Hey there! I was wondering if I could have some advice on villain writing? I'm trying to show that this character is shady and absolutely the villain here, but I'm worried its breaching into cliche? Any tips on how to keep the character of an unsettling and malevolent person, while avoiding cheesy pitfalls? Sorry for all the question marks I'm a very confused kiddo.
The best way to avoid cheesy pitfalls is to know them. TV tropes is a fabulous resource. Tropes are not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re aware of them and how they work, they can be a powerful tool of critique and satire. However, when used poorly or unintentionally, you could wind up in hot water.
A couple of my golden rules:
People don’t wake up and decide to be evil. What're their motivations?
You can do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing for the right reasons. Remember, they’re usually the heroes in their own story.
Be brave enough to give them a fucking point. It’s quite possible to be despicable and be absolutely right about something. What is your hero wrong about that the villain can call them out on?
Mental illness is not adequate reason The truth is mentally ill people are more likely to be victims of horrific crimes than commit them. Avoid this trope.
Ultimately, writing a villain is no different than writing a hero, or any other character for that matter. The only thing that’s different is their goals/motivations. Whatever time you’ve spent developing your hero, you should put just as much into your villain because the truth is, if you don’t have a villain that’s powerful enough to make your audience believe that they could beat the hero, you don’t have much of a story. Yes, we all know that in the end good wins, but what makes it work is the suspension of belief. That moment of doubt where we think all is lost so the hero can have this epic triumph.
Writing characters who’re gloriously horrible and malevolent can be a lot of fun. It can be emotionally draining and frankly scary to indulge that dark side of our imaginations. Here’s my favorite tips:
Limit your time in their headspace. I set a 2 hour limit for my most disturbing creations, but you may want to start with 30 minutes.
Make sure your environment is as peaceful and calm as you can make it. Have a favorite aromatherapy? Use that. White noise machine? Great. Whatever helps you chill, have that on stand-by.
If you’re going to be tackling a particularly tough session, let some people know and have them check on you when you’re done.
Depending on the material you created, give yourself a few extra days space between writing and editing.
