Everything Wrong With HARRY POTTER Fanfictions

* The Antagonist

I can't believe how and why I forgot to write this absolutely necessary chapter.

First of all, there is a great difference between a Villain and an Antagonist.

A villain is defined as: the principal bad character in a film or work of fiction OR a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately.

An antagonist is defined as: someone who offers opposition.

I prefer having antagonists in the story not mere villains. Because there is much more to an antagonist as compared to a villain.

Today we will be discussing how to add good antagonists in your Fanfiction.

Remember that antagonists are just as significant as the heroes or protagonists. Not only does it give balance to your story but it also gives more room for character development in the protagonist.

While it is not really necessary to include one, still there are many ways you can improve your story by the introduction of a powerful antagonist. The only stories which work without antagonists are either Romantic Comedies, Humor based works or stories in which main character suffers from an internal conflict or strives for their own development (the best example being One Mountain Away by Emilie Richards and Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery).

So let's move on to the main topic: what qualities should an antagonist have and how to correctly orient them in a story.

FOUR ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES FOR CREATING THE ULTIMATE ANTAGONIST:

1. A powerful antagonist is uniquely adept at attacking the hero's greatest weakness.

2. The antagonist pressures the protagonist into making difficult choices.

3. The antagonist competes for the same goal as the protagonist.

4. A powerful antagonist causes the protagonist to grow.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WHILE CREATING AN ANTAGONIST:

1. Identify him/her as a character:

The first and foremost thing you have to ensure is whether you truly identify your antagonist as a vital character in your story or not. An antagonist is also just as important as the protagonist and needs just as much attention. And for that you have to first make sure that you have a connection with him/her as well.

2. ‎Assign a back story:

No one is born evil in this world. The saying is so far true and you should follow that in your stories. Humans always have reasons behind their actions. So anyone can not just be bad because they're supposed to. They should have a reason for it.

The best way to find reasons for your antagonist is to probe further into their past life. What was it that made them shun all good and go down the evil path? Was it something bad that happened to them from those who call themselves good?

For example, let's suppose your antagonist is a serial killer but he/she only kills policemen and law enforcers. Now the possible reason for that may be he/she had to suffer through policemen and law enforcers. Like maybe his/her parents got sent to jail for a crime they didn't commit, or got hanged, or got killed in a police encounter.

3. ‎Show both sides of the picture:

It is important for your readers to connect with your protagonist, after all it is this main character they have been rooting for since the beginning and will accompany throughout the whole journey. But you should also make them connect with your antagonist.