Okay, so we've unleashed him to thwart the main character at every turn; he's clever, cunning and he'll make the good guys really suffer. But is he interesting? Imagine being trapped in a corner at a party by a dull sociopath. (Wait, didn't that just happen to you a few months ago?) Don't make your reader experience that.
1) Give him a past. Lavish some thought on how he became who he is.
2) Give him a pet. Or a potted plant. Or a penchant for picking up litter. Give him one nice quality to add dimension.
3)Give him a quirk. This will make him seem more real and you can use the detail to build suspense. He likes to eat Skittles? By the end of the book, the reader should break into a cold sweat whenever a Skittles wrapper is seen on the ground.
Assumptions:
1)You know that I don't mean that only guys can be bad guys, right? Women make terrific villains.
2) You know that "bad guy" stands for "romantic rival" if you're writing a romance.
3) You know that the "bad guy" can be a shark, a virus, the government, an addiction, a mental illness or even a concept like greed or pride.
4) It's okay to eat Skittles while typing.
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