I have my villain introduced in the first chapter, not physically, but via another character talking to them -- establishing their presence in the story.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty It's a perfect example; the hard part then is not to disappoint reader with the first in person appearance, like it almost happened to Negan (one of my favorite villains). He's played his hand to full scale later, no doubt, but at first I was disappointed - I was prepared to see an evil mind, but was fed with a trivial psycho.
Jules Verne does something similar. Captain Nemo doesn’t physically encounter the heroes at the beginning of 20000 leagues under the sea but it still begins with the Nautilus sinking ships
I am currently writing a story called Blackout, and the villain is introduced about a page and a half into chapter 4 when the main characters find it in the back of the wrecked moving vehicle from then prologue.
Currently, I'm almost into Act 3 in one of three stories I plan to publish first, the other two I've already written, revised, and edited. It's called Camp Cult, and the villain is a demon who's challenged by four of the campers to kill seven people at the camp in seven days. They're introduced in the second chapter and begin really impacting the story in the third. As for my other two, Murder Mall and Monster, they vairy. Murder Mall, the book I plan to base my first movie off of, is a story about a group of teens who find themselves locked in a mall with a mass shooter, who's introduced at the end of the fourth chapter. In Monster, the first book of my main series, Jack Attack, the villain is introduced in the very first chapter.
3:29, like how Quirell isn’t revealed as a villain until the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but he poached a unicorn and drank its blood before then and repeatedly tried to kill Harry before then.
What about a false villain? I’ve introduced a villain early in my story who if the writing goes as planned will be manipulating things for a long time before the reveal of the greater villain who has been behind everything
How to reveal/unmask a villain later could be its own video! Helpful points here, but it'd be interesting to explore in more depth. I also think it's interesting that as well structured as the Marvel movies tend to be, they still usually come up short on the villains.
They do come up short. Aside from Killmonger, Thanos, and maybe Vulture/Mysterio, MCU villains tend to be underwhelming. I actually covered revealing/unmasking a villain in my Wandavision video on shocking plot twists (be warned--major spoilers!): th-cam.com/video/5o6z9Tj-KF8/w-d-xo.html
I have 3 villains. None are 'henchmen' of any others. They are connected but relationships are tenuous. One in act 1, the second in Act 2 and the third and most significant at the end of the book as a lead into the next one in the series.
@@NaDa-kw2fu Not sure if ever watched the TV show 24, but they used to deliver their villains in that way. I loved that--you'd get one guy then find out someone way worse was pulling his strings and so on.
In my current work in progress, the villain is introduced in the second chapter, also the audience won't be able to tell, that he is the villain, till later in the first act.
My short prologue indirectly introduces the villain, giving a sweeping "these are the bad guys" understanding. Then my actual villain is introduced around the 5% mark but as Grandpa to the love interest, a powerful character but we can see his humanity. At the 10%, we start learning what a "bad guy" he is, and he drives the end of the book, killing one of the goodies and showing his blind dedication to power and control.
My story's antagonist's first formal appearance isn't immediate, but earlier on in the story he is mentioned multiple times. I do intend to have that first formal appearance during Act 1, though. I should mention that the story has an ensemble cast. My thought process behind him is that he's a more misunderstood character, so you end up having certain expectations of him built up in your head based on what other characters say only to have them subverted in places when he finally appears. And when he does finally appear, during that set of scenes we see him interact with multiple established characters individually (knowing how they think to an extent) as well as bystanders, allowing for a more clear, nuanced characterization that you can compare and contrast with how he was built up. And you end up realizing why aspects of him were interpreted a certain way by these other established characters, providing more insight about them and how they think as well.
I like your idea of having the other characters mention him and build up the audience's expectations... Reminds me of when The Walking Dead had everyone talking up Negan before his big reveal.
In my fantasy novel, I introduce in the prologue two sorcerors with two opposing ideologies. One of whom is said to be willing to boil the seas clean to give light to its depths. The the story follows at least 3 known sorcerors who might be the ones mentioned in the prologue only revealing the villain in the epilogue. This is the first book of 3.
In my movie the villain is mentioned pretty early on and is a constant underlying threat but he doesn’t show up until very late in the movie, and he certainly lives up to the hype.
