Comments on: How Do I Make My Villain 3 Dimensional?

By: Shandrea

Shandrea — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:27:11 +0000

This is a great post with helpful tips for constructing real characters. I’m currently writing a thriller and I will definitely use these tips to construct my villain.

By: Podcast: Writing Supernatural Themes and Fight Scenes With Dark Fantasy Author Alan Baxter | The Creative Penn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:29:04 +0000

[...] making bad guys who are demons and therefore not 3D. Does this go against the writing [...]

By: Sheryl Gwyther

Sheryl Gwyther — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:32:25 +0000

Useful blog, Joanna! Sometimes it seems easier to create and write the villain, but that could be because he/she is stereotyped – there are reasons humans are what they are and the clever thing is to find the right match for your baddie!
Your suggestions are great value, and thank you for the work you put into your blog. I love passing your link on to other writers (might meet you in Brisbane sometime?)

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:57:11 +0000

Thanks for the recommendations Helen! I do want my villain to be evil though – but because it fits with the religious thriller genre. But I am working on making his motivations easier to understand.

By: Vasilios

Vasilios — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:31:36 +0000

The one dimensional evil character, to be a formidable foe, should be layered as per your various suggestions, all of which are very helpful. In the final analysis, what one is truly aiming for is to ‘humanize’ the villain because it is this very attribute which make him/her all the more menacing and intriguing. We need only look to real life serial killers such as Ted Bundy to understand this process wherein by making the line separating good from evil ambiguous, we are intensifying the element of terror.

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:27:59 +0000

Thanks Bruce – perhaps that is the difference between villain and antagonist type character. An antagonist is set against the protagonist and can be a brother/sister as you said, but a villain is really evil (or perhaps that is just how I want to see it… or perhaps just semantics!)

By: Bruce H. Johnson

Bruce H. Johnson — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:04:42 +0000

Re Helen B: Good and evil are definitely relative terms. One could say an opponent is “evil” simply because they are coming from a different viewpoint and are at least part of the conflict.

Doyce’s article is good by pointing out the “villain” doesn’t have to be “bad” by anyone’s terms.

One’s kid brother/sister or whomever could be an opponent causing conflicts simply by having other goals than the hero. The other goal gives the “villain” a different direction he’s going in which can cause our hero all sorts of troubles.

Good work.

By: Helen Buckley

Helen Buckley — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:23:19 +0000

I recommend this article on writing a good Bad Guy. Essentially though, Doyce hit the nail on the head – the bad guy is the good guy of his own story.

If you want a book recommendation – Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. It really shows you how there’s not really good vs evil in life, but decisions can spiral into tragedy.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:41:04 +0000

Thanks Anne. I am trying to define the kind of power he lacks and wants, and how he feels when there is a taste of it. Asking questions does seem to be the way forward in general with writing a novel!

By: Joanna

Joanna — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:40:02 +0000

Thanks Bruce. I have done this exercise answering lots of questions about the character. It is interesting what comes out when doing that. As you say, much of it won’t make it into the story