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Your Villain can make or break your story. If the
villain is too weak, the story falls apart for lack of dynamic
tension. If the villain is too strong, your hero or heroine may
suffer to the point of total defeat and even death. Ideally the
villain and hero are so evenly matched that only the hero's
extreme effort will result in a win.
I see villains in one or more of three broad categories:
1. The Villain who sneaks in disguised as a Friend. A
Traitor. An Undercutter.
Examples:
The MOTHER-IN-LAW who doesn't want to alienate her child, the
spouse of her 'enemy.'
The ROOMMATE/CO-WORKER who doesn't want others to think badly
of him.
The PAL who has her own agenda
2. The Evil Recognized Villain whose identity the
protagonist may or may not know. Brute. Stalker. Murderer.
Rapist. Undercutter. False rumor-spreader. Blackmailer.
Extortionist. Sadist.
Examples:
The PSYCHOPATH or SOCIOPATH who takes revenge on an
individual or the world for not being nice to him, or who is
just out having fun..
The ADDICT with the scrambled brain
The HOODLUM who in his eyes is just earning a living.
3. The Unrecognized Villain who disguises his/her agenda
and may or may not be an acquaintance of the victim. Traitor.
Stalker. Undercutter. False rumor-spreader. Cheat.
Examples:
The BOSS who doesn’t want a lawsuit for harassment.
The POLITICIAN who uses inside knowledge to further his/her
career.
One with a DARK PAST who is protecting herself, whatever the
cost to others.
1, 2 or 3 may have a Personal Vendetta.
And then there are the twists and knots combining 1-2, 1-3,
or 1-2-3.
Chemistry, as attraction or repulsion, works for villains as
well as for heroes and heroines. Using the above categories,
1 = Positive Chemistry.
2 = Negative Chemistry.
3 = Positive OR Negative Chemistry
My personal favorite villain is the wily Chameleon.
Now you trust him, now you don't. S/he can be charming or gruff,
any age, gender or personality-type, as long as s/he keeps me
guessing to the last ten pages. Even then the motivation better
be a good one; too many plots go duh on this crucial
point. Who cares (now) if the heroine's best friend stole
her recipe for stuffed mushrooms, or that the hero's
brother-in-law put sand in his wedding night condoms?
©2005 C. J. Winters |
