Hi Reader,

Last week we talked about the villain's journey. Now let's build your villain.

1) Villain or Antagonist?

A villain is a malicious character who opposes the hero through selfish, immoral actions. An antagonist is anything that opposes the protagonist’s goal (person, force, idea, emotion).

☐ Is your opposing force malicious (villain), or simply in the way (antagonist)?

2) The Villain thinks he’s the Hero.

Your villain wakes up thinking: “I’m justified.” “I’m correcting an injustice.” “I’m the only one with the guts to do what must be done.”

☐ What injustice do they believe they are correcting?

☐ What do they see in the hero: threat, nuisance, rival, obstacle, mirror?

☐ Who would the villain say is the villain of the story?

3) The Villain is Your Story’s Secret Engine. (goal + plan = pressure)

☐ What do they want, specifically? (A measurable goal, not a vibe.)

☐ Why now? (deadline, opportunity window, ticking clock, escalating threat)

☐ What is their method? (con, force, seduction, magic, reputation)

☐ What resources do they control? (money, people, secrets, power)

☐ If they win, what breaks? (world, community, hero’s identity, loved ones, future)

☐ If they lose, what do they lose? (power, face, freedom, survival, legacy)

4) Flip It: The Villain’s arc is the Opposite of the Hero’s.

☐ How does the hero’s progress force the villain to escalate?

☐ How is he failing while the hero is succeeding?

☐ What is the villain’s fatal overreach?

5) Twist 3 Positive Traits.

☐ List three genuinely positive traits your villain has.

☐ Now twist each trait toward harm. (Loyalty → fanaticism. Love → control. Courage → recklessness.)

☐ Which twisted trait creates the most personal conflict with the hero?

6) Give Them a Signature.

☐ A distinct tactic (poison, intimidation, manipulation, charm)

☐ A distinct presence (stillness, speed, menace, humor)

☐ A distinct tell (polishes a ring, never sits with their back to a door, quotes philosophy)

5) Calibrate Competence.

☐ What are they excellent at?

☐ What’s their blind spot?

☐ How does the hero reliably lose to them early?

☐ What does the hero learn to finally beat them?

6) Decide Their Cruelty Style.

☐ Surgical (clean, efficient, minimal emotion)

☐ Performative (makes an example, sends messages)

☐ Personal (enjoys the intimacy of harm)

☐ “I’m doing this for your own good” (chilling)

7) Extra Villain Boosters

☐ Public mask vs. private truth: What does the world believe about them, and what do they hide?

☐ Moral line: What will they not do, and what finally makes them cross it?

☐ Relationship fuse: Why is this villain the perfect opponent for this hero? (mirror, wound, value clash)

☐ Leverage menu: What do they threaten to get what they want? (money, reputation, safety, love, identity)

☐ The lie they live by vs. the truth they refuse to face.

☐ The moment they ‘make it personal’ (the hit to the hero’s core values).

☐ If they weren’t a villain, what would they be? (A great leader? A healer? A protector?) Why did they twist?

One-page Big Bad Card (fill-in template)

Name / Alias:

Public mask (what the world sees):

Private truth (what they fear or hide):

Worldview: “I’m right because…”

Closing argument line (the most true sentence):

Primary goal (measurable):

Why now? (ticking clock):

Method (how they operate):

Resources (people, money, magic, status):

Pressure points (who/what they can threaten):

Signature tactic / tell:

Blind spot (ego, obsession, loyalty fracture):

Shadow story: what are they doing offstage in Act 2?

Their big escalation move:

How the hero exploits the flaw to win:

End state:

More on Villains

​Writing Strong Villains Using the Villain’s Journey​

​The Villain’s Journey: How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate by Debbie Burke

​What is an Antagonist?​

Some Inspiration

Actor Rob Morrow on how Playing the Long Game in Hollywood means never stop creating.

In Case You Missed It

​Writing in Cursive Boosts Your Creativity​

​What's Your Number?​

​Why Writers Love Public Domain​

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Cheers,

​

Lindsey

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