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Q&A What to avoid when writing a villain?

Avoid making him a caricature. Don't make him villainous simply by having him espouse a caricature of political ideas you oppose. Remember that no one thinks of themselves as a villain. He is a hum...

posted 8y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:49Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/20668
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T04:59:02Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/20668
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T04:59:02Z (over 4 years ago)
Avoid making him a caricature. Don't make him villainous simply by having him espouse a caricature of political ideas you oppose. Remember that no one thinks of themselves as a villain. He is a human being with an agenda that is opposed to, or incompatible with, the agenda of your hero. He has fully justified his agenda to himself and therefore feels justified in his actions. His actions may be cruel, but there is a reason for them that makes sense to him. Portray him like that, and be just as careful to keep his actions consistent with his character and motivations as you would with you hero.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-01-26T21:40:28Z (about 8 years ago)
Original score: 22