forum WHERE DO I START
Started by brody
tune

people_alt 8 followers

Deleted user

Okay. Do you know what kind of genre you want to write? Or maybe what kind of character you want to have at the protagonist/antagonist?

brody

Okay. Do you know what kind of genre you want to write? Or maybe what kind of character you want to have at the protagonist/antagonist?

Im going for a Science fiction genre but maybe some fantasy as well. As for characters i have many ideas but not sure how to piece them together to create believable characters

Deleted user

Hmm. Okay. Let's start with your characters then—what do you struggle with in making them believable?

brody

Hmm. Okay. Let's start with your characters then—what do you struggle with in making them believable?

Im trying to make my antagonist "bad" according to the protagonists but also make him seem good in his own way. My antagonist is a major character that i want to keep around. any thoughts on how i can make him actually bad but still make him stay around?

@childoftheuniverse

Make him bad…but make his actions sort of justified…like in that show Dexter how he's a serial killer but he hints other serial killers. This concept helped me make my antagonist and I hope it can help you too. :3

Deleted user

Yeah, I think I'd do something similar to what @childoftheuniverse was saying. I've always liked really twisted antagonists best, personally.

Have your antagonist do the wrong things for the right reasons. That way you can sympathize with him but also have him be, well, bad. I don't know the show Dexter but the basic concept is widely used.

If you want your antagonist to be a major character, it could help making him more human. I think a major flaw in a lot of people's work—including my own, actually—is using the villain as a major character but developing him/her as a minor or background character. I think it makes the story much more engaging if the villain is a deep character too, not just the protagonist(s).

For your antagonist I'd start by deciding what threat he poses and what his motivations are. Then his motivations can help you get down to what kind of person he is. Writing his backstory can also help with creating his personality. What happens to a person can have a large effect on who they are and what their positions and views on things are. I'd do all the broad stuff first and then get down to the specifics. How much—what's the book version of screen time?—is your villain going to get? If he's a major character he will most likely get a lot, or at least a decent amount. If that is the case, I'd advise giving him as much detail as you would your protagonist(s). Get all the way down to his little quirks and habits and tiny flaws and insecurities. Cardboard cut-outs aren't fun to read about, in my opinion.

I hope this helps!

brody

Yeah, I think I'd do something similar to what @childoftheuniverse was saying. I've always liked really twisted antagonists best, personally.

Have your antagonist do the wrong things for the right reasons. That way you can sympathize with him but also have him be, well, bad. I don't know the show Dexter but the basic concept is widely used.

If you want your antagonist to be a major character, it could help making him more human. I think a major flaw in a lot of people's work—including my own, actually—is using the villain as a major character but developing him/her as a minor or background character. I think it makes the story much more engaging if the villain is a deep character too, not just the protagonist(s).

For your antagonist I'd start by deciding what threat he poses and what his motivations are. Then his motivations can help you get down to what kind of person he is. Writing his backstory can also help with creating his personality. What happens to a person can have a large effect on who they are and what their positions and views on things are. I'd do all the broad stuff first and then get down to the specifics. How much—what's the book version of screen time?—is your villain going to get? If he's a major character he will most likely get a lot, or at least a decent amount. If that is the case, I'd advise giving him as much detail as you would your protagonist(s). Get all the way down to his little quirks and habits and tiny flaws and insecurities. Cardboard cut-outs aren't fun to read about, in my opinion.

I hope this helps!

Thanks so much for the help! These things you have told me really help out!