1. CrystalDreamer59

    CrystalDreamer59 Active Member

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    Is This A Good Idea For An Antagonist

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by CrystalDreamer59, Jul 21, 2012.

    So for this story that I have somewhat planned and that I've been mentioning about I have this idea for an antagonist that is very conceded and thinks his way is the best. For some reason whenever I come up with an antagonist they're usually conceded. Anyway I can't help but think that I should give him more personality then just a conceded man that wants to force his way on others. What do you think? Is this a good idea for an antagonist or should I give him more personality.
     
  2. Shaun4

    Shaun4 New Member

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    I think it's fine that a character's default mode of dealing with others is to be conceited. But YOU should know more about him than that, even if it doesn't get spelled out in the actual story. Why is he this way? Is it deliberate or did he grow up to be naturally conceited all the time? what motivates him besides thinking his way is the best way? Think about what makes him tick, and what would irritate him, stuff like that.
     
  3. GoldenGhost

    GoldenGhost Senior Member

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    To tell you the truth, you're not giving us much to work with, and it also sounds like you want us to do the creative part for you. It's fiction, afterall, and where's the fun in that?

    Advice: take a look at all the books you've read and/or are reading... look at the antagonists.. what did you like, what didn't you like.. ask yourself questions about the character.. then relate it to your story.. could this personality fit? why wouldn't this personality fit? does the theme of the story suit this personality? or how about his voice?

    These are all the things I would be considering, if I was concocting a villain/ant.

    Opinion: I want an Antagonist I can relate to, one I will freely give my sympathy at times.. for not all villains are these cliche bad guys.. sometimes I think authors forget they're humans, too.
     
  4. jane elliot

    jane elliot Member

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    The more complicated the villain, the better, in my opinion. You should definitely look deeper into the character before you start writing him, though. If all you can think about him is that he's conceited, then I think you have a way to go before fleshing out a believable dude. Humans can be bad, and they can be good. The best villains make you think; I don't know if you've seen any of Hayao Miyazaki's films, but his "villains" are famous for their ambiguity.
     
  5. marktx

    marktx New Member

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    Conceit/Narcissism is a good start, as it is often the basis for a criminal mindset. If a person believes that the world revolves around them, then it gives them a basis for justifying the actions they take.

    So, yes, it's a good start, but it's only a start. Now you need to figure out why your villain thinks the way he does. Often narcissism is a mask or compensation for a deep-seated insecurity. The narcissist layers himself with conceit as a way of masking and hiding the way he really thinks of himself. It's a form of psychological self-protection.

    So the next step is to live inside the head of your villain for a while. Imagine yourself in his shoes, going through the boring routine of a normal day (hey, even bad guys have boring days). Imagine him interacting with the people in his life, not just the people he terrorizes, but also the people he puts up with, and also the people he may even look up to in some way (yes, even bad guys have regular people in their lives). As you do this, you will start to see the things he likes, the things he doesn't like, how he responds to minor annoyances, and what is going through his head as he does so. You will also start to see the things that really bug him and get under his skin. When you find those things, explore them deeper to try to understand why they bug him.

    Don't start with a fancy back-story in the way you think of him. Just get to know him first as a person, and his back-story will work its way to the surface as you imagine yourself in his shoes. Don't start with the action he takes--instead, put him in a situation where he has to solve a problem, and watch how he goes about solving it. That will tell you a lot about what makes him tick.
     
  6. Darkranger85

    Darkranger85 Member

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    It really depends on where you want to go with the bad guy.

    Is he an evil to the core villain? (The Emporer from Star Wars)
    Is he a bad guy but wont crush you unless you are in his way? (Atremis Entreri from the Drizzt Series)
    Is he a villain but he has his reasons and on the inside he has a seed of good? (Darth Vader)

    I mean, if all he is supposed to be is a stuck up arrogant SOB, then yeah, there is nothing wrong with that. People love to hate a bad guy. Think of Senator Kinsey in the Stargate series. I just wanna strangle him, to the point where I hate his character in any movie I see him in no matter what.

    I also think it matters what kind of story you are writing. A fantasy/sci fi tend to have more absolutes with their bad guys, people that are pure and utter evil down to the core of their being and they would sell their own mother just to get a leg up in their bid for power. As a disclaimer, I'm not making any blanket statements here lol, there are always exceptions to every rule.
     
  7. Lemontine13

    Lemontine13 New Member

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    There's nothing wrong with having an antangonist whose main character trait and/or antagonist quality is being conceded, but remember than the more layers you add to and you show about a character, the more realistic they become. The All-Evil-Super-Baddy type characters are really one dimensional, and to bring your story to life you need to make your characters as lifelike as possible. What are their little quirks? Do they enjoy a spot of dancing on a Saturday evening? Maybe they have an amazing sense of humour. But always be sure that the negative traits overshadow any postives so your character remains the antagonist.
     
  8. Holo

    Holo New Member

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    It seems like you want your villain to be a narcissist. Which is cool. But complex, complicated villains are not only more interesting, but more entertaining. Make him seem like a kind person but only really be out for himself. There are people in the world who only perform acts of kindness because in the end helping that person will benefit them.
    But aside from that, he has to have more to him than just being conceited. What are his hobbies and interests? What is his goal and primary motivation? What are his good qualities?
     

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