HOW TO WRITE COMPELLING VILLAINS | Tips for Creating Unique and Memorable Antagonists

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ค. 2024
  • Plus tips on HOW TO WRITE A REDEMPTION ARC if you stick to the end 👀
    Unlock the secrets of crafting captivating and compelling villains with this video! Join us as we delve into the art of creating compelling antagonists that will leave your audience spellbound.
    Discover the key elements that make villains memorable, from their motivations and backstories to their complex personalities. Learn how to infuse depth and nuance into your villains, making them more than just one-dimensional adversaries.
    With practical tips and examples, you'll gain the tools to write villains that challenge and engage your audience on a whole new level! And as a bonus for those of you who stick to the end I'll even be including a guide for how to write believable redemption arcs!
    So hope you enjoy, and happy writing!
    📚 TIMESTAMPS 📚
    0:00 Intro
    00:30 Who They Were Before
    05:41 Why They Fell
    10:17 Redemption Dos and Don'ts
    14:14 What's Next

ความคิดเห็น • 28

  • @kai.mcc.
    @kai.mcc. 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    I'd love to hear your thoughts on Arcane. The plot and the characters themselves are so complex and well written.

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yes I love that show so much!! I’m planning to release a video on it in time with the new season dropping. So hyped 👏

  • @ellie7252
    @ellie7252 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    personally, what I find to be very helpful is to not write your villains with the thought of 'good' or 'evil' in mind, nor 'protagonist' or 'antagonist'. sure, in the final result, the character will be the antagonist of the story (usually), but writing them like this in mind may cause them to be so obviously their role. to fully envelop your reader into that world, I feel as though the best method is to write them as the person they are, and have disagreements between them and the protagonist simply come from who they are. if there's agreements between your protagonist and antagonist? that can make them all the more interesting, as long as the protagonist opposing them despite this still makes sense.

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Ooo that’s a good way to think about it! That’s really interesting 🤩

    • @ellie7252
      @ellie7252 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@WritingWithAsh happy to help dude! c: loved the video!

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@ellie7252 💙

  • @DelaronZarath
    @DelaronZarath 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I really enjoyed the video! I wonder about whether it's really necessary to provide a specific backstory for a villain to make him more compelling. Take, for instance, characters like Ganondorf from 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.' In his case, his actions seem to make sense even without knowing his backstory. Perhaps this is because, in games, we often see the villain's perspective through the eyes of the protagonist, and in real life, we seldom have access to a villain's backstory when we encounter them. Maybe sometimes you wouldn't even want to portray a villain as human, but more like a force of nature to terrify the viewer and make "winning" against the villain feel more cathartic?
    It's possible that there are different categories of villains. Some may have specific reasons for turning to villainy and could potentially be redeemed, while others may not have a defined backstory but instead have developed their values through life experiences that led them down a dark path. In Ganondorf's case, it could be attributed to a strong aversion to mercy and a deep desire for power and control, shaped by his upbringing in the harsh desert environment, where weakness could come at a high cost.
    Interestingly enough, none of this is explicitly stated in the game, but the way Ganondorf is portrayed and how he behaves convey a compelling narrative on their own.

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 😄 And I think you make a great point. I definitely think that some villains don't need a backstory, especially ones who we don't want to appear "human". In my opinion, what it really comes down to is an understand of why they are they way they are, even if it doesn't necessarily stem from a specific moment. It could be as simple as "they're an embodiment of evil" or "they represent something to the reader". You're making me want to learn more about Ganondorf!

  • @kingrabies4468
    @kingrabies4468 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Nice video! I really enjoy the examples you use to show villains with clear motivations and logic from their backstories, however, I think a "compelling" villain might be more defined by how well they serve their role in the story, ie - being an antagonistic driving force for conflict.
    I think you can see a lot of this in original Disney villains like Maleficent or Cruella DeVille, whose motivations are entirely selfish and petty, Maleficent's being based on a pretty minor personal slight and Cruella's just straight up fully and entirely wanting to commit mass puppy murder. Neither of them have backstories (if you dont count the remakes), neither of them have coherent logic, but neither of them fall flat because they do such a good job of being thoroughly evil and following their own internal logic; pettiness, selfishness, etc.
    either way, I can't disagree that a villain with a strong backstory will always win me over.

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it 😄
      I do agree that depending on the kind of villain you're aiming for, backstory may not be required. Disney villains are a great example of that! I think it depends what kind of villain you're trying to write; usually in the sorts of stories I read and watch (or write) the villain is just as detailed and / or relatable as their heroic counterpart, but that's not the only way to do it.

  • @anim-style
    @anim-style 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Loved the video about Catra you explain things so well

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thank you! 😊

    • @anim-style
      @anim-style 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@WritingWithAsh you're welcome

  • @yogseventy-nine3460
    @yogseventy-nine3460 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    thanos should have team up with santa claus and use the naughty list instead of randomly make half of the universe disappear...
    so, what would be your motivations as a villain ?

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      LOL gotta be honest that would be such a fun plot twist 🤣
      Hmmm 🤔 if I wiped out all the other authors, I would be the greatest writer ever MWAHAHAHA (jk LOL 😂idk honestly. Suppose that's why I'm not a villain! Yet...)

    • @yogseventy-nine3460
      @yogseventy-nine3460 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@WritingWithAsh don't forget to plan a fake attempt against yourself to be a witness and not a suspect !

  • @Now_Roxas
    @Now_Roxas 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Bill Cipher and Azula do the best of just villainy. Unavaatu was shit though

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Sorta agree yeah 😅
      I didn’t really care about that season much, but I do think that the division between her and her family that formed was an interesting thing to explore.

  • @tylerlyon773
    @tylerlyon773 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Great video not sure why it was recommended but still cool

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thank you! I'm glad it got recommended then 😂

    • @tylerlyon773
      @tylerlyon773 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@WritingWithAsh me 2

  • @matthewhungerford1861
    @matthewhungerford1861 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    villain and antagonists aren't always the same thing. the protagonist of overlord is a literal villain (the author said it himself) or silco became the antagonist from arcane as Vi did not like her 6 year old logic how the world worked was wrong

    • @WritingWithAsh
      @WritingWithAsh  4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Totally! Antagonists and villains don’t have to be the same thing, they’re just often used as the same from a narrative standpoint. I think that’s a good destination to make tho.

  • @alarichrul6639
    @alarichrul6639 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Well, I like villains too. But... Why exactly Jinx or Claudia from Dragon Prince are mentioned as villains. The most evil deeds of Jinx was accidentally killing stepbrothers and stepfather(Silco). Everything else is self-defense and war events.
    And Claudia is the only truly good character in the show. She is protecting her family, country and people who live there. She is antagonist, but she is the only hero. So called main characters there are actually villains or better say heroes on the wrong side. Yes, Claudia is a black mage, but it's a good thing. It's hypocrisy to claim black magic bad in Dragon Prince universe, since it saved thousand or millions of lives. At the same time, the princes allied themselves with dragons and elves who humiliated humans for thousands of years and definitely didn't learn their lesson.
    Still, I totally agree with what you said about Thanos, Zuko and Soran.

  • @JabamiLain
    @JabamiLain 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When I was 12/13, I did not see Sozin's plan as wrong. I thought it was Roku's fault the war went too far, for not using his status to expand diplomatically
    I know better now, of course. But occasionally, there's still that fire in me. The fire that embellishes the conquest campaign, or screams for the Fire Nation's self destruction. Because the truth is, worldwide multiculturalism is as bad as the Fire Nation's monoculturalism. And I for one believe in Darwinism every once in a while:
    -Multiculturalism encourages multiple cultures to exist, but designs boundaries to prevent interference amongst themselves, accidentally leading to lack of communication.
    Interculturalism however promotes interaction without a full takeover, which can either create new entire beliefs, or evolve the already existing ones, which is how human society should be working these days.
    As for Darwinism, I'm somewhat like "If it survives and stays alive, it deserves to exist.".

    • @trentonbuchert7342
      @trentonbuchert7342 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      How is worldwide multiculturalism bad? You can’t just say that without a supporting argument. It makes you sound like you don’t understand multiculturalism.
      And what exactly do you mean by “Darwinism”? It feels like you’re just saying words to sound smart.

    • @JabamiLain
      @JabamiLain 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​​​@@trentonbuchert7342 ah ! Ok, sorry.
      What I meant to say, is that multiculturalism encourages multiple cultures to exist, but designs boundaries to prevent interference amongst themselves, accidentally leading to lack of communication.
      Interculturalism however promotes interaction without a full takeover, which can either create new entire beliefs, or evolve the already existing ones, which is how human society should be working these days.
      As for Darwinism, I'm somewhat like "If it survives and adapts to stay alive, it deserves to exist.". The Fire Nation did not survive its own corruption and almost ended the world and its ecossystem instead of adapting or controlling it, therefore, it deserved to burn from the inside out.

  • @JabamiLain
    @JabamiLain 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Edit: I rewrote my previous comment in order to better specify what I meant.