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Creating the Perfect VillainMaking a Believable Bad Guy that Readers will Love to Hate
After the hero, the villain is the next most important character. No one is all good or all evil. To make a villain believable readers should understand his motives.
The Villain’s RoleIt is sometimes easier to create a villain than a hero because the villain can have multiple flaws. While the hero must watch his manners and be careful of saying and doing things that might alienate the reader, the villain can pretty much do or say whatever he wants. In fact, the more objectionable he is, the better. In many ways, the villain is a reversal of the hero. While the hero needs a flaw or two to make him seem real, the villain can benefit by a good quality or two to make him seem human. To cite a well-known example, in Star Wars Luke Skywalker has flaws, but his choice to do the right thing makes him a hero. Darth Vader started out with the same chance and background, but became evil because of temptation and willingly making the wrong choices. Understanding Your VillainNot even villains are all bad. It helps to get into the character’s psyche and discover what made him the way he is. When creating a villain, a little sympathy for the devil is in order. Did he have a bad childhood? Did some trauma or loss turn him down the wrong path? Would he be a nice guy if he wasn’t eaten up by jealousy, anger or a need for revenge? In part, Darth Vader is understandable because the loss of a loved one is one factor that caused him to become bitter and embrace the dark side Most villains, no matter how wrong they are, think they are right. In fact in their own eyes they are heroes. Giving the Villain Human TouchesThe villain should not be all evil. There have been many serial killers, both in fiction and in real life, who were devoted to their wives or mothers or who took tender care of a beloved pet. Somehow, it makes it even more frightening when a character is shown as having the capability of displaying mercy and sympathy, but because of some quirk in their nature chooses not to in certain situations. In Ruth Rendell’s novel, The Lake of Darkness, the hitman Finn is an even more formidable character because he is devoted to his mother and hides newspaper clippings of his many murders so she won’t see them in the papers and become upset. The fact that he’s capable of this little act of conscience, gives him an uneasy connection to the rest of us—who hasn’t hid their guilty sins from Mom-- and makes him even more scary when he chooses to do evil. Consider these popular villains and see what makes them work. What made them the way they are—was it their choice or fate? Would they be as effective if they didn’t have a human side?
Click here for tips on Creating a Believable Hero To read about books witten from the point of view of the villain, click here :Murderous Protagonists
The copyright of the article Creating the Perfect Villain in Character Development is owned by Vickie Britton. Permission to republish Creating the Perfect Villain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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