My main villain is introduced early in my season 1. However there’s little snips of Him just watching in the backgrounds sometimes. Like you said, even if they aren’t directly there, their actions are
I'm writing a story about a kid who gets his powers awakened from this omnipotent light being and he has to save the universe from this villain who is his arch nemesis. I was thinking of introducing the main villain by first introducing the other villains at first the hero would face the lower level villains such as just soldiers and grunts and then the higher level villains would be introduced and then the main villain himself would arrive and also by means of subtle mentionings either by name or by sub names like "master" or "lord" or "boss" or "him" by both the hero and the villain's minions and then afterwards the villain's true name would be revealed and then he would make some physical appearances as either a shadow or with parts of his body hidden such as his face and by watching the hero progress and by ordering his minions around and when his minions fail at defeating the hero the villain decides to face the hero by himself and then the first confrontation would begin.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty well not for too long just a bit later after the beginning like if it was a book it would be chapter 2 or if it was a show it would be episode 10 it's in order to add some mystery and fear making the main villain look intimidating and a serious threat
I know the villain usually becomes aware of the hero at the midpoint. My current outline has the villain appear at the midpoint, but is affecting aspects of the world and characters earlier.
I am currently writing a movie script where my hero is the kind of guy who always draws a crowd wherever he goes. My villain is someone who is introduced early on but we only hear her voice and see what she does - having to wait until the middle of the movie to see her face. It is at that point that the observant moviegoer will notice that her face was in every crowd that surrounded the hero from the very beginning.
MY VILLAN ARMY ARE IN ACT 2 (ACT 1 WAS AN INTRO AND A MONSTER INTROUER )APPEARING SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING THE CHARACTER GOT A BRIEF KNOWLEDGE PRIER AND A CONFILCT STRIKE
My villain makes his appearance in the first scene of the book. But only as a mysterious figure setting up the scene for the Inciting Incidence. Later he will be more in the background, passing the main character by without notice as he is a shadowy schemer, and my book a horror-mystery. However, he will not reveal himself until close to the end. Nor be openly violent. So he will be seen quickly, but not revealed for what he truly is until the end.
Did you use first person pov or third person pov for introducing your villain ? I want to do the same , but first person comes naturally to me , and if I use that then readers will know about villain's identity. Do you have any ideas? My villain is a psychopath and he is protagonist's best friend.
@@sanghitadey8475 I used a 3d person distant POV to introduce the Villain in this story, because I wanted the Villain to remain mysterious. If you want your Villain to remain mysterious, it is better to not see what is going on in his mind. If, however, you plan to make your Villain an understandable character, then 1st person POV is better, as it allows you to get into the mind of the Villain. It is likely to make the Villain less scary if you know what he thinks, but it will make the Villain's motivation easier to understand as well. So it comes down to whether or not you want to reveal to the readers what the Villain is early on, or if you want it to be a surprise for later. Some stories would work better if the audience KNOWS the best friend of the main character is a psychopath, and they hold their breath and shout warnings at the main character --worrying about him. (or her) (Think of something like Dexter, for instance.) But other stories work better if you don't know that the best friend IS a psychopath, or even a bad-guy, making it all the more horrifying when revealed. (Like Peter Petigrew in Harry Potter. Similar to the reveal of Darth Vader being Luke's father, in what impact it might have.) Ultimately it depends on what type of story you are writing, and what kind of impact you want the Villain to have on your reader. My story is a Horror Mystery, and the mystery of WHO the Villain (antagonist, really) is in my story is a big part of the Plot. And it is also a mystery whether the antagonist in my story IS a Villain...or if he's helping the main character. Again another mystery. So look at your own story and your own plot, and use the Perspective that best suits what you want it to do. And remember that you can always use a Close First Person View, where you see the introduction of the Villain purely from the Main Character's POV.... but add small details that Foreshadow. Like adding a small detail here and there ...nothing big... that HINTS at something more sinister. A micro-expression, a flash of a sneer gone so fast the main character thinks he's imagined it. Or specks of red-brown drops on his white shirt --hinting at blood, but the main character may think he spilled wine, and so on. Just make sure to avoid the trap of getting into every single character's head. I read a lot of fanfiction, and that is the biggest mistake I see people use, and I've found it hard to avoid myself. As JK Rowling said in an interview; The Author must know EVERYTHING, but share only a little. Try a few different ways and see what fits your story best. And good luck.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Oh, yes. My antagonist is going to be in the background of my first few books. A mysterious person in the shadows that is only rarely seen to do anything, and what he does do is so small and inconspicuous that it's hard to take serious as a threat. My antagonist is a strong follower of Chaos Theory. A little nudge here. A push there. And the events unfolds.... And he observes... My story will be a revealing of the dangers that lurks just beneath the surface of the normal, everyday world. And between the natural world and the unnatural one, there is plenty of monsters ...human and inhuman... that will cross the main character's path. And as those around him is still unaware of this hidden world, he will also have some conflicts there. Especially when it comes to the monsters that look like humans, and hide what they really are. And few more or less helpful side-characters that he'll meet along the way.
