WRITING HELP. TIPS

⋆ a guide to villians

o. writing help!
( A GUIDE TO VILLIANS! )

❝ to help you create
a villian for your story ❞

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every good story needs a villain, whether it's a physical or a metaphorical villain.

NAME:

if you really want your villain to stick out, give him or her a good name. it should be something that strikes a chord with the reader, something that fits with the story. it can be mundane or it can be unique, but it should still fit.

a lot of villains will have an alias, but be careful when using these. there are two main types of aliases:

epithet: these aliases aren't actual names and can be tricky to master. "the dark lord" is really overdone and stuff like "the annihilator" is just...lame. then there's also nicknames like "scarface" that have a specific story behind them. if you give your villain a name like this, there should be a reason for it.

some villains have a fake name or two. they can use it in their daily life to get around without notice or they can be known as the villain under this name. voldemort reigns under that name and not his legal name, tom riddle. but he also had a reason for choosing voldemort (it was an anagram of his real name).

the name should match the setting and time. if your villain was born in America during the early nineteenth century, his or her name should be relevant to that time and place.

if you want the name to have a meaning that matches the character, do some research. using this method is a bit harder because if you want the name to have a specific meaning, it still has to match the setting, time, and possibly the background of the character. however, in worlds other than our own, you can play around with this as much as you want.

if you want your villain's name to sound like the character's personality or appearance, try naming your characters with alliterations before you settle on a name. for example: sly severus, evil elvira, ripped rocky, etc. you can also make the name sound similar to a certain aspect of the character, such as hannibal lecter, or you can use a pun within the name.

but then you also have the mundane and common names that end up being memorable such as annie wilkes and michael myers.

BACKGROUND:

if your villain is an actual character, he or she will have had a childhood (if the character is not a child). your character's upbringing it vital. while your readers do not have to know everything, it helps the writer to know as much as possible about his or her characters to write them accurately and in character.

the background of your villain may establish fears or reluctant behavior. it could even be the source of anger or revenge.

PERSONALITY:

your villain can't be a stock character. it's boring and it's lazy writing. your character needs vices, virtues, quirks, and morals. the villains need a personality too.

think of your villain's background to establish personality and use your villain's personality to establish how he or she carries out evil deeds. if your villain is violent, he or she may torture other characters. if your villain is charming and persuading, he or she may use the psychological approach to strike fear or hatred.