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I agree that villains/antagonist are always the most fun aspect of the story to create. They’re usually what drives the protagonist into his or her mission, so they’re usually my starting point for developing a story. Even if you don’t include a chapter from the villain’s perspective in the book, it’s not a bad idea to write a chapter for yourself from the villain’s perspective, to help you as a writer have a better understanding of the character.

Creating a tragic background for an antagonist is usually easy for me, the hardest part I have is how I am going to portray the villain. Are they going to insane? Violent? Reserved? There are so many clichés at this point for villains, it’s challenging for me to create an original one.

Usually, my antagonist will have a goal or a mission they are trying to accomplish, which not only the antagonist will consider good, but also the audience reading it. For example: trying to save a race of people who’ve been enslaved for years unjustly. But while the villain is trying to accomplish this mission, they are conflicted by something personal in which challenges their mission, such as a friend interfering.

I don’t really like portraying my villains as evil, but rather, as people who believe something is genuinely good, but have to make sacrifices to accomplish their goal, just like any other person. I basically have to try and convince audience that the villain is good.

I could go on and on about examples, but I won’t bore everybody with my lengthy messages, unless they ask for it specifically. 🙂

~Lord of Watermelon