How To Create A Good Bad Guy
Welcome back to Anasua’s creative zone. I am Anasua Ghosh. I am an author. I have written and published 3 novels. Currently, I am working on a dark psychopath thriller which is due to release in Dec 2022. When I am not writing, I am either reading, book shopping, or mentoring writers. I mentor writers to chase their writing dreams. Providing writing tips has become a career hazard which has gotten me into trouble time and again. But did that make me stop? Fuck no. If anything, the habit of offering tips even when not solicited has grown. Hence this space. So, if you are writing a book and finding it a little overwhelming, I may offer you a little assistance. In this post, I am going to speak about the most intriguing aspect of a book — The Bad Guy.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
What’s a good bad guy, you may wonder. Bad guys are bad. How can they be good? Well, a good bad guy is the one who remains in your mind for a long time. A good bad guy will either scare you, disgust you, or make you angry. A good bad guy will challenge your good guy to become stronger. Those who are writing a book that features villains or bad guys must spend time creating this character. There are too many writing tips that tell you how to create a villain or a bad guy. You need to learn them all and then use your own instinct. This applies to all writing advice. Find your own path because creativity does not follow any — always remember this.
Bad Guy Vs Antagonist
There is a difference between a bad guy and an antagonist. A villain is someone who deliberately tries to cause harm. An antagonist does not always deliberately causes harm. If you have read Salem’s Lot, you will find the female protag, Susan’s mother trying her best to stop Susan from seeing the male protag of the novel. Here she causes the obstacles because she thinks the male protag is not good for Susan. This particular character is not a villain, but rather an antagonist. The Cobra Commander of GI Joe is a villain.
A Good Bad Guy
Now, the question arises — who is a good bad guy? If you are to take my writing tips, then you will consider the below points while creating your villain or bad guy.
The Backstory
What made the villain — a villain? A big question that many ignore. If you want to create a compelling bad guy, show the process of making the bad guy. No one is a born villain. Society gets together to create them. You must entertain the readers by telling them what made the villain act in a certain way. Of course, some stories don’t give any explanation at all. If you read John Sandford’s Broken Prey, you will find no backstory of the villain. John Sandford’s storytelling power has pulled the story forward and made the reader read till the end.
The Fear
Even villains have fears. You need to bring that out. If you are writing a thriller, you need to spend a lot of time creating your villain. Also, you need to instill real human characteristics in them. Villains usually work upon their fear. Therefore, you cannot ignore their fear and unease.
The Expertise
Now, here is one of the most essential writing tips which I am gonna give you. A foolish villain does not satisfy the readers. Create a witty, clever, smart, and possibly good-looking villain who possesses some kind of expertise. It can be anything. Your villain can be a techie, an artist, a doctor, anything. Use your villain’s knowledge to cause harm to society.
If you use these pointers carefully, you will be able to create a great villain, people will love to hate.
With this, I am gonna wrap it up today. I will be back soon with more writing tips, writing rants, and writing celebrations. If you are writing a book, stick to it. If you are considering working on a book, start now.
