I don’t like to read books on psychopaths. They give me flashbacks. I have suffered a very…shall we say, traumatizing event in my life. What I usually build my villains from is the understanding I have of evil and those who commit it because of that traumatizing event. However, I suppose I can TRY to read a few of these books.

I have the ultimate villain (what you call the BBT) and a few minor villains in my series. I know intimately what drives them to commit the terrible things they do, but…the biggest motivation they have is a secret throughout this series, as I have a plan for that big reveal in ANOTHER series. Yes, I know. I should finish the one I’m working on before planning another series, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to hint at later storylines in this series, so I needed to know what later storylines would be about. I have this obsession with circles. I like everything to connect in one, big plot circle, all of it coming together to form a perfect whole.

I spent months planning this whole thing out in an attempt to accomplish that circle, so I understand my characters and their reasoning very, very well.

I actually feel very sorry for a lot of my villains. They’re trouble, and they have to die in order for my main character to live, but…I’ve kind of grown attached to them. Some of them you can sympathize with. Others you love to hate. Anyway, I don’t know if I’m creating villains with depth yet…but they seem awfully deep to me. The only thing left is to show that depth to my readers.

Thanks for all the great advice! Have a great day, and happy writing!

I am such a huge wimp that just seeing the titles of those books on psychology and sociopaths sent tingles up my spine. I guess I’m just going to have to sleep with my nightlight on while I develop my villain.

You’re right, of course. Dark heroes are always the most interesting: they always keep you guessing whether or not they’re going to run afoul of the law. Xena comes to mind. And I’m reminded of Harry Potter, too, because he and Voldemort are so much a part of each other (physically, even). I think there’s so much to work with when you can play off similarities and differences between villain and hero. Thanks again!

Good question. I think that the great villains always will steal the show, just because we tend to be fascinated with darkness. Hannibal was far more interesting than Clarice and Darth was way more interesting than Skywalker. I think the measure of a hero is in the darkness he/she conquers. Weak antag (villain) and weak story/boring protag. I believe one way it to make the hero more “real” so people can easily empathize and fit in the hero’s skin. Then narcissism will help from there, LOL :D.

I have one question for you: How can you avoid making your villain bigger than your protag? What sort of things can you subtract or underplay without taking away from the magical evil of the villain?

Thanks for sharing!

It’s been years since I’ve seen the manual, but I vaguely remember it describing neutral characters as feeling that Good and Evil were both necessary forces to maintaining the balance of the universe, or some such. Sounds like Eastern philosophy, and and I’ve never quite understood the mindset. Like, take Star Wars. We’ve got a benevolent Republic running the galaxy, things are going great, everyone is happy, prosperous, free and well educated. Yet, for some reason, they decided they needed to bring “balance” to the Force. As a result of their efforts, the Good Republic is destroyed and an Evil dictatorship takes the reins for years. Well, that is balance. But why did we want it again?

As far as Neutrals, yeah I can see the point that Neutrals are essentially Chaotic, just not as often (if that makes sense). Someone Neutral on Law vs. Chaos might follow the rules for their own sake some of the time, while a Chaotic character would almost never follow them (unless by accident). But yeah, you’re right, Neutral Good and Chaotic good are closer to each other than to Lawful good. The Neutral Good character is Lawful sometimes, but isn’t reliable.

Personally, I find it easier to imagine being Neutral on the question of Law vs. Chaos than on the question of Good vs. Evil. A person who didn’t care about either one because he only cared about himself would be Evil in my book. And, as in the Star Wars example, someone who cared about both, out of some desire for “balance” is probably confused. Either that, or I am.