Writing Prompt: That Antagonizing Force
2/4 April Course: Story Core — The Bad Guy
Prompt 2 of our Mini Course on Story Core the essential elements for a good story.
This week, we focus on: The Bad Guy
This antagonizing force stands in the way of your character achieving their goal. There has to be something or there isn’t much of a story.
Who’s going to pay to watch:
Guy likes a girl. Says “Hi.” They get married. The End.
Please.
We need the struggle, and this must be against a directly opposing force.
This force can be a person, a situation, or even a force of nature.
It’s important that the opposition between your character and the antagonizing force be logical. Think competing goals, fighting for the same prize or person, or world domination vs. salvation.
Like two people coming at the same thing from opposite angles, which makes for more interesting villains. Or love triangles!
Make them a worthy opponent.
Your character’s struggle should be challenging and engaging. The antagonizing force should represent a genuine threat to your character’s success or we just won’t care.
This can vary wildly depending on your character. Mr Bean can fight an epic battle with a wobbly shopping cart, but the more capable Mr Bond needs a Goldfinger to set their teeth into.
Give them a clear motivation.
Their own goals and motivations that make sense in the context of your story. Make them well-rounded and believable.
Just another guy who wants the same girl. Or a woman snubbed by corporate America out to get what she deserves. Bad guys are people too.
Use their presence to create tension
Even when the antagonizing force isn’t present in a scene, their presence should be felt. This creates a sense of unease and anticipation for when they do make an appearance.
You can have the hero constantly deal with the effects of their actions, their henchmen or their carefully laid traps, so their genius is felt every step.
Make them more than just a villain
They should have their own backstory, flaws, and complexities that make them interesting to the reader.
Give them their own story core but set it against your hero’s so the conflict is there from the beginning and it drives the story forward.
Use them as a mirror for your character. Sometimes the best way to reveal your character’s flaws is to have them face off against someone who embodies those flaws.
Now, get writing!
Here are some ideas you can try out or make up one of your own:
Marcus is a notorious thief who wants to pull off the biggest heist in history and retire in luxury. But a determined detective is hot on his trail, making it increasingly difficult for Marcus to stay one step ahead. He struggles to outsmart the detective and get away with the loot, but will his greed lead to his downfall?
Dr. Rebecca Warren is a mad scientist who wants to create the ultimate weapon and hold the world at her mercy. But his experiments have gone awry, and the AI she created has turned on her, threatening to expose her plans to the authorities. She struggles to regain control and keep her secrets safe, but will her creation be her undoing?
Samantha is a ruthless businesswoman who wants to dominate her industry and crush her competitors. But a new startup is disrupting the market and threatening to steal her customers. She struggles to maintain her dominance and eliminate the competition, but will her cutthroat tactics backfire and lead to her downfall?
300 words for the story bits.
Tag your story as you like, e.g. Fiction or Flash Fiction
But don’t use Writing Prompts please.🙏 link back to the prompt so others can find it too.
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