Brain Drippings

Dreaming of Bad Guys!

So I woke up this morning and realized the problem with a story I'm working on is that I haven't defined the bad guy. This led me down a whole rabbit hole of thoughts and ambition...of my own, not of my bad guy...I still have to work on him/her/them.

Think about your favorite action movies or Disney cartoons. Without a well-developed, well-defined bad guy everything falls flat. I would argue that just as much thought should go into your antagonist as your protagonist.

Anyway, my brilliant idea, which would require an upgraded membership, is to start a contest for people who like to write stories about their bad guys. In my opinion, there are essential elements that for a compelling bad guy.

- More than just a trouble maker
- Relatable flaws
- Adaptable
- A compelling reason for what they are doing
- A personal stake in the conflict

I would even go so far as to say that without a compelling antagonist, you don't genuinely have a story. I know there are exceptions. Sometimes stories, especially short stories, and a glimpse at life and don't need a well-defined bad guy. Sometimes a situation (the zombie horde, climate change, end of summer, etc) is the antagonist, but even that grows, changes, and has flaws.

Okay, back to the problem with my story. I got so excited about the concept, I never stopped to think about a bad guy or what would motivate him. **face palm** Well now that I've figured it out, time to fix it.

Thanks for reading my rant and if you have any thoughts, I'd love to read them.

Peace,

ZombeeLuv