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    Hi, I'm Ray Evans. I'm a certified copyeditor and proofreader. 

    This blog is a compilation of tips and observations that I've seen from successful independent fiction authors to help you put out your best work and make a living off of your writing. 

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Three More Tips to write better antagonists in your stories

10/26/2022

 

DON'T MAKE THE ANTAGONIST TOTALLY EVIL:​

Your antagonist, like your protagonist, should be multifaceted and have a interior life. You might make him/her more likable by endowing them with good characteristics like these: charm, attractiveness, humor, pathos, passion, family focus, etc. Hannibal Lecter is extremely charming, and he uses this quality to draw others into his orbit. Smeagol is a pitiful tiny creature who evokes sympathy from onlookers, which makes his transformation into Gollum all the more unsettling. If your adversary can appear harmless at first, they will have a greater impact on the people around them.

YOUR ANTAGONIST BELIEVES THAT THEY'RE THE HERO

Every good antagonist knows they are the protagonist of their own life story.
In most cases, the antagonist has no idea they are the antagonist. Although others may view their actions as horrific, they believe they are justified in their own minds.

In the Walking Dead graphic novel, Negan thinks that his group is actually helping the survivors but he's forcing them give him tribute under pain of death (hence the reason is group is called the "Saviors"). 

 GIVE THEM INDIVIDUAL GOALS

Your antagonist, like your protagonist, should be working toward something. When their goal is in direct contradiction to the protagonist's, tension is heightened.

In any Batman story, Batman want to bring peace, order, and safety to the streets of Gotham by eliminating violent crime, while the Joker wants to bring more crime and chaos hence putting the two at odds on nearly a daily basis.
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