Creating & Writing Villains – Humanization

Let’s face it, we’ve all created and written characters we ended up despising. It wasn’t that our protagonist or antagonist annoyed us or angered us with their choices. Instead, they were simply bland. Characters, especially villains, without definition and reasoning can ruin any story.

Understanding Outlooks

Any character, from the good guy to the bad guy sees the world in a different light. Unless your character is a true monster, they won’t just be evil to be evil. Amaryllis Fox, a former CIA counter-terrorism agent summed it up best in a video she recently released. “If I learned one lesson from my time with the CIA, it is this: everybody believes they are the good guy.”

Politics and beliefs aside, Fox makes some fantastic points which can help immensely when trying to get into the mind of our fictional villains.

“An Al-Qaeda fighter made a point once during debriefing. He said all these movies that America makes — like Independence Day, and the Hunger Games, and Star Wars — they’re all about a small scrappy band of rebels who will do anything in their power with the limited resources available to them to expel an outside, technological advanced invader. ‘And what you don’t realize,’ he said, ‘is that to us, to the rest of the world, you are the empire, and we are Luke and Han. You are the aliens and we are Will Smith.’”

“But the truth is that when you talk to people who are really fighting on the ground, on both sides, and ask them why they’re there, they answer with hopes for their children, specific policies that they think are cruel or unfair. And while it may be easier to dismiss your enemy as evil, hearing them out on policy concerns is actually an amazing thing, because as long as your enemy is a subhuman psychopath that’s gonna attack you no matter what you do, this never ends. But if your enemy is a policy, however complicated — that we can work with.”

Still having a tough time imagining why your villain would do the things you need them to do? The recent Marvel shows on Netflix from Daredevil to Jessica Jones do an amazing job at showcasing villains that you can’t help but feel for. Their actions are all based on motives that have been set in motion for a long time.

Backstories

It’s a universal fact. Protagonists get so much page time, so much face time, and so much work done on their backstory while the antagonist gets left behind. Don’t make this mistake! Maybe your villain was abused or tortured as a child, or maybe they’re exacting revenge for something terrible happening to their once-doting parents. Know what their favorite color is, what kind of music they like, and if they are allergic to peanuts. All of these minute details will only help humanize your villain which should be an ultimate goal.

Strengths

Give your villains a shot at winning! It’s boring to read about the good guy rushing in and with a single swing of his sword defeating evil once and for all. Yes, in the end you probably want good to triumph, but make sure the hill they have to climb is a difficult one. Flesh out the strengths of your villain just as you would your hero. Make them capable of winning and give them a few rounds to make your reader believe they have it in them.

They’re human (or not) too

The most important thing to remember with your baddies is that they are human (or werewolf…) too. Everyone does things for good or bad with motivation. Explore that motivation in your villains as thoroughly as you would for your hero or heroine. Give them flaws, give them quirks, and be certain they embody an entirely fleshed-out character.

 

Quick Tip #1

Having a tough time aiming your character in the right direction?

Put some music on! Find something with the sort of feel you want to achieve, whether that’s nitty-gritty and dark or upbeat and lively. Whether you leave it on when writing is one thing, but it can definitely help you get into the mood of tricky characters.

Characters – Creating Reality

So a new plot line has weaved its way through your mind, tempting you to put pen to paper. You’ve got your heroine, a bad guy or two, but something just doesn’t feel right. Your characters, they feel flat. Creating believable, dynamic characters is not a science it’s an art and one that at times takes a bit of work and creativity. Getting into your character’s head can sometimes be a challenge so take these tips and get to work.

The Basics

Who, what, when, where, why?

Every person, from villain to goody two-shoes needs the basics answered. Uncertain on one? Skip to the next, sometimes the smallest bit of headway opens the floodgates.

Who? Not sure where to start? Give them a name. Do you need them to be the villain? The hero? Hit up name meaning websites and find something to add a bit of depth to their backstory.

What? Days can be long or short depending on how we spend them. Life flies when you’re having fun and the same can be said for our characters. Do they spend their time on a grueling factory line? Maybe they’re a movie star fending off paparazzi and wishing for a moment’s peace. Even the most mundane of moments in someone’s life can be pivotal, so be certain you know what it is your character does day in and day out.

When? Is your story set within modern day? Maybe it’s a medieval epic. Still, it’s important to ask yourself, how old is the character? Have they just begun on their career or have they been solidified for some time now in whatever they specialize?

Where? Does your character live in the same town they grew up in? Were they a small town boy who moved out to the big city? Maybe they’re a college student living in the dorms or homeless out on the streets. Their surroundings and past surroundings will have a huge impact on who they are and who they may become.

Why? This is where you’ll need to examine your character’s goals and ambitions. Even the most apathetic of people are driven by something.

Rooted in Reality

Think about the people that you know, both friends and those you might dislike. Even when we find ourselves disagreeing with others no one believes they are the ones in the wrong. This is because we all view the world differently and from different perspectives. This is highly important when creating characters to make them feel real. Otherwise you may end up with a cliché villain who is evil simply to be evil with no driving factor.

Mannerisms

Without overdoing it (who wants to read about a hair flip on every page?), mannerisms can add a bit of life to characters, especially those who tend to choose action over voice. Maybe it’s something subtle that no one else understands, like the way they clear their throat each time they lie. Ever known someone who taps pens on desks or speaks a bit too loudly when excited? These are all smaller traits that can really give a character life.

Inner Thoughts & Worldviews

You as the writer will need to know your character inside and out. What they feel, what they think, and how they see the world is above all else key. If in the beginning of your story the heroine can’t stand the idea of romance, you best be able to show character growth throughout if she falls hopelessly in love by the end. Consistence is key, and these lines in the sand are where you can draw from to ensure you can grow and change your characters with the flow of the story.

As much as we may sometimes desire there is no set formula for creating characters. Just realize they should be as lifelike as the people we know around us. No one is perfection incarnate, so make sure your characters are flawed, too. Give them a voice that they are passionate about, whether that be squared on their favorite sport or desiring to end world hunger. Even the most vain of characters has something to love: themselves.