For my first book the Villian doesn't appear until the 2nd or 3rd chapter, but isnt presented as the Villian until almost the end. However, the main "Villian" for the story/world doesn't actually appear until the 2nd trilogy 😅. The main Villian is mentioned throughout the 1st trilogy, but isnt "Awoken" until the 2nd trilogy. Now there are more Villians in the story, but thats kindof an easy explanation of when my Villians are introduced.
My villain is first mentioned at the start of chapter three right after the inciting incident and the group he leads keeps being mentioned, but you don't actually see him until chapter 7.
Are these tips equally functioning for all antagonists? I have one story where the protagonist is the Villain, and the Hero is the Antagonists. And it is tricky to keep the Villain Villainous, yet likable. And make the Hero a TRUE Hero, yet the antagonist of the story. No one has ever written such a book before. Villain's Pride comes close, but even Blackwell is more of an anti-hero than a true Villain. I find it an intriguing concept to explore, but very tricky. Do you have any advice on that?
Two current works in progress the villain or villains are immediately introduced. The first, a serial killer during his first murder. The second, seven alien dictators from a highly advanced society that arrive with their armies on a somewhat primitive world, conquer it, and essentially enslave its people.
I've already published the book on Kindle but it didn't get any attention("Sector 3 Elite") if you like action/scifi then please give it a read. Spoilers but my villain is revealed late in the book, like the 95% mark, because it is a bridge to a soon-to-be sequel. The twist villain is revealed sort of in the middle, but then the hero realises that the guy he thought was the villain was actually the good guy, and goes back to "kill" (wink wink) the real villain.
I took a more subtle approach to my "villains" and focused more on conflict between and the dangers of the world. I think of it as the "main villain is in another castle" or "mini boss" approach. Thoughts on that?
*Dang it,my “villain” gets referenced in the prologue and actually appears at the beginning/middle of the second book in my duology… my villain involves being possessed/corrupted,what do I do?Do I just slowly corrupt him during the story or corrupt him as soon as possible at the beginning?* Well,I have a second villain that gets development.Does that count?
Idk if the science fiction novel I’m currently working on has a villain per se but I’m kind of demonizing the u.s government and I introduce a bunch of masked goons from them as sort of the villains for an inciting role though there are others who want to sabotage the mission my characters are preparing for to one of Jupiter’s moons. Is that too complicated.
My story has a lot of questionable groups who very well could be villains. One group introduced in a cryptic intro, but then another two (one unknowingly) introduced in the first act. One of these groups is pure nightmare fuel. A member of the said nightmare fuel group will eventually become more prominent and break out as a more main villain. Either way, it becomes apparent that every one has motives and agendas. Not sure if it will pan out, but if my readers have anxiety induced panic attacks, then mission accomplished. lol
What about if the Villain is sort of meant to be the ultimate manifestation of a concept/belief/system (blanking on the word I'm looking for) that is recurring in the story. Of course the main villain is still taking actions that affect the story moving forward, but if the character "Wasn't actually the villain" but to reference the Motivation video his Deep belief is "the true villain" and the antagonist themselves is simply the last and ultimate avatar for Ideal. If that Ideal presented itself as early as possible, would that still work as establishing the villain character as early as possible even if their actual presence is past that 30%. This would of course be a longer story. So an example would be if the villain would be something like Nationalism, or Pride, something that even the protagonist or their allied supporting cast could even display at times, but there is still a big bad who has been basically completely swallowed up by that ideal.
I'm writing a story where the villain is the protagonist. I started thinking in his mindset when thinking about what to do outside with a friend. We started doing a sort of a comic book like, T.V. show like story, and I played the villain. He was the hero. I really got to know the villain- Nightshade- so even if I wrote the title sounding like it was revolving around the hero, it centered near Nightshade, with the hero taking on a bit of a side role. Then I just changed the title to revolve around the villain. "Nightshade was a normal 12 year old, named McScall, though he preferred to simply by called Scalla. He went on a field trip to a science corporation's lab. A corporation called the SSA. (I didn't name it. We had another friend help. He named it.) The tour took a totally safe path. That was a problem. What was the point of going to an awesome place if you see nothing awesome? So Scalla turned down a different corridor... he wanderee, into a dimly lit room. With a strange, somewhat liquidated material banging on a glass case. Urging to escape. Scalla did what any sensible person would do in that situation... pushed a big red button. The liquified, deep violet and gloomy crimson creature lurched onto Scalla's leg. And assimilating into his leg. Beginning a process bonding the two almost inseparably. The creature was called... Nightshade." The powers being fire, and lightning. The hero's weakness, you ask? Electricity. It's pretty much just Spiderman but our own adaptation, as the hero is Spiderkid, and the villain is Venom with vastly different powers and skills, but still too close to be called anything but Spiderman. Maybe I'll eventually change the hero. But Nightshade stays. I'm thinking the antagonizing force would either be internal, or an assassin hired by the TRUE antagonist.
" I really got to know the villain- Nightshade" That's something a lot of writers fail to do. They neglect to learn who their villains are and just throw them into the story as half-baked bad guys
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Woah! You sill reply to these? That's awesome! Thank you! And I agree. If the villain's not going to be felt as a person, then they only exist to stop the hero for almost no reason. Which makes... little sense.
That's good, especially if it hypes up the antagonist as a major threat. Sometimes you can show us a lot about a villain's character by simply showing the acts they've committed
@@danterobles4819 Sure! In fact, try to show those characteristics in a different light. Like maybe one character is loyal to his family and that loyalty keeps the family together. But then another character is loyal to an abusive mentor and that loyalty leads to the character being unhappy or corrupted.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I have one protagonist and three main characters. Is it okay for my villain to have a shard of their experience, personality and behavior?
I’m wrote a new version of a new hope it based off of what if episodes of starwars 1 2 and 3 We’re good and starwars lost of hope anther what if c3po and R2d2 never made it. Of course in my version the droids did made it but With Princess Leia in tow to fix a plot hole Instead of making her message on the ship she makes It on the planet after realizing their surrounded by dessert and the droids have a better of going through it than her so she waits for the empire to capture her and knowing this about villain introducing I have Vader introduce in the usual way he comes through the ship after the troopers blast everything and strangling the captain and ordering troopers to find the escape pod but after is captured she is sent to the death where meets Vader She yells at him attacking her ship but says. Don’t be surprise your highness you weren’t on any merciful mission this time. Than anther voice says. Indeed. And behind Vader reveals Tarkin which Leia says Governor Tark I suspected you holding Vader less I smelled your foul stench when I was brought on board and usual charming line charming until the last, but Leia says you won’t get away this the imperial senate will.. The imperial senate is no longer any concern What? Leia said. Oh didn’t you hear the emperor dissolved it the last remnants of the Republic have been Sweat away so no one is coming to your rescue not the senate or you rebel friends. So for now you will be taken to your cell and Will discuss their location in the mean time as Leia taken to her cell Tarkin whispers to Vader how he plans to destroy Alderaan to make her talk. Though the emperor is the main villain I have him making short appearances through out hologram as he summons Vader, Vader summons him or he summons Tarkin to chastise him for destroying Alderaan but while he appears his face is never shown except his mouth but in my second story I don’t plan to reveal the emperors face until the very end where the emperor welcomes Tarkin to his castle but little does he know the Emperor plans to kill him for making a personalize super weapon that Tarkin thought he was complete Secret here’s how I plan to Reveal The emperor face is first by the mouth then palpating yellowish eyes showing through his clock and just when the emperor is about kill Tarkin his wrinkled old disfigured face is shown as he laughs as he kills him sith lighting
My book is about a guy with super speed trying to reunite people with powers. At one point he paints a graffiti and uses his speed to run away from them.
I have my villain introduced in the first chapter, not physically, but via another character talking to them -- establishing their presence in the story.
That's perfect! Sometimes that works well in terms of building dread (like with Negan from The Walking Dead)
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty It's a perfect example; the hard part then is not to disappoint reader with the first in person appearance, like it almost happened to Negan (one of my favorite villains). He's played his hand to full scale later, no doubt, but at first I was disappointed - I was prepared to see an evil mind, but was fed with a trivial psycho.
Jules Verne does something similar. Captain Nemo doesn’t physically encounter the heroes at the beginning of 20000 leagues under the sea but it still begins with the Nautilus sinking ships
I am currently writing a story called Blackout, and the villain is introduced about a page and a half into chapter 4 when the main characters find it in the back of the wrecked moving vehicle from then prologue.
Currently, I'm almost into Act 3 in one of three stories I plan to publish first, the other two I've already written, revised, and edited.
It's called Camp Cult, and the villain is a demon who's challenged by four of the campers to kill seven people at the camp in seven days.
They're introduced in the second chapter and begin really impacting the story in the third.
As for my other two, Murder Mall and Monster, they vairy.
Murder Mall, the book I plan to base my first movie off of, is a story about a group of teens who find themselves locked in a mall with a mass shooter,
who's introduced at the end of the fourth chapter.
In Monster, the first book of my main series, Jack Attack, the villain is introduced in the very first chapter.
3:29, like how Quirell isn’t revealed as a villain until the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but he poached a unicorn and drank its blood before then and repeatedly tried to kill Harry before then.
What about a false villain? I’ve introduced a villain early in my story who if the writing goes as planned will be manipulating things for a long time before the reveal of the greater villain who has been behind everything
As long as there are "stand-ins" for the greater villain, you're on the right track
I'm actually about to introduce my villian in scene three. Set up what he can do super early so I can show him as a threat early on.
That's the way to do it--also, try to have him drive the plot early on and spur your hero to action
Interestingly, in 'The Matrix' the agents were introduced in scene 3🤔
How to reveal/unmask a villain later could be its own video! Helpful points here, but it'd be interesting to explore in more depth. I also think it's interesting that as well structured as the Marvel movies tend to be, they still usually come up short on the villains.
They do come up short. Aside from Killmonger, Thanos, and maybe Vulture/Mysterio, MCU villains tend to be underwhelming.
I actually covered revealing/unmasking a villain in my Wandavision video on shocking plot twists (be warned--major spoilers!): th-cam.com/video/5o6z9Tj-KF8/w-d-xo.html
QotD: How soon do you introduce your villain in your current work-in-progress?
I have 3 villains. None are 'henchmen' of any others. They are connected but relationships are tenuous. One in act 1, the second in Act 2 and the third and most significant at the end of the book as a lead into the next one in the series.
@@NaDa-kw2fu Not sure if ever watched the TV show 24, but they used to deliver their villains in that way. I loved that--you'd get one guy then find out someone way worse was pulling his strings and so on.
In my current work in progress, the villain is introduced in the second chapter, also the audience won't be able to tell, that he is the villain, till later in the first act.
My short prologue indirectly introduces the villain, giving a sweeping "these are the bad guys" understanding. Then my actual villain is introduced around the 5% mark but as Grandpa to the love interest, a powerful character but we can see his humanity. At the 10%, we start learning what a "bad guy" he is, and he drives the end of the book, killing one of the goodies and showing his blind dedication to power and control.
In my story, the villain is introduced in the first page itself. It creates a suspense and sts a menacing overview regarding him.
ASAP -Awesome thanks!
Thanks! I will have my villain appear at 15%, good to know Im at a good place.
This was a very good advice..
THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS good story just saved
My story's antagonist's first formal appearance isn't immediate, but earlier on in the story he is mentioned multiple times. I do intend to have that first formal appearance during Act 1, though. I should mention that the story has an ensemble cast. My thought process behind him is that he's a more misunderstood character, so you end up having certain expectations of him built up in your head based on what other characters say only to have them subverted in places when he finally appears. And when he does finally appear, during that set of scenes we see him interact with multiple established characters individually (knowing how they think to an extent) as well as bystanders, allowing for a more clear, nuanced characterization that you can compare and contrast with how he was built up. And you end up realizing why aspects of him were interpreted a certain way by these other established characters, providing more insight about them and how they think as well.
I like your idea of having the other characters mention him and build up the audience's expectations... Reminds me of when The Walking Dead had everyone talking up Negan before his big reveal.
For me it’s gonna be vital first chapter since the antagonist indirectly influences the very first scene.
In my fantasy novel, I introduce in the prologue two sorcerors with two opposing ideologies. One of whom is said to be willing to boil the seas clean to give light to its depths. The the story follows at least 3 known sorcerors who might be the ones mentioned in the prologue only revealing the villain in the epilogue. This is the first book of 3.
John Tallen, the villain in my novel appears from the very first scene.
In my movie the villain is mentioned pretty early on and is a constant underlying threat but he doesn’t show up until very late in the movie, and he certainly lives up to the hype.
My main villain is introduced early in my season 1.
However there’s little snips of Him just watching in the backgrounds sometimes. Like you said, even if they aren’t directly there, their actions are
I'm writing a story about a kid who gets his powers awakened from this omnipotent light being and he has to save the universe from this villain who is his arch nemesis. I was thinking of introducing the main villain by first introducing the other villains at first the hero would face the lower level villains such as just soldiers and grunts and then the higher level villains would be introduced and then the main villain himself would arrive and also by means of subtle mentionings either by name or by sub names like "master" or "lord" or "boss" or "him" by both the hero and the villain's minions and then afterwards the villain's true name would be revealed and then he would make some physical appearances as either a shadow or with parts of his body hidden such as his face and by watching the hero progress and by ordering his minions around and when his minions fail at defeating the hero the villain decides to face the hero by himself and then the first confrontation would begin.
So you're holding off on showing the main villain until later in the story?
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty well not for too long just a bit later after the beginning like if it was a book it would be chapter 2 or if it was a show it would be episode 10 it's in order to add some mystery and fear making the main villain look intimidating and a serious threat
@@captainHiro8911 Gotcha. Best of luck, and try to introducing your villain (or the villain's influence on the plot) as soon as you can
I know the villain usually becomes aware of the hero at the midpoint. My current outline has the villain appear at the midpoint, but is affecting aspects of the world and characters earlier.
I am currently writing a movie script where my hero is the kind of guy who always draws a crowd wherever he goes. My villain is someone who is introduced early on but we only hear her voice and see what she does - having to wait until the middle of the movie to see her face. It is at that point that the observant moviegoer will notice that her face was in every crowd that surrounded the hero from the very beginning.
In my current work the villain impacts the story before it even begins, but he isn’t introduced until about a third of the way through.
I've put my villain in the prologue.
My villain is in the cold open doing some QUESTIONABLE things.
Sounds like a good start!
MY VILLAN ARMY ARE IN ACT 2 (ACT 1 WAS AN INTRO AND A MONSTER INTROUER )APPEARING SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING THE CHARACTER GOT A BRIEF KNOWLEDGE PRIER
AND A CONFILCT STRIKE
I have my big bad mentioned in 1st chapter then at the very end of chapter he makes his grand appearance
My villain makes his appearance in the first scene of the book. But only as a mysterious figure setting up the scene for the Inciting Incidence.
Later he will be more in the background, passing the main character by without notice as he is a shadowy schemer, and my book a horror-mystery.
However, he will not reveal himself until close to the end. Nor be openly violent.
So he will be seen quickly, but not revealed for what he truly is until the end.
Nice! And hopefully you have other forces of antagonism at play up until the reveal
Did you use first person pov or third person pov for introducing your villain ? I want to do the same , but first person comes naturally to me , and if I use that then readers will know about villain's identity. Do you have any ideas? My villain is a psychopath and he is protagonist's best friend.
@@sanghitadey8475 Can you introduce the villain from the protagonist’s POV? Or another character POV who doesn’t know the villain’s true identity?
@@sanghitadey8475 I used a 3d person distant POV to introduce the Villain in this story, because I wanted the Villain to remain mysterious.
If you want your Villain to remain mysterious, it is better to not see what is going on in his mind.
If, however, you plan to make your Villain an understandable character, then 1st person POV is better, as it allows you to get into the mind of the Villain.
It is likely to make the Villain less scary if you know what he thinks, but it will make the Villain's motivation easier to understand as well.
So it comes down to whether or not you want to reveal to the readers what the Villain is early on, or if you want it to be a surprise for later.
Some stories would work better if the audience KNOWS the best friend of the main character is a psychopath, and they hold their breath and shout warnings at the main character --worrying about him. (or her) (Think of something like Dexter, for instance.)
But other stories work better if you don't know that the best friend IS a psychopath, or even a bad-guy, making it all the more horrifying when revealed. (Like Peter Petigrew in Harry Potter. Similar to the reveal of Darth Vader being Luke's father, in what impact it might have.)
Ultimately it depends on what type of story you are writing, and what kind of impact you want the Villain to have on your reader.
My story is a Horror Mystery, and the mystery of WHO the Villain (antagonist, really) is in my story is a big part of the Plot. And it is also a mystery whether the antagonist in my story IS a Villain...or if he's helping the main character. Again another mystery.
So look at your own story and your own plot, and use the Perspective that best suits what you want it to do.
And remember that you can always use a Close First Person View, where you see the introduction of the Villain purely from the Main Character's POV.... but add small details that Foreshadow.
Like adding a small detail here and there ...nothing big... that HINTS at something more sinister.
A micro-expression, a flash of a sneer gone so fast the main character thinks he's imagined it. Or specks of red-brown drops on his white shirt --hinting at blood, but the main character may think he spilled wine, and so on.
Just make sure to avoid the trap of getting into every single character's head.
I read a lot of fanfiction, and that is the biggest mistake I see people use, and I've found it hard to avoid myself.
As JK Rowling said in an interview; The Author must know EVERYTHING, but share only a little.
Try a few different ways and see what fits your story best.
And good luck.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Oh, yes. My antagonist is going to be in the background of my first few books. A mysterious person in the shadows that is only rarely seen to do anything, and what he does do is so small and inconspicuous that it's hard to take serious as a threat.
My antagonist is a strong follower of Chaos Theory. A little nudge here. A push there. And the events unfolds.... And he observes...
My story will be a revealing of the dangers that lurks just beneath the surface of the normal, everyday world. And between the natural world and the unnatural one, there is plenty of monsters ...human and inhuman... that will cross the main character's path.
And as those around him is still unaware of this hidden world, he will also have some conflicts there. Especially when it comes to the monsters that look like humans, and hide what they really are.
And few more or less helpful side-characters that he'll meet along the way.
For my first book the Villian doesn't appear until the 2nd or 3rd chapter, but isnt presented as the Villian until almost the end. However, the main "Villian" for the story/world doesn't actually appear until the 2nd trilogy 😅. The main Villian is mentioned throughout the 1st trilogy, but isnt "Awoken" until the 2nd trilogy.
Now there are more Villians in the story, but thats kindof an easy explanation of when my Villians are introduced.
Even if they aren't seen, as long as you have them impacting the hero through henchmen or other actions/devices, you're good.
My villain is first mentioned at the start of chapter three right after the inciting incident and the group he leads keeps being mentioned, but you don't actually see him until chapter 7.
Are these tips equally functioning for all antagonists?
I have one story where the protagonist is the Villain, and the Hero is the Antagonists.
And it is tricky to keep the Villain Villainous, yet likable. And make the Hero a TRUE Hero, yet the antagonist of the story.
No one has ever written such a book before. Villain's Pride comes close, but even Blackwell is more of an anti-hero than a true Villain.
I find it an intriguing concept to explore, but very tricky.
Do you have any advice on that?
That's a unique situation, but consider introducing the hero while showing their potential for evil
Also, yesterday I dropped a new video based on your request for introducing everyday characters: th-cam.com/video/6Y-NRMzfr9U/w-d-xo.html
Death Note is not a book but still about a villain as protagonist fighting righteous detectives.
Two current works in progress the villain or villains are immediately introduced. The first, a serial killer during his first murder. The second, seven alien dictators from a highly advanced society that arrive with their armies on a somewhat primitive world, conquer it, and essentially enslave its people.
half life 2, lol
I've already published the book on Kindle but it didn't get any attention("Sector 3 Elite") if you like action/scifi then please give it a read. Spoilers but my villain is revealed late in the book, like the 95% mark, because it is a bridge to a soon-to-be sequel. The twist villain is revealed sort of in the middle, but then the hero realises that the guy he thought was the villain was actually the good guy, and goes back to "kill" (wink wink) the real villain.
I introduced my villain early in chapter 2. They started talking about her in ch 1.
Awesome--instant conflict!
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty she doesn't do anything evil to the mc in chp 2 but u get to see her personality and how cruel she is.
I took a more subtle approach to my "villains" and focused more on conflict between and the dangers of the world. I think of it as the "main villain is in another castle" or "mini boss" approach. Thoughts on that?
*Dang it,my “villain” gets referenced in the prologue and actually appears at the beginning/middle of the second book in my duology… my villain involves being possessed/corrupted,what do I do?Do I just slowly corrupt him during the story or corrupt him as soon as possible at the beginning?*
Well,I have a second villain that gets development.Does that count?
Idk if the science fiction novel I’m currently working on has a villain per se but I’m kind of demonizing the u.s government and I introduce a bunch of masked goons from them as sort of the villains for an inciting role though there are others who want to sabotage the mission my characters are preparing for to one of Jupiter’s moons. Is that too complicated.
My story has a lot of questionable groups who very well could be villains. One group introduced in a cryptic intro, but then another two (one unknowingly) introduced in the first act. One of these groups is pure nightmare fuel. A member of the said nightmare fuel group will eventually become more prominent and break out as a more main villain. Either way, it becomes apparent that every one has motives and agendas. Not sure if it will pan out, but if my readers have anxiety induced panic attacks, then mission accomplished. lol
What about if the Villain is sort of meant to be the ultimate manifestation of a concept/belief/system (blanking on the word I'm looking for) that is recurring in the story. Of course the main villain is still taking actions that affect the story moving forward, but if the character "Wasn't actually the villain" but to reference the Motivation video his Deep belief is "the true villain" and the antagonist themselves is simply the last and ultimate avatar for Ideal. If that Ideal presented itself as early as possible, would that still work as establishing the villain character as early as possible even if their actual presence is past that 30%. This would of course be a longer story.
So an example would be if the villain would be something like Nationalism, or Pride, something that even the protagonist or their allied supporting cast could even display at times, but there is still a big bad who has been basically completely swallowed up by that ideal.
What do you do when the main villain is also the main character such as in the film “The Social Network”?
I'm writing a story where the villain is the protagonist. I started thinking in his mindset when thinking about what to do outside with a friend. We started doing a sort of a comic book like, T.V. show like story, and I played the villain. He was the hero. I really got to know the villain- Nightshade- so even if I wrote the title sounding like it was revolving around the hero, it centered near Nightshade, with the hero taking on a bit of a side role. Then I just changed the title to revolve around the villain. "Nightshade was a normal 12 year old, named McScall, though he preferred to simply by called Scalla. He went on a field trip to a science corporation's lab. A corporation called the SSA. (I didn't name it. We had another friend help. He named it.) The tour took a totally safe path. That was a problem. What was the point of going to an awesome place if you see nothing awesome? So Scalla turned down a different corridor... he wanderee, into a dimly lit room. With a strange, somewhat liquidated material banging on a glass case. Urging to escape. Scalla did what any sensible person would do in that situation... pushed a big red button. The liquified, deep violet and gloomy crimson creature lurched onto Scalla's leg. And assimilating into his leg. Beginning a process bonding the two almost inseparably. The creature was called... Nightshade." The powers being fire, and lightning. The hero's weakness, you ask? Electricity. It's pretty much just Spiderman but our own adaptation, as the hero is Spiderkid, and the villain is Venom with vastly different powers and skills, but still too close to be called anything but Spiderman. Maybe I'll eventually change the hero. But Nightshade stays. I'm thinking the antagonizing force would either be internal, or an assassin hired by the TRUE antagonist.
" I really got to know the villain- Nightshade" That's something a lot of writers fail to do. They neglect to learn who their villains are and just throw them into the story as half-baked bad guys
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Woah! You sill reply to these? That's awesome! Thank you! And I agree. If the villain's not going to be felt as a person, then they only exist to stop the hero for almost no reason. Which makes... little sense.
@@lordfawful2329 Haha yeah I'm not dead yet. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Why as Brandon talks about villains do his eyes gleam like a villain's eyes?
First story, but you don't know he is the villain yet. He really doesn't isn't found to do anything villainy for a long time. Like Momento...
I was thinking about introducing my antagonist by having the protagonist come cross her past and current crimes.
That's good, especially if it hypes up the antagonist as a major threat. Sometimes you can show us a lot about a villain's character by simply showing the acts they've committed
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Is it okay for two characters to have one or two of the same characteristics or not?
@@danterobles4819 Sure! In fact, try to show those characteristics in a different light. Like maybe one character is loyal to his family and that loyalty keeps the family together. But then another character is loyal to an abusive mentor and that loyalty leads to the character being unhappy or corrupted.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty okay
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I have one protagonist and three main characters. Is it okay for my villain to have a shard of their experience, personality and behavior?
I’m wrote a new version of a new hope it based off of what if episodes of starwars 1 2 and 3 We’re good and starwars lost of hope anther what if c3po and R2d2 never made it. Of course in my version the droids did made it but With Princess Leia in tow to fix a plot hole Instead of making her message on the ship she makes It on the planet after realizing their surrounded by dessert and the droids have a better of going through it than her so she waits for the empire to capture her and knowing this about villain introducing I have Vader introduce in the usual way he comes through the ship after the troopers blast everything and strangling the captain and ordering troopers to find the escape pod but after is captured she is sent to the death where meets Vader She yells at him attacking her ship but says. Don’t be surprise your highness you weren’t on any merciful mission this time. Than anther voice says. Indeed. And behind Vader reveals Tarkin which Leia says Governor Tark I suspected you holding Vader less I smelled your foul stench when I was brought on board and usual charming line charming until the last, but Leia says you won’t get away this the imperial senate will.. The imperial senate is no longer any concern What? Leia said. Oh didn’t you hear the emperor dissolved it the last remnants of the Republic have been Sweat away so no one is coming to your rescue not the senate or you rebel friends. So for now you will be taken to your cell and Will discuss their location in the mean time as Leia taken to her cell Tarkin whispers to Vader how he plans to destroy Alderaan to make her talk. Though the emperor is the main villain I have him making short appearances through out hologram as he summons Vader, Vader summons him or he summons Tarkin to chastise him for destroying Alderaan but while he appears his face is never shown except his mouth but in my second story I don’t plan to reveal the emperors face until the very end where the emperor welcomes Tarkin to his castle but little does he know the Emperor plans to kill him for making a personalize super weapon that Tarkin thought he was complete Secret here’s how I plan to Reveal The emperor face is first by the mouth then palpating yellowish eyes showing through his clock and just when the emperor is about kill Tarkin his wrinkled old disfigured face is shown as he laughs as he kills him sith lighting
Mine will be chapter 3.She really messes up my main character's world! Her entire tribe gets wiped out.
Great timing! Sounds like you nailed your inciting incident.
My book is about a guy with super speed trying to reunite people with powers. At one point he paints a graffiti and uses his speed to run away from them.
Nice--best of luck with the writing!
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty ty
@@cosmos-wp9ft Anytime
you should do a video on a situation where the hero and villain never meet in person