A new post on the Mythcreants blog outlines six reasons your villain isn’t working and offers advice on how to fix them. Several of the tips can be summed up as weak character work: when the author hasn’t put as much – or any – thought into the history and motivations of the villain. Villains should have strong reasons for their behavior, even if their actions seem pointlessly cruel to the average person. Even the worst villain has a motivation for their cruelty, such as a hidden goal or emotional need. Connecting a villain’s actions to their motivations will go a long way to creating a well-rounded character. Villains also should have clear goals with high stakes for the protagonist. If the status quo won’t change with the villain’s victory, would anyone try to intervene?
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