How to Write Scary Antagonists | Novel Writing Advice

Writing scary and strong antagonists can be a challenge. Writers usually find the protagonist easier to relate to and easier to write. In this video I go over some of the most common issues I see with antagonists and how you can avoid them:

1. The Antagonist Has No Presence in the Story - This happens when the antagonist is mentioned or appears early on and then disappears until the climax. The antagonist needs to pop up to increase the stakes and/or symptoms of the antagonist's plans need to come into play to create a sense of presence.

2. The Antagonist is Mean/Cruel Without a Goal - The antagonist should have a personality and manner of conduct that makes sense with what the antagonist wants to achieve. If the antagonist is bad just for the sake of being bad or hurts people just for the sake of hurting people, they will seem cartoonish rather than scary.

3. The Antagonist's Behavior Isn't Caused by a Logical Belief, Goal, and Motivation - The antagonist's behavior needs to be governed by some belief (probably false or unhealthy) about the world, himself/herself, or the protagonist. This belief sparks the motivation which sparks the goal. The antagonist's actions should be dictated and colored by the belief, motivation, and goal.

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