How to Write a Compelling Villain

Every story needs a villain. Someone that opposes your main character/protagonist. They need to have depth and be intriguing. In order to truly pull in your audience, you want to make sure that your villain is believable and a fearsome opponent. Here are some tips are how to write a compelling villain.

Backstory

First, when you write a compelling villain, make sure you have this under your belt before beginning your story. It is important for you to know exactly the kind of villain you are writing. You don’t want to give away the villain’s story right off the bat. You want to keep this to yourself for a while, so you keep your reader’s attention. They are going to want to know — why is this guy/gal so bent on harming our hero?

Drop hints throughout your book/series to pull your readers along. They need something to hold onto and wonder about. Remember, most people have a reason for everything they do. It is seldom random acts of evil that these villains are committing. They have just as much, if not more, motivation than the heroes. The difference is that your hero’s motives will be purer, and so more likely to drive them to succeed in defeating their villain.

Come up with your backstory and make it convincing. What traumas would lead a person to commit crimes or acts of aggression against our hero? It is directly related to the hero or just someone like the hero. I like to think of myself as a character in Criminal Minds. Get inside the head of the unsub (unknown subject — AKA bad guy).

The Villain’s Side

Get on your villain’s side for a minute. What is special about them? Why are they your hero’s villain? You have your backstory, bring us up to speed on the here and now. What was the trigger that aligned your villain against your hero? Maybe the hero came after them first. Do you want your readers to feel bad for the villain? Write a chapter from their side — truly get inside their head and share what is driving them.

They could honestly just be an evil person. Maybe they had no big trauma, they are the way they are because they choose to be. But let us know why they choose to be that way. There has to be some reasoning here. Even if the reasoning is they lack empathy or the ability to determine right from wrong. These are important to note.

Villain Characteristics

Now that you have laid out the backstory and let us know why the villain is the way he is, move on to how you want them to be perceived. I mentioned earlier, do you want your readers to like the villain? If so, a good way to do this is to make them someone who shows an opportunity for redemption. If someone may yet be saved, we can hold out hope for them that they will become a good guy.

Maybe it’s his/her/their backstory that is going to make us like the character. Or, if not like, at least understand where they are coming from. Is there someone in the villain’s life who will make us like them? A child, significant other, etc. that we can view the villain from their P.O.V.

Remember, don’t make the villain too likable. This is the bad guy! Our hero is the one you should be focusing most of your energy on. The villain will be cruel, coldhearted, unyielding, and frightening at times. If they are too likable, then we risk the hero seeming less just in destroying or overtaking the villain.

The Outliers

Not all villains have to be cut and dry villains. As I mentioned above, maybe you want your readers to like your villain. Or, maybe your villain never meant to be a villain, but somehow, they became one. If you want to read an example of this, my book Haunting Memories has just that: a “villain” who is not a cut and dry villain. There are so many different options and directions you can go depending on your story. Have fun with it and create the perfect villain for your story!

As for a book series with multiple villains — some unexpected, check out Sarah J. Maas’ series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. She knows how to create a villain with a great and convincing back story.

If you use these tips on how to write a compelling villain, you are well on your way to developing a great story! For tips on writing characters, check out this post on how to develop secondary characters!

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