Breathing Life Into Your Antagonist - The Act of Villainy

Breathing Life Into Your Antagonist - The Act of VillainyRegardless of genre or media, every story needs an antagonist,someone or something that makes your hero's struggle a story worth reading. This tutorial provides an in depth look at what makes a great antagonist. Just being an evil genius bent on world domination isn't enough. What makes someone a villain, what might cause an otherwise normal person to commit acts of murder or thievery, or just plain back stabbing and conniving, is as important as what

Regardless of genre or media, every story needs an antagonist,someone or something that makes your hero's struggle a story worth reading. This tutorial provides an in-depth look at what makes a great antagonist. Just being an evil genius bent on world domination isn't enough. What makes someone a villain, what might cause an otherwise normal person to commit acts of murder or thievery, or just plain back-stabbing and conniving, is as important as what drives your protagonist to be a hero.

This tutorial is taught by veteran editor and author Philip Athans. Philip is the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and a dozen other books including The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, and the recently-released Devils of the Endless Deep. His blog, Fantasy Author's Handbook, (fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com) is updated every Tuesday, and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans.

In this 35-minute tutorial video, you'll explore the joys (and terrors!) of plumbing your own dark side to conjure and breathe life into your story's antagonist. Topics covered include:

• Motivation
• Backstory
• Psychology
• Nature vs. nurture
• Redemption

Remember, every story begins with an act of villainy...