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Fluxxdog t1_isev9ux wrote

It's rather uncommon, but then my wife and I had a discussion the other day about "Villain Stories" or stories where the protagonist is the villain. You hear the trope of "The hero is defined by his enemy" when it's actually the other way around. Villains are, by necessity of the writing, defined by the heroes they're opposing. Otherwise, they have no reason to be at odds.

It's an interesting idea and one that's been bouncing in my head. How do you write a villain that's

  1. Defined by himself, not his opponent
  2. Engaging enough for the audience
  3. Staying in character as a villain
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andrew687 t1_isf0de5 wrote

Excellent questions! I guess I hadn’t taken the time to think about how to make a villain who is so fully fleshed out that they stand on their own like this. I think you’ve given me my next writing challenge!

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