The Villain

A narrative is driven by the behavior of the villain. The villain defines the nature of the conflict. Every story has a villain. When you can identify your villain, this nasty character who tricks you into being less than yourself, then you can begin to defeat him.

I was going to write about the Trickster archetype. But when I did some research I found that he is an anti-hero who wins the day by using wise deception. The prominent example is Prometheus. Prometheus is the Greek God who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to human kind. Much good came from his actions.

So I am not talking about Tricksters, I am talking about villains. Villains mean you no good. We have all had interactions with a bully and some have met with the Devil. This guy is charming and gives people what he thinks they deserve. There are also outcasts and others with malevolent motivations.

To write your story using traditional stories as a template. You can make your Villain be anything you want. He or she can be a dragon, troll, queen or black wizard. The important thing to remember is that the motivation of your villain is key to his power and your struggle. The Villains motivation is part if the concerto that is your narrative. Villains are motivated by feelings of being outcast. This is often combined with a fervent belief in a cause. Many times villains are just mean because they are mean.

If for example, your story was about a struggle with drug abuse, the villain might be a dark magician who a skilled at slight of hand. He offers glitter and joy but delivers only smoke and mirrors. Often a villain will begin by providing a needed service and end up trying to take your most precious possessions. Just as Rumplestiltskin help the hero spin straw into gold but then demanded her first-born child in payment. Sometimes he villain is just greedy and wants what the hero has.

Bringing the Villain into your story brings the narrative to life and provides you with the chance to identify the problem without identifying with the problem.

The next challenge then is to identify and develop the tools that the hero needs to overcome the villain.