Red River Romance Writers

Villains We Love To Hate ©
By Darese Cotton

Have you read a story lately with an antagonist so contemptible you felt like cheering when he/she is defeated? If so, that author has reached an understanding of what comprises a successfully evil villain. In your writing, each character must have a function, whether to advance the action or plot, make a valuable contribution through dialogue, or to offer enlightenment as to the protagonists' goals or motivations. The use of an antagonist can be a wonderful tool for each of these through defining moments in our hero/heroine's experience.

First, consider the benefits of utilizing the anti-hero to advance the action or plot. Scenes emphasizing the drive toward the antagonist's goal can be used for pacing or to heighten tension. And since the goals and motivations of the adversary must be in direct opposition to those of the hero/heroine, the naturally ensuing confrontations demand action. Sharon Sala powerfully uses this tool in her novel, The Return, depicting Jubal, an abusive father, and his son, Turner:

[Turner] dropped the gun and started walking like a man in a trance. He didn't feel the shot that hit him in the back, but the one that tore through his leg sent him tumbling to the ground. He rolled as he fell, then looked back. Jubal was up on one elbow, with a rifle in his hand. Turner looked past his father to the woman on the ground. He kept waiting for the pain, but everything felt numb. "Finish the job, old man," he screamed, shaking his fist in the air."

Through the implementation of the antagonist's goal - to control at all costs, Sharon sets the stage for revenge. Additionally, Jubal's selfish cruelty only serves to further emphasize Turner's self- sacrificing love. The motivations of the villain add wonderful twists to the plot while the reader anxiously turns pages, engrossed in empathy for the nobility of the hero's motivation.

Another means of revelations for the reader comes through the effective use of dialogue, most especially when the villain's words and actions contribute clues as to the hero/heroine's motivations. The villain must be slowly revealed to the reader through pieces of dialect, specific details, and sensory perceptions. His/her point of view can be jaded or even psychotic. The conclusions drawn from a sick mind can be more terrifying if the thinker doesn't perceive his/her thoughts as unique.

Helen R. Myers' work, Dead End provides an excellent example:

Brette watched in horrified fascination as he stopped before the window and looked out, clenching and unclenching his hands. She could only imagine what he was seeing. "She laughed at me. And she was going to blackmail me." "So she would have spewed some gossip," Brette said. "Who ever took Tracie seriously?" He turned to stare at her. "You're laughing at me, too." "No." "You are. And you'd spread stories. I'm right about this," he said as though assuring himself. "It would never end." In that instant she knew there was no way she could talk him out of killing her. To think this was someone who'd been in her home, who she'd trusted to be with her son….

Through the use of dialogue, Helen slowly reveals the psychotic mind of her antagonist. Growing paranoia increases the tension of both the heroine and the reader. Clarification of the motivations or goals of the hero/heroine can be accentuated by subtly contrasting those of the antagonist. Even as the reader is focusing on the revelation of the killer, Helen skillfully reemphasized Brette's primary motivation - protecting her son.

Use of a strong adversary can offer enlightenment as to the motivations of the hero/heroine. In my own work, Hostage Heart, Knox Talbott's confrontation of a vile group defines his future and provides closure on his past:

Prosper used his free hand to trace the boy's tear-stained cheek with the barrel of his pistol. "Time for a choice, you son-of-a-bitch. I'll let one live for Virgil's life. The other dies to match my Arvin." Cletus watched the color fade from the Talbott's face. Knox sent a tortured glance from one child to the other. His voice broke. "Don't even think about it, Sweeney. I'll be every nightmare you ever had rolled into one." "Just followin' the good book, Talbott." He cocked the pistol. "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Let Virgil live for one of your young'ins. Let one die for Arvin."

When faced with such a decision, Knox realizes he can't chose between his child and his ex-wife's bastard. Clearly, his motivation is to be a father to both children. With this realization comes a wonderful sense of forgiveness and release.

Having a worthy adversary makes our heroes/heroines larger than life. A villain, like all characters, must make an invaluable contribution for the story, whether through advancing the action or plot, revealing important points though conversations, or emphasizing motivations and goals. A well-constructed antagonist can provide each of these through defining moments in our hero/heroine's experience.