BY Margo Lawson
Writing villains is complex, and it is something that most authors have a difficult time doing. Writers will put so much time and effort into their protagonist that the antagonist turns out bland and boring. For many people, if they read a book or watch a movie in which the villain is uninteresting, cliche, or written poorly, they won't enjoy it or won’t find themselves rooting for the hero as much. So learning to write a compelling villain that both the author and readers love to hate is essential and can be done by following several key points, including making them realistic, having them change throughout the story, making them likable, and giving them a good, compelling motivation.
Writing villains can seem daunting, but one of the most important things to remember is that your villain is human, which means that you should write them with emotions and human qualities. They need to be realistic, someone your audience can connect with and sympathize with, and somebody who changes and grows throughout the story just like your hero, but maybe not in a positive way. Have them fall further into the "dark side" or fall into more bad habits. Just remember that they should not be stagnant throughout the story, and even if it's simply thorough a backstory, show that they have human qualities.
Giving your antagonist proper motivation is insanely important. Having a villain trying to destroy the world or city simply for the sake of it is going to look like a cop-out to the readers. They want a villain who has reasoning for what he is doing. And to be clear, the reasons don't have to be moral or make sense through the view of a logical person's mind, but if the motivations make sense to your villains and you as the author, then that's all that matters.
One of the most overlooked ways to make a good villain is to make them likable. Now, maybe you're thinking that that seems ludicrous; a villain's point is for them to be unlikeable, right? But hear me out, if you make your antagonist have qualities that an audience can connect to, it can make them seem more realistic and add a spark to your story. Make villains who are funny or witty, sarcastic villains who taunt the protagonist. Or give them little qualities, like their favorite color or childhood pet. Make them a person the audience could imagine as good, only to provide them with bad traits to remind the readers that this is still the antagonist. This is a potent tool for creating compelling villains.
My last point is to avoid cliche. When writing any characters, especially antagonists, avoid making them like every other villain you have seen or read. Put your spin on them; make them unique! Make your audience get chills when they read about them or a twist in their gut when they fight the hero. Make the villains you write your own, no one else's.
That covers how to write a villain who your readers love to hate. Writing villains can be complicated, time-consuming, and sometimes seemingly impossible. But with the proper characterization, motivations, and love put into the writing, it is possible to write an enormously compelling, chilling antagonist that will leave your readers wanting more.
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