I have the motivation and race for my main antagonist but literally nothing else. Can someone help me figure out what the heck I'm doing and how to do it?
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FREAKING ANTAGONISTS- How do they work?
I need more context. Tell me about your story.
Make them the most Vile, Horrible, disgusting scum you can think of. make them appear at the times when it is most inconvenient
Context?
Honestly i cant give you much… ive just started doing things like this… sorry…
Nah, I meant to her. The kind of villain pretty much depends on the setting, plot, characters etc. (I’m sort of new as well. Started in 2014.)
I started in early 2017
How old are you?
Not gonna share that, sorry. but i am old enough to do most things.
Legit. You new here?
to the public part, yes. to writing and other stuff, no.
Then on behalf of Shuri, I welcome you to the fam.
Thank you! im happy to be here!
Alright, so everything is garbage at the moment (I can't write) but since I'm lazy I'm just going to copy/paste information from my characters instead of actually trying to explain.
Luna's backstory: She was born during a time of war, people without magic were always seen as "Lesser beings", and were finally fighting back against discrimination. Most of her childhood was spent hiding because while her father had powers, her mother didn't. As she grew up, the fighting just kept getting worse until one day, she was visited by a spirit who gave her wings, making her the first "Angel". She was told she needed to use her power to help because this war would never fully end. (Alright this is taking forever to type out so I'm going to simplify this a lot) She eventually ended up splitting the world into two, one for those with magic and one for those without. Her decision did end the war, but many families were torn apart, including hers. A lot of the spirits ended up turning against her, and a new war broke out between the spirits. This war resulted in her first death, and by the time she was reincarnated (As a spirit), all of her allies had fallen in battle.
-The antagonists were the spirits that turned against her. Their motivation? They wanted to reunite the worlds. they didn't believe that splitting them was the right decision, and since they didn't split them, they cannot combine them again. Luna can, and since she's given her blessing/wings to Akira, (The main protagonist, who really needs a new name because she's a girl and that's not really a girl name) she can reunite them too. the only way the other spirits could do it is if they kill both of them or convince one of them. I know it's a terribly written motivation, as I said earlier, I cannot write.
Nah, I meant to her. The kind of villain pretty much depends on the setting, plot, characters etc. (I’m sort of new as well. Started in 2014.)
I just started last month. You aren't new.
Make the enemies try to kill. (Except maybe one or two that think convincing might work. If so, make them learn that it won’t work.) Actually, make the main villain the one that thought convincing would work,. They learn it won’t and turn to the other option. Killing. He/She isn’t necessarily a bad person. S/he is just doing what is the only way to make the world right. (And make sure they have a plan for what to do after the world is united.)
Alright, so everything is garbage at the moment (I can't write) but since I'm lazy I'm just going to copy/paste information from my characters instead of actually trying to explain.
Luna's backstory: She was born during a time of war, people without magic were always seen as "Lesser beings", and were finally fighting back against discrimination. Most of her childhood was spent hiding because while her father had powers, her mother didn't. As she grew up, the fighting just kept getting worse until one day, she was visited by a spirit who gave her wings, making her the first "Angel". She was told she needed to use her power to help because this war would never fully end. (Alright this is taking forever to type out so I'm going to simplify this a lot) She eventually ended up splitting the world into two, one for those with magic and one for those without. Her decision did end the war, but many families were torn apart, including hers. A lot of the spirits ended up turning against her, and a new war broke out between the spirits. This war resulted in her first death, and by the time she was reincarnated (As a spirit), all of her allies had fallen in battle.
-The antagonists were the spirits that turned against her. Their motivation? They wanted to reunite the worlds. they didn't believe that splitting them was the right decision, and since they didn't split them, they cannot combine them again. Luna can, and since she's given her blessing/wings to Akira, (The main protagonist, who really needs a new name because she's a girl and that's not really a girl name) she can reunite them too. the only way the other spirits could do it is if they kill both of them or convince one of them. I know it's a terribly written motivation, as I said earlier, I cannot write.
First of all, don't call your stuff garbage. Horrible for the self-esteem, especially when your story doesn't sound half bad. I do have questions, but I'm sure that this is both a WIP and you've simplified your outline a lot so it wouldn't go on for paragraphs.
Your motivation is a solid start; all you really need to do is flesh the individual spirits out. Remember that an antagonist just is a character that works against the goals of your protagonist, and you're probably best off developing them the same way you develop the rest of your important characters.
