"COLOR ME BAD!"

                                   Creating the Perfect Villain

          First let me say, I am pro-hero in any story I take the time to read.  This is important to me; however, every exceptional story needs an evil character to make the plot more interesting.  Example: The Perfect Villain. 

          Every good writer knows they drive the story as much as the good guy. Without the evil villain you have nothing to enthrall the reader.  As much as we hate the bad guys we need conflict to make the story exciting.

          Evil is sometimes overrated, but even the worst in the gamut of storytelling has a purpose. I’ve read my share of remarkable stories and had a love hate relationship with the antagonist, but I understood every despicable thing they did or said was necessary to make you fall in love with the hero.

          Have you ever wondered how the writer obtained the idea to create such loathsome individuals? Yes? Okay well I’ll share with you some of the secrets that make them seem so compelling.

          First, you need some details and you can usually start with someone you know.  An old boyfriend who ruined your life or a female rival who stole him away from you. The perfect revenge, right? This takes us to the next step, character traits. If your imagination isn’t finding anything useful here are a few tips.

          Even the vilest villains have some common traits that we can identify with, such as their strengths. Let’s face it, it takes a strong person to be evil. Evildoing is not for the weak at heart. You might not think about it, but bravery is another character trait to throw into the mix.

          Listen being bad is a form of art and it tips the scale of bravery. Evil villains aren’t afraid of anything. They don’t mind stepping on a few toes or fingers for that matter to get to the top of the evil character food chain.  If you’re gonna be bad, then there isn’t any room for regrets. Just jump right into the role and let your badness come forth.

          Another thing you can count on from any evil villain is they are reliable. You never have to worry or wonder if they will be on schedule for the next deplorable act. Evil is like the spots on a leopard, they don’t change.

          They are freakishly dauntless. Like a speeding train with no brakes. They are on a mission of destruction and will never leave you guessing if they will be able to complete a task.  If you have them scheduled to wreak havoc, they will show up and show out. You won’t be disappointed.

          Most villains are tough. They can take a licking and keep on ticking. How many stories have you read where the bad guy bites the dust and you think, game over! But they get right back up eviler and more determined to make the hero’s life as miserable as possible.

          Okay so now that you have some great character insight for villains, I’ll leave you with this thought. Creating characters of any type should be fun. It doesn’t mean that you have a dark side simply because you like making people cringe when they meet the nemesis of the story for the first time.

          Even the world shares some commonalities with the fictional plain. They are both filled with bad and good, you must admit they work well together creating equally balanced roles when it comes to the hero and villain. But the difference is, in the story realm you get to control the level of destruction.