Does every story need a villain?

Randy sez: The short answer is no. You don’t have to have a villain to make a novel work. It’s perfectly OK to have society be the cause of all your lead character’s ills. It’s perfectly OK to have the environment be the “villain.” It’s OK to have your protagonist be his own worst enemy.

Why do we need villains in stories?

Villains are an important component in any work of literature. Without the villain, we wouldn’t see how good the hero is; we wouldn’t understand the dangers and conflict a community or person is facing, and we wouldn’t have someone to hate and blame for all the problems.

Can you have a hero without a villain?

If ideology is what makes a villain, then methodology is what makes a hero. And while their ideology shifts, the heroes are defined by how they implement their beliefs. But without a great villain, there are no great heroes.

Does antagonist have to be bad?

An antagonist doesn’t have to be a “bad guy.” Sometimes, they’re just a character whose goals are in direct conflict with the protagonist’s, like Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Javert working to arrest Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.

How villains are created?

When developing your villain, think of them as you would your protagonist. They need all the same things: backstory, motive, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, appearance, and tailored dialogue. Everyone is the protagonist of their own lives; the villain thinks what they’re doing is completely logical, even if it isn’t.

Why villains are better than heroes?

They’re unpredictable. As we learned from Adelina, villains can change their mind in an instant – which makes things way more exciting. Instead of being predictable like superheroes, supervillains keep you on your toes.

Why do villains exist?

A villain (also known as a “black hat” or “bad guy”; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. The villain’s structural purpose is to serve as the opposition of the hero character and their motives or evil actions drive a plot along.