Monday, February 18, 2008

Is Your Antagonist a Dog?


I was reviewing my plot today when something dawned on me. It was a musty, drooly thought. My antagonist was dragging my plot off into the backyard and burying it! Indeed, my antagonist had gone to the dogs. Here's how to tell:

1) Your antagonist chases cars for no reason. If your main character is always on the run, make sure your antagonist has a good reason to be in pursuit, other than the fact he's the bad guy. Give us some plausible and understandable motivation.

2) Your antagonist barks and barks, but you've chained him to a tree. My antagonist makes lots of threats, but he doesn't actually do much of anything other than stand around looking terrifying. Why? Because I am overly fond of my main character and I hate to have him suffer more than a hang-nail. Bad idea. Let the conflict loose.

3) Your antagonist is easily fooled. Fake throwing a stick and a dog will chase after thin air. Repeatedly. We love dogs for their gullibility. But an antagonist needs to be complex and at least as smart as the main character or there will be no satisfaction when the hero prevails.

In short: Give your antagonist good reasons for doing wrong, make them clever and let them do some damage.

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The how and the why of writing fiction

It's easier and harder than you imagine