“All stories need an antagonist, but not all stories have a villain,” Janice Hardy says in a new blog post. So, how do you create an antagonist who isn’t a typical bad guy and still create conflict with your hero?
“An antagonist can come from any of the four basic conflict types, and they each focus on a different type of conflict opposition,” Hardy explains. “A mother trying her best to stop a willful child from going down a destructive path is the antagonist to that child, same as a terrible storm is an antagonist to a hiker trying to reach safety on a mountain.”
Hardy examines the person vs. society conflict to explain. One common element to these stories is a protagonist attempting to change the status quo. “Whether or not it happens doesn’t matter, it’s the fight to do so that provides the goals and narrative drive,” she says. These stories start with a personal trigger that prompts the hero to fight the system, and early conflicts and obstacles show the reader why the system must be changed and how the system fights back. Eventually, the hero will find one person or entity that represents what’s wrong with the system, providing your hero with a focused goal.
“Person vs. society conflicts are probably the easiest conflicts after person vs. person, because there are so many ways in which the society can cause the protagonist trouble,” Hardy says. “There are tangible obstacles to overcome, established stakes, and a ton of thematic elements to work with. They’re also a nice mix of the grand idea and the personal problem, which are a lot of fun to play with–especially if you have some heavy themes or issues you want to explore.”