Make them the most Vile, Horrible, disgusting scum you can think of. make them appear at the times when it is most inconvenient
I disagree with the first half of that statement. Antagonists do not have to be evil or vile. In fact, some of my favorite villains from modern (or is it contemporary?) media are tragically sympathetic. Again, only one rule for an antagonist: they work against the protagonist. Since we typically want the audience to root for the protag's side, we do usually want the antag to be somewhere in the wrong, but they can easily be wrong without being wicked.
But they should definitely be inconvenient. Otherwise, we'll be wondering why they're even there.
Lol. I was going to let that lie. And to add on to that, inconvenient, very. But when it makes sense not only and not always when most inconvenient.
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Don't be so hard on your story. I think you have a great motivation for your antagonists and the story really does sound interesting. I understand why you might feel uncertain about your writing skills, but they'll develop over time. Maybe ask why the spirits want to reunite the two worlds and why they saw it was better then. What things have gotten worse since the worlds have been split apart that made the spirits upset? The strongest villains are the ones with the strongest motivations, who we can understand why they oppose the protagonist. Also, make sure that your villains are truly a threat. A huge downfall for many antagonists is that they sit around the whole story until the hero finally beats them easily in the end. Make sure they are a strong opposition to the protagonist. You can show this by causing the heroes to lose something to the villain, especially something important to them. Another way is by making it difficult for the heroes to get what they want, or forcing the heroes to have to find an entirely different solution then what they planned. I wish you the best of luck with your story.
Solid advice.
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Solid advice.
Thank you!
I also have a problem with my antagonist. I want him and my main character to be sort of friends (as they are fighting on the same side of a war), but I'm afraid he'll be too chummy before pulling a complete 180 due to a tragic event surrounding his family. I've got him pretty darn fleshed out, but I want to make it so that his eventual turn and betrayal will feel in character and not something that is done to further the MC's story along.
What is the tragic event and why does that make him turn?
He's fighting in a four-way war between humans, dragons, wyverns, and magic users (who are a mixed bag of races and people). In an effort to stop the war, he and the other magic users (numbering about 300, but each with enough power to level a city) try to threaten each side into backing down long enough to begin negotiations. However (and this part isn't fully realized yet), the antagonist's siblings die because some blowhard general cornered them. The antagonist realizes that if people without magic are willing to sacrifice their own brethren in the name of furthering their own selfish aims, then they must be purged.
I certainly like the twist and giving him a flawed goal, but how do I implement it so that he doesn't seem almost bipolar?
Shock. Instead of trying to do it gently, make it a snap. Make him 110% on the good guy team until… Give him an earth shattering paradigm shift.
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I partly agree about the part with the sudden shock. It is an option, but not the only one. Having him piece together what's going on until it builds up to his betrayal could also be another way to do it. Maybe make him have some suspicions, and then when he discovers his siblings have been killed it's the final straw for him. Don't make him immediately cut all ties with the protagonists once he turns to the other side. Maybe try to have him convince his old friends to join him by explaining his ideas on the matter. It would cause interesting chemistry between the protagonist and antagonist as both struggle to bring the other to their side. You could decide to eventually have their ties be cut after a couple of disagreements.
I partly agree about the part with the sudden shock. It is an option, but not the only one. Having him piece together what's going on until it builds up to his betrayal could also be another way to do it. Maybe make him have some suspicions, and then when he discovers his siblings have been killed it's the final straw for him. Don't make him immediately cut all ties with the protagonists once he turns to the other side. Maybe try to have him convince his old friends to join him by explaining his ideas on the matter. It would cause interesting chemistry between the protagonist and antagonist as both struggle to bring the other to their side. You could decide to eventually have their ties be cut after a couple of disagreements.
There are a lot of ways to pull the heel-turn off and it's ultimately up to what the writer feels would get the best response out of their audience. I like going for shock value myself, but subtle foreshadowing and build-up is something important for making the betrayal seem believable. You know, maybe the kind of stuff that a reader would look back on and think "Ah, why didn't I notice that before?"
I partly agree about the part with the sudden shock. It is an option, but not the only one. Having him piece together what's going on until it builds up to his betrayal could also be another way to do it. Maybe make him have some suspicions, and then when he discovers his siblings have been killed it's the final straw for him. Don't make him immediately cut all ties with the protagonists once he turns to the other side. Maybe try to have him convince his old friends to join him by explaining his ideas on the matter. It would cause interesting chemistry between the protagonist and antagonist as both struggle to bring the other to their side. You could decide to eventually have their ties be cut after a couple of disagreements.
Once again, solid.