When it comes to villains, we’ve seen the clichés. Dark lords. Psychopaths. Petty super villains who kill their own henchmen.
We’ve also heard the advice. Villains need personal goals. Villains need depth. Villains need to be the heroes of their own stories.
In my experience, conversations about villains get overshadowed by the question of whether a story is about good and evil, or the morally grey. But as authors, we need to understand what that thematic choice means for developing our characters.
Do your villains embrace their villainy or attempt to justify it?
Knowing the answer to that question will help you create the character’s arc.