In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Angela Ackerman offers advice for creating antagonists readers will love. “Well-written antagonists get our blood pumping,” she says. “It’s not a hollow quirk, catch-phrase, or great sense of style that draws us in. No, it’s something deeper, something attached to their identity or life experience.”
In other words, we love antagonists when they reflect our experience. While advice on relatability is usually reserved for protagonists, Ackerman says this also applies to antagonists and villains. Villains are supposed to help your reader root for your hero, but skimping on the relatability factor can leave you with a flat, clichéd character.
Instead, antagonists need to be well-developed. “They should have understandable motivations (for them), have a history that shows what led them down the dark alley of life, and an identity, personality, and qualities that make them a tough adversary for the protagonist to beat,” Ackerman says. “The more dedicated, skilled, and motivated the antagonist is, the more of a challenge they will be, leading to great friction, tension, clashes, and conflict.”
To create a strong antagonist, find a quality that your readers can relate to. Cause a conflict in your reader’s mind about the antagonist’s goal, methods, or motivations. “When readers are torn over how to feel, they become more invested in the story,” Ackerman says. “So it’s okay if a tug of war goes on inside them over who is right and who is wrong in the story, or if they care enough about the villain to hope they will choose to turn from their dark path, and redemption may be possible.”
As an example, Ackerman says that common temptation is a human failing that readers can relate to. Many of us have been tempted to hurt someone who deserved it or to ignore a law we think is stupid. Most of the time, we don’t cross the line, but what if your antagonist does? Your reader may imagine themselves in that scenario, wondering what would happen if they broke the law for the right reason or took action against someone who escaped other justice. A traumatic backstory can also make your antagonist relatable, even if their actions are deplorable, and conflict your reader about their motivations.
