Thursday 12 March 2015

Common Villainous Mistakes


Sometimes people make huge mistakes when writing their villains and this is a terrible thing! Villains are nearly the most important character in your story. They might even come before the hero. So today I'm listing a few mistakes people often make when writing villains.

They forget the backstory
I have no idea why, but no one ever seems to pay attention the villain's background. What drove them to do what they do? You'd be surprised how many books forget this important question. So many authors just decide what the villain does and forgets his motive.
 
But to truly understand your villain you need even more than just this question. Ask yourself questions like: What was their childhood like? What was the big turning point for them? Even, how many siblings did they have?
 
You might not mention any of these things in your story, but having a good outline of your villain makes you understand them better. And once you understand them, you can properly get onto, what drove them to be who they are?
 
They don't mention the villain till the end
Not everyone feels the same about this. And it might be different in your book, but readers can't properly understand a villain until they've spent sometime around them.
 
Try to give whole scenes to the villain. See them in their element. Even before the hero arrives the villain can have their own bit. Think of them as another main character if you'd like. They needs that screen time to properly develop!
 
They make the villain all bad
I know a villain is supposed to be BAD, but just remember, they're still human. Please remember that. Readers don't want to hate the villain. In fact villains are nearly always my favourite characters.
 
Add something about your villain which people can like. It doesn't have to be big. It's the small things which people notice. Maybe he won't hurt women and children or maybe he can't bring himself to use a gun?
 
It's these small things which help to properly shape that villain. They're not the obvious things. They're well hidden and the villain won't want anyone to know about them, but they're there.
 
They don't give them a weakness
Come on, please! We all have weaknesses. And weaknesses in a villain make for a really interesting story. They can sure come in handy later on.
 
Weaknesses can go two ways. There they can be of a terrible variety. I like they can't stop drinking or it can be of the good variety, like a weakness for cats. Maybe not the last one, but you see my point.
 
Another thing to remember is that weakness can also do two different things to a villain. Either they can be made a worse person because they hate that weakness. Or it effects them.
 
Or it could make them a slightly better person. Give them a softer, more gentle side. Don't give me that look. Villains can have soft sides too. And don't you forget it!
 
There are so many other things I could talk about here, but I'll leave it at this. Do you agree with my thoughts? Do you have anything to add? I'd love to hear about it!
This is the first of a few writing post ideas I have. Working up to Camp NaNo I'd do a few posts like this. Just to work up the spirit!
 -Kat

14 comments :

  1. Urgh, these villain mistakes make me real mad. You know the novel series that I have been working on since the fifth grade? The villain is a jerk, but his back story hurts and ties in with the protagonists'... it's one of the main reasons why it's taking so long. ^.^

    xoxo Morning

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    1. Oooh! That sounds like it would be a lot of fun to write. I love it when they have complex backstories. Especially when they involve other characters. You must sure some:)

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  2. I was reading this post and all I could think of was Count Dooku from Star Wars II. He's Qui-Gon's master? Yeah, let's forget about that. When does he appear? ONE HOUR INTO THE MOVIE. Was once a Jedi? Who cares, he's a murderer now. He is rather proud and short-sighted, though, so I guess that's one thing off the list.

    This is soooo useful, though. I thought this was going to be a Villain Ball post, but this is even better. Totally keeping this for future reference.

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    1. Hmmm, I must admit it's been a while since I watched the second movie, but I do see your point. I think the big problem was how late he arrived. His entry was so late that it felt like he was just there for the end.
      Hahaha! I'm glad I have a few surprises up my sleeve. I'm also glad it helped.

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  3. Yes! I think many authors can be focused on developing the hero's backstory and they forget about the villian, but that's like getting half of a deal. I'd been reading Harry Potter recently and I thought of Umbridge, who is absolutely terrible but we all secretely love to hate her. :)

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    1. They are! I know the hero is important, but so is the villain. Let's just remember there would be no hero without the villain!

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  4. Thanks for this article! I think we all need some tips for our villains sometimes :)

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    1. We do! I know my villains sure need fleshing out.

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  5. Ohhhh this was really helpful. Ive never had a "villain" in a novel before. Like, Ive never really written one. Until november...haha. and I realized I had no idea how to pull one off. Ive been thinking a lot about my antagonist lately as I gear down for my rewrite, this was really great. thank you!

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    1. Villains are hard, aren't they? There is so much to think about when writing them. And yet they can't be the main character, so you don't have so much time to get to know them in. So they need a big bit of the planning time.

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  6. Hmm, even in The Lord of the Rings it worked, that you never actually see Sauron. Sometimes an unseen Villain is even probably creepier. Voldemort works best, because people don't even dare say his name, so in the beginning you also know nothing about him. And he also works because nobody remembers he's Tom Riddle. I don't think all villains need a soft side. It's good, that they're nasty and sadistic. It might be okay, when you show how the villain was, and how he became evil, but I don't think it's always necessary to make a villain soft for anything. I find it rather annoying, when the villain has some aspect, that can seem ridiculous, you know?

    On the other hand I might be wrong, also I don't write many villains. But that's what I thought.

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    1. Oh I forgot the creepiness of not seeing a villain. You do have a point sometimes these things are not always important. Some it helps with, but as you said, there are those totally special villains who are above it.
      Thanks so much for your opinion.

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  7. These are really great tips! I haven't even thought about the way authors describe and develop a villain in a story but all my favourite books (with infamous villains) apply such advice to their story - which makes the novel so interesting.

    Chiara xo

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you agree. I'm currently doing a lot of planning on my villain I'll be writing for Camp NaNo and felt like sharing some of the things I've been thinking about.

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