:\nno) Would Luke Skywalker have ever left Tatooine if Darth Vader\u2019s henchmen\nhadn\u2019t offed his adoptive parents?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite a rogue\u2019s gallery of classic villains to model\nfrom, writers screw them up all the time. Why do the vast majority of superhero\nvillains feel so lame? Because many writers don\u2019t understand the key components\nof a compelling villain. It\u2019s not enough to say, \u201cThis person is EEEVILLLL!\u201d\nand expect people to care. No toy company has ever sold a \u201cgeneric forces of\ndarkness\u201d action figure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your villain is your primary engine of conflict, then you\nneed to design that engine to match your car and the people you\u2019ll be shuttling\naround. So here are the critical elements of a compelling villain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n