The best advice I can give to write a great Protagonist and Antagonist is to realize that an antagonist is not always the villain and the protagonist is not always the hero...and also "Every villain is the hero of their side of the story".

@anguirus6803

2 жыл бұрын

Good advice

I need to watch this video once a day until I write my whole book. This is worth meditating on daily

It's strange that I haven't heard this expressed so clearly before.

@brohannmgcee

7 жыл бұрын

AJ Books Same thing I was thinking. Thank you, Chris!

Also, it's great to make antagonist's greatest power protagonist's greatest weakness. It moves their conflict to more personal level. It perfectly applies to Luke Skywalker - his weakness is urge to revenge his father's death. But when he finds out that person he fights is actually his father, he is devastated and forced to change himself.

If your antagonist has a character arc, then they aren't strictly speaking the villain but the anti-hero.

@ObaREX

2 жыл бұрын

Huh never thought of it that way

In the opening scene of Star Wars, we see Vader grab a rebel by the throat with one hand, lift him off the ground, crush his throat and then toss him aside like a rag doll. THAT is the demonstration. Unforgettable.

I’m making a book inspired by jaws and I was so happy to see a jaws reference.

Good video, brother! I found it very useful and I'm definitely going to check out your other ones.

Amazing advice!!! Best and most clear I have heard in ages....Many many thanks!

Just subscribed to your channel and it has by far been the most infomative, helpful and inspiring vids I've come across with regards to writing sci-fi/fantasy keep up the good work Chris

Please keep at it, sir!

4:35 - Thanks for spoiling the movie, d'uh! ;p

Thank you for this video. I was so stuck on this one part of my book before seeing this.

*lightbulb* moment. Thanks , Chris!

Thank you so much for your tips! I like the way you make everything so clear and understandable. And I memorize things especially with examples, and yours are always great :D

Hi Chris, Thanks for your video's I find them really helpful. I was wondering if you have considered doing one on what perspective to write from? Many thanks Hannah

You rock, Chris.

Thank you! I've been unsure how to deal with the antagonist in my new story since no one will know who it is until the last book. But the person still needs motivation and a character arc - and now I've figured it out. :)

Just awesome man. Love it.

Thanks Chris. You always get straight to the point and give good, practical advice. jkr

Is there always an atagonist? Does a story have to have an antagonist? Are circumstances possibly an atagonist? You can tell it's a good insight you've just picked up when it spawns so many questions like this, thanks for your vids.

@ChrisFoxWrites

6 жыл бұрын

The literary community is split on that answer. Some would argue that an anti-plot or mini-plot story doesn't need one, but the question you need to ask is what size audience do you want for your work? It's absolutely possible to have a story where the villain is a tornado, or a failing space shuttle, or a plane crash where Tom Hanks ends up stuck on an island. But those stories are extremely difficult to write well, and generally have a smaller audience than those with a clear antagonist.

@oddluck4180

6 жыл бұрын

I mean, nobody really wants to read a book with no conflict.

@babblgamgummi6029

6 жыл бұрын

In school I learned that there conflicts of person vs. environment ; person vs. society ; person vs. technology ; person vs. themselves ; person vs. person and person vs. supernatural

@badbeardbill9956

6 жыл бұрын

Antagonists could be internal. Like if the protagonist was slowly going crazy and he had to fight the spiral into insanity.

@Omaricon

5 жыл бұрын

In some form, yes. A story isn't a story without a hindrance, and that hindrance is your antagonist. Doesn't have to be a person, like in this video it could be a shark or a tornado, but you do need some resistance in your story, or else it's not really a story, it's just stuff that happens.

thank you so very much for these tips!!

Super helpful,thank you!!💕🙌🏻✨

great vid thanks - in some movies i've found that the vilians are quite relatable - general zod from the new superman comes to mind - he was ruthless yet did what he could for his people - Magua from The Last of the Mohicans also comes to mind - a guy looking for revenge - these sort of villians make you think wider about things and to try and see things from a different persons perspective

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

Magua especially is a great example, IMO. We get why he's doing what he's doing, and even while hating him we never doubt his conviction or motivation.

Is it possible for something like addiction or an inferiority complex to be the antagonist? (You mentioned that a tornado would have a directional arc rather than a character arc...could this apply to a concept as well?)

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

Not in speculative fiction, not if you're looking to sell books. If you're writing a literary novel? Absolutely.

@susie5254

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@nightlady2001

5 жыл бұрын

They could be character flaws

I love your videos! This one will come in handy since my villain needs some tweaking.

Great info Chris. This is new information to me. I just tweaked my story so that the readers will hopefully see my villain's motivation. I don't think I can do a character arc for the villain, seeing he is pure evil. :)

Good stuff. To the point and informative. I'd not considered the first one. Thank you.

Very clear and understandable, thank you very much :)

Thank for this. You are teaching me so much.

How can I use these techniques if I am hiding the antagonist until the end? In other words, the protagonist suspects a traitor, but she doesn't know who it is until the end of Act two. However, the character is a prominent part of the story?

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

This isn't something I can answer without asking a lot more questions about your plot. What you're writing is a mystery, though. You need to show the power of this antagonist, without revealing their identity. Have them commit murders, or hacking, or whatever it is that makes them the antagonist. Have the hero getting closer and closer, but still not know who they're really hunting. Mystery is a tough genre to do well. Are you currently reading in that genre? I'd check out some of the greats and see how they build up the mystery around antagonists.

@torylva

6 жыл бұрын

One decent way to do this I find is to show the effects of the said antagonist without showing the actual person. Take for example a story about jack the ripper. A compelling villain no one saw or knew of, but everyone knows of him because of his deeds. The effect it had on the public mind and how he murdered brutally and spread fear. In a story, use that. Have people talk about it, let rumors fly about who it might be and most important of all, add to the atmosphere. Small words make the difference here. When you talk about the night someone was murdered, don't say it "It was a dark night, the rain pouring outside." Like it was any other day. Talk about it like it was something horrid "The night had a foreboding air to it, tendrils of mist hugging the walls as [protagonist] made his way along the alley. The furious red glare of the stormlantern piercing the silver mist, highlighting the bloodied footprints ahead of him, like the fading steps towards hell itself." Think on the words. Dull and Gloomy means the same thing, but leaves different emotions on the reader. (I am not exactly a great writer, but eh)

@foxcheetah6035

6 жыл бұрын

Give little hints here and there about the character being the villain. Give them a personality that won't have to change much once they betray the protagonists. Consistency is important for something like this, as well, so make sure each piece of the puzzle does match up.

@eliseloyacanoperl5032

6 жыл бұрын

In the tv show 24, the way the writers hid the main antagonist was by having a layer of other antagonists who looked pretty dangerous. When it turned out they were no more than lackeys, the "real" antagonist ended up looking all that much more menacing. (By the way, thanks, Chris Fox, for such helpful videos!)

@ickorling7328

5 жыл бұрын

I wouldnt really call that an antaganist- normally an antaginist drives the plot from a different perspective, and the audience knows the antagonist well. Like- what would avatar be if Zuko didnt show up till season 3? Still- the story does have the firelord at the end. Its your story though- maybe reference D&D dungeon master tips for this idea if you plan to stick with it?

great info!

Great video guy! You are a nice person

Awesome channel

Very helpful video

Very useful. x

I struggle with this a little, two of my stories have villains this could be tricky with. Villain A, I’ve developed his backstory an character, but he’s more the catalyst behind the scenes, until the climax of the story when he meets the protagonist and they talk. Only then do his motivations become clear. Villain B, is the villain of a trilogy, who is close to the protagonist until he reveals himself in book 3. There are three smaller villains, none of which are working with Villian B, two of which turns out to be opposed to the Villian B which makes them allies of the protagonist in the end. These don’t seem to fit too well with your rules but advice would be welcome.

my fave vid

How would you go about writing the story from the perspective of the antagonist? The only way I can see is to tell it 3rd person, then revealing in the third act that the whole pov was that of the bad guy explaining why they're the good guy. Thoughts?

An antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be a villain or the bad guy. They could be a good guy, but because the main character is a villain, the good guy is cited as the antagonist.

More character development videos please.

How do you fee the first two rules would apply to the tornado example? As in a non.character antagonist thats more of an obstacle or challenge.

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

I'd demonstrate the tornado's power by having it destroy a massive house, ideally killing someone close to the protagonist. A tornado doesn't have a motivation per se, but its very unpredictability could serve the same purpose. I tend to shy away from man versus nature stories, partly because it's very difficult to make a storm into a great antagonist.

Tortures his daughter, but for his boy he kills the Emperor. Good parents don't play favourites

What about a story where the antagonist's motivation isn't supposed to be clear? I'm currently plotting a book where the antagonist's motivation lies in a past event unknown to even his most trusted compatriot. The protagonist will spend the whole book trying to puzzle him out, and near the climax it's revealed that someone very close to the protagonist wasn't who she thought they were, and if they had made a different choice, the antagonist wouldn't have even arisen. Does this work?

@TurquoiseStar17

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, that's similar to mine, so I wonder this, too. There's two of