Three Act Structure

In three act structure, Act 1 belongs to the hero, or the situation. Act 2, however, belongs to the villain. This is where everything the hero does backfires even though s/he is being heroic. The situation escalates and worsens with every scene.

"Villains are a lot like heroes: They are active, powerful, dynamic, and capable of change. They are not always willing to change, and that's where you might find their eventual downfall. Aristotle observed of tragic heroes that what makes them great, brings them down. The same can be true of villains- that what they're best at, what they hesitate to change, might lead to their defeat."

Alicia Rasley

"Your villain must get his/her punishment in the end; if he/she simply disappears, then you've given the villain too much power. Give the reader the satisfaction of closure for all the evil that the villain put your hero and heroine through; this doesn't necessarily mean that the villain must die, but he/she should suffer in some way for his/her actions."

Ruth Kerce

"Believe in your villain as much as you believe in your heroes."

Susan Rich

"You must make your villains credible, logical, believable and understandable, but not likable. You want your villains to be real, three-dimensional people. You want the reader to understand what they're doing, why they're doing it, why they believe their actions are just and rational but you don't want the reader to become so empathetic with the villain that he/she loses empathy with the hero/heroine and starts cheering for the villain. [...] Make him good. Make him darn good. Because that makes the heroine and hero better and permits you to make the story stronger."

Vicki Hinze

"You have to lay in, at least in a single broad stroke, a motivation for villainy. In the Three Little Pigs, we assume the wolf is hungry."

Sid Fleischman

"Having a worthy adversary makes our heroes/heroines larger than life. A villain, like all characters, must make an invaluable contribution for the story, whether through advancing the action or plot, revealing important points though conversations, or emphasizing motivations and goals. A well-constructed antagonist can provide each of these through defining moments in our hero/heroine's experience."

Darese Cotton

"Villains and Antagonists are tools to be used in your story. Their main purpose is to drive the drama and get the story going. What's the big deal with the opposing factor? They up the ante for both the hero and the heroine."

T.J. Killian (paraphrased)

"No one actually sets out to do evil."

Ben Bova

"A real villain is also useful because he can force the protagonist to make moral choices. Ruthless disregard for moral rules is, after all, a characteristic of the villain. But heroes and heroines can't be like that, no matter how much they might want to be. Once again, the villain becomes a force for good, by challenging the protagonists to come up with a way to defeat evil without becoming evil themselves. The villain is part of their journey to heroism."

Alicia Rasley

"Pure, unrelenting evil gets boring. That's why Bond villains have pet cats. […] The bad guy isn't doing bad stuff so he can rub his hands together and snarl. He may be driven by greed, neuroses, or the conviction that his cause is just, but he's driven by something not unlike the things that drive a hero."

David Lubar

"How does a villain differ from an antagonist? An antagonist is a general term for the person who opposes the protagonist and villain is a sub-category of antagonists."

Darcy Pattison

"Don't overdo it. This doesn't mean to pull back in your writing; however, don't get 'villain-happy.' Make your villains as evil as they need to be for the storyline, but no more than that; otherwise, they will either ring untrue or they will take over the story, distracting from the hero, heroine, and original plot."

Ruth Kerce

"Villains are tricky rascals."

Vicki Hinze

Villain:
1. A wicked or evil person; a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel; someone who is morally reprehensible.
2. A dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero.

Thesaurus Synonyms:
* blackguard
* bounder
* cad
* dog
* hound
* heel
* knave
* persona non grata
* rapscallion
* rascal
* rogue
* scalawag
* scallywag
* scoundrel
* unwelcome person
* varlet

Heads up: Villains/Antagonists

This week's Craft topic is Villains/Antagonists. Look for "Villains/Antagonists" posts on Wednesday.

Female Villain Archetypes [more info]

THE BITCH

abusive, autocrat, lies, cheats, steals, success-oriented, self-involved, doesn't care about anyone but herself


THE BLACK WIDOW

beguiling siren, luring, takes what wants, seductive, charming, liar


THE BACKSTABBER

two-faced friend, dupes others, exploits secrets, betraying


THE LUNATIC

unbalanced madwoman, unfathomable, illogical


THE PARASITE

poisonous, desires security, sees self as victim, blames others, merciless


THE SCHEMER

lethal plotter, plays with others, elaborate plans, traps others


THE FANATIC

uncompromising extremist, does wrong in the name of good, ends justify means, if you're not with me you're against me


THE MATRIARCH

motherly opressor, smothering, controlling, knows what's best, enabler

Male Villain Archetypes [more info]

THE TYRANT

bullying despot, power-hungry, ruthless, conquering, crushing, powerful, people are pawns, destroyer


THE BASTARD

dispossessed, resentful, hurtful, provoking, rebellious, boyish, hateful


THE DEVIL

charming fiend, judging, charismatic, destructive, cajoling, exploits weakness, tempting


THE TRAITOR

double agent, betraying, untrustworthy, two-faced, plotting


THE OUTCAST

lonely, outsider, wants to belong, tortured, unforgiving, willing to sacrifice others


THE EVIL GENIUS

malevolent mastermind, show-off, superior intelligence, contemptful, enjoys elaborate puzzles, pulls people's strings


THE SADIST

savage predator, cruel, violent, brutal, psychological torture is fun


THE TERRORIST

dark knight, warped code of honor, self-righteous, believes in own virtue, judging, ends justify means, amoral