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Bringing in the villain
- Thread starter Chessie
- Start date
Spider
Mystagogue
Usually the villain drives the conflict of the story, so I think you should introduce the villain early on. It really depends on your plot though. If the villain is planning on affecting the protagonist, maybe you could bring him/her in during a prologue or the first chapter, where you depict the personality and motives of the character. You could also have the protagonist learn of the villain through someone else. Or you could have the protagonist meet the villain within the first chapter.
A. E. Lowan
Dark Lord
Imo, depends on how much agency your villain has. In my first book, I introduce the villain in connection with his relationship with the quest object, aka his adopted/kidnapped son, who is only part of the problem.
I also introduce the villain of the second book in the first book.
So, I would say, toss your guy in where it feels natural.
I also introduce the villain of the second book in the first book.
So, I would say, toss your guy in where it feels natural.
Weaver
Mystagogue
You should show some of the effects of the villain's actions/evil scheme/whatever as soon as possible, so we see what motivates the hero to change the situation: if nothing is wrong in the world (and this could be the whole world or just the hero's own life, depending), the hero has nothing to struggle against, and no push to be a hero. But you can show what's wrong (goblins are stealing all a town's molybdenum, the weather across the kingdom has been nothing but hail for the last week) without showing -- yet -- who is behind it all. Mysteries aren't the only genre where whodunnit can be an important part of the whole story.
It does depend largely on what your story is, and who both the villain and hero are, and what kind of direct conflict, if any, those characters will have. To use LotR as an example (only because we all know that story), we don't see Sauron at the start of the story. We see the effects of his power reaching out to claim the Ring. And Frodo never confronts Sauron face to face. (It would be a silly story if he did, because Frodo would lose his credibility as a version of the Everyman Hero.) Sauron is not a personal antagonist; he's a Great Evil that threatens everyone. On the other hand, in a story where the villain is the village bully who works constantly to prevent the hero from winning the love of the miller's handsome son, you'd probably want to show this person early.
It does depend largely on what your story is, and who both the villain and hero are, and what kind of direct conflict, if any, those characters will have. To use LotR as an example (only because we all know that story), we don't see Sauron at the start of the story. We see the effects of his power reaching out to claim the Ring. And Frodo never confronts Sauron face to face. (It would be a silly story if he did, because Frodo would lose his credibility as a version of the Everyman Hero.) Sauron is not a personal antagonist; he's a Great Evil that threatens everyone. On the other hand, in a story where the villain is the village bully who works constantly to prevent the hero from winning the love of the miller's handsome son, you'd probably want to show this person early.
- Thread starter
- #5
Cool, thanks for the comments! Weaver, my story is a fantasy style mystery (I love suspense). I'm considering having my villain show up within the first few pages when the incident happens. Running idea is that mc is with her sister when sister vanishes. They are both attacked by the villain but mc escapes, which is what brings her into the storyline. I'm still fleshing out a lot of this but my goal is to keep the mystery and suspense going throughout the entire story. I worry that if I bring the villain in too soon, it will ruin something but then if I leave her out for a while, then it could get boring. Just trying to find a balance here.
Edit: I'm also considering having mc be with sister when she vanishes but maybe not have her see the villain. Sigh.
Edit: I'm also considering having mc be with sister when she vanishes but maybe not have her see the villain. Sigh.
Weaver
Mystagogue
In that case, what is your mystery and suspense about? The identity of who took the sister, or the reason she was taken, how to get her back, etc.? If your MC doesn't see the villain when the sister is taken, that brings the question of "who did this?" If who did it isn't important to the mystery/suspense and you don't want that question to overshadow what is, by all means show the villain right up front. It's a matter of deciding where you want the focus. You may also choose not to show the villain right away but leave a clue as to that character's identity that the MC can figure out quickly -- a little bit of mystery for a chapter or two.
Addison
Dark Lord
It depends on the story really.
Much of the story can just have mention of the villain, who acts as a circling shadow drawing closer to the characters as the story progresses and just showing themself at the climax.
Such as Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, Ron and Hermione talk about Voldemort being weak, going after the stone for strength and all that but Harry only sees him at the end. In Chamber of Secrets they know the villain is the Heir of Slytherin but they don't know who it is exactly until the end. Same is done in Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix.
The same is done in The Lord of the Rings. They know it's Sauron who's the big evil that needs killing but he's just a floating eye who we only see when Frodo puts on the ring. The only true confrontation between Sauron and the forces of good is at the end of Return of the King.
So there's two ways you can do the villain. A looming, terrifying underscore until they climax. Or it can be evident from the beginning who the villain is (Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys for example) but the bumping heads through the story intensifies to the climax. Or the heroes could chase someone who sure looks and acts like the villain only to discover someone else is responsible.
As for giving the readers the sign that says "That person, BAD GUY." There are a few ways. The easiest is the HP and LotR way. Someone with experience who is mixed with your hero's story tells all about this evil person. The bumping head part is just character interaction. Not just your hero and your villain but also how others interact with the villain. Do they shy away, do they ask how hi when he says jump? Do they make something up so they can leave the room? What about the person themself? What do they do that writes the bad guy sign above their head? The way they talk down to the police? How they dress? How they interact with the setting or take the circumstances?
The "Hero meets Villain" scene doesn't have to be long and suspenseful. It can be short, even discreet that makes the hero and reader do a double take. The hero accidentally bumps into someone as they leave the scene of the crime. The person drops something. Picking it up the hero realizes that it belongs to the victim (or is something only the perpetrator could have obtained)
It's really up to you and how you want the journey to be for both the hero and the reader. Will they be looking over their shoulder the entire way? Or will they be on their guard whenever the villain walks by? The one you choose will effect your story. But the evil should make an entrance, by mention at least, in the first act.
Much of the story can just have mention of the villain, who acts as a circling shadow drawing closer to the characters as the story progresses and just showing themself at the climax.
Such as Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, Ron and Hermione talk about Voldemort being weak, going after the stone for strength and all that but Harry only sees him at the end. In Chamber of Secrets they know the villain is the Heir of Slytherin but they don't know who it is exactly until the end. Same is done in Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix.
The same is done in The Lord of the Rings. They know it's Sauron who's the big evil that needs killing but he's just a floating eye who we only see when Frodo puts on the ring. The only true confrontation between Sauron and the forces of good is at the end of Return of the King.
So there's two ways you can do the villain. A looming, terrifying underscore until they climax. Or it can be evident from the beginning who the villain is (Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys for example) but the bumping heads through the story intensifies to the climax. Or the heroes could chase someone who sure looks and acts like the villain only to discover someone else is responsible.
As for giving the readers the sign that says "That person, BAD GUY." There are a few ways. The easiest is the HP and LotR way. Someone with experience who is mixed with your hero's story tells all about this evil person. The bumping head part is just character interaction. Not just your hero and your villain but also how others interact with the villain. Do they shy away, do they ask how hi when he says jump? Do they make something up so they can leave the room? What about the person themself? What do they do that writes the bad guy sign above their head? The way they talk down to the police? How they dress? How they interact with the setting or take the circumstances?
The "Hero meets Villain" scene doesn't have to be long and suspenseful. It can be short, even discreet that makes the hero and reader do a double take. The hero accidentally bumps into someone as they leave the scene of the crime. The person drops something. Picking it up the hero realizes that it belongs to the victim (or is something only the perpetrator could have obtained)
It's really up to you and how you want the journey to be for both the hero and the reader. Will they be looking over their shoulder the entire way? Or will they be on their guard whenever the villain walks by? The one you choose will effect your story. But the evil should make an entrance, by mention at least, in the first act.