PART I
DISCLAIMER – “The creation of a truly villainous character
can become especially intense. Try writing about them in smaller chunks than
you ordinarily would. If you don't take a small break every half-hour or so,
you may find yourself absorbing a portion of the villain's negativity, which
can affect your relationships with the people you care about”
[http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Credible-Villain-in-Fiction]
Disclaimer 2- everyone writes as if the villain is a “he”
feel free to substitute “she”, some of the best villains are female ie: the
White Witch in Narnia, Bellatrix Lestrange
DEGREES OF VILLAINY – The genre you are writing in will
dictate the type of villain you create. The degrees of villainy range from the
nosy next door neighbor to the psychopathic killer to the mastermind wanting to
take over the world and many levels in between. Pick a style that is a good
balance to your hero. “Your villain has to have enough power, of whatever
nature, at his disposal to make him a credible threat to your hero… David wouldn’t
have gotten nearly the press he did if Goliath had been 5’9” and asthmatic.”
[http://www.magicalwords.net/really-i-mean-it/how-to-build-a-villain-by-jim-butcher]
BACKSTORY – every villain needs one, even if the reader does
not see their whole story. You as the writer need to know where the villain
came from.
“Think about what happened to make that character the way
she is. You may never share your villain’s life story with your reader, but to
make a complex, interesting villain, you need to know.” [http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/improve-my-writing/3-techniques-for-crafting-your-villain]
Consider these points while keeping in mind that villains
are broken:
-What motivates him?
- Why does this particular desire drive this character?
- Is there anything that would satisfy this desire?
Ask
yourself:
How
far would you go to achieve this goal?
What
if you didn't care who you hurt?
How
would you rationalize your actions?
-What traits and talents must he have to perform his role in
the story?
-What additional traits, talents, or back story should I
give him to create the sense that he is a real person and not just a cog in the
plot machinery?
-What would make him interesting? [http://suite101.com/article/creating-memorable-villains-a43842]
Thank you for compiling all of these! The back story part made me think of Dr. Doofensmirtz from Phineas and Ferb. He always goes through some outrageous back story after he captures Perry that explains why he's involved in his most recent scheme. In Dr. D's case, I think his back story always makes him more likable... and maybe that's the point. If you give your villain back story, we might have some sort of sympathy or identify on some level with him. It would make him more dimensional.
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