I'm going to do this in list format because that's how my brain is working right now.


The first step to figuring out why my villains weren't working as antagonists was getting their backstories straight. I needed to know where they were coming from, and what the true motives behind their actions were.

Once that started to unfold, so many things about their character began to make sense. Why my evil Lord of Darkness was actually a softie, and why my Queen of Light was not a cold, cynical, merciless tyrant, but a terrified woman left with no other options aside from callousness.

Discovering who they were made me see why they weren't operating as the evil villains of my story like they had in the planning stage. They were pure evil in that process. But now ... now they're human.

YOUR JOB: Sit down in a quiet room and chat with the character you thought was your villain. Figure out who they are and why. If they're like mine--playing the bad guy, but not really a bad guy--ask them why. What's making them act this way? Why haven't they tried to do something about it? (or have they?)


Of course, every story needs an antagonist. So a new problem rose when I embraced the true natures of my villains.

Who was going to fill their role?

Fortunately, this wasn't that difficult of a question, since the real antagonists had surfaced during the writing of the first and second drafts. The real problem has come in tying them more securely into the story, and connecting them to the main antagonist so that everything is cohesive and works together.

YOUR JOB: Examine your story. Who is giving your MCs the most grief? Who is thwarting their goals? Who stands in their way at nearly every turn? Who is out to get them? The villain your first thought might be the answer to some of these questions, but if there is anyone else in your story that earned themselves a yes on this list, I encourage you to take another look at them and their role in the story. Are they really just a side character, or are they the antagonist you've been missing?


Hopefully at this point, you know who your villain is and you know who your antagonist is. Now it's time to do some weeding and skimming. Hire that good antagonist that's been lurking in the shadows. It's time to give them a larger role in the plot of your story. It's time to find out their true character and motive.

And, though it's hard, fire your old villains. Don't get rid of them! They are in the story for a reason, most likely. Just because they're not actually your antagonists doesn't mean they're not meant for the book. They might have a role you have yet to uncover. Keep searching through their character to find it.

It might be annoying or slightly terrifying to make such big changes like these. But I PROMISE you, if your current villains aren't meant to be the antagonists, it will be so worth it. Your story will be so much stronger, and your previous villains might turn out to be valuable assets to your characters.

Keep your mind open! You never know who might come knocking on your brain with a story to tell.


Do you struggle with your antagonists and/or villains? How do you be sure you have them properly categorized? Do you find it hard to fire characters from their previous roles? Have you ever had to?