Great Villains

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Making of Great Villains and Believable Heroes by Cynthia Vespia

Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, The Joker, our contemporary American society loves our villains. Where would we be without that ruthless antagonist that we love to hate?

What is it about villains that draws us in? They come in various forms: movie, TV, books, even reality. Do you know a villain in your own world? You boss, an ex-wife, the nosy neighbor. The real villains are not as much fun as the fictional ones - but that's only because the fictional villains are an over the top extension of those evil bastards pulled from your reality.

But isn't it also true that there is some part of you deep down that can relate to the maniacal criminal genius or even the violent killer? People are made up of good and bad, yin and yang, the side we choose to nurture defines who we are. But, much like The Incredible Hulk, the other side - usually the darker side - slips out every once in awhile.

Time and time again I've heard actors tell me they have more fun playing the bad guy - why is that? Because villains have less rules to follow, they don't give a shit who they hurt as long as it benefits their own personal gain, and they usually strike fear into the common person until the hero comes along to thwart them. There is one major reason to not want to be the villain...they usually die in the end (unless they're carted off to jail awaiting the sequel).

The makings of a great villain, or "antagonist," in any medium has to start with their bottom line. Why are they doing what they're doing? Why do they want to blow up the world or kill that cops family? If the motive doesn't wash your villain falls flat and the audience is disappointed to say the least. The best villains believe they are in the right. They are following through with their destructive plans because in their mind it is what needs to be done to invoke change. And they'll stand behind that decree until the bitter end - they have to or there is no story. The flip side of that is the psycho. They know they're in the wrong and they just don't give a damn.

What is reality is that in order for a story line to properly proceed you need a villain worthy enough to challenge the hero, be it physically, mentally, or both. If the hero has no hurdles to overcome there is no story. So villains must be flushed out to the 9th degree before they are ready to be packaged and sold to the potential audience.

So now I thought it time to honor the other half, the "hero" or "protagonist." No matter whom your lead is in the story they have to be every bit as engaging , thought provoking, and relatable as the antagonist - more so really because they are the ones that drive your story. The protagonist is who the reader/viewer will go on the journey with.

Audiences today are far more intelligent than to accept the cookie-cutter "good guy" who can do no wrong. They want depth, a character with a true soul. In recent years the "anti-hero" has become popular as a leading character, ie: the rebel, the one who doesn't follow the rules or has a shaky or questionable past. It's important to give all of your characters multi-dimensions so they leap off the page/screen.

For my paranormal suspense Life, Death, and Back I had the creative freedom to explore my characters in a way that remained believable yet at the same time broke all the rules. No one can really distinguish what it is like to come back from the dead so I had alot of room to work within the boundaries. At the same time the characters have still draw from reality in a way that connects to the audience.

Life is spicy, readers demand their novels to have the same flavor of realism. One dimensional just won't cut it anymore. Use slice-of-life and make those characters "pop." I find characterization one of the most pleasing aspects to writing. You get to create an entire person with real attributes and a real past, goals, hopes, dreams, fears...anything you want really. That is the true beauty of fiction.

Cynthia Vespia
www.CynthiaVespia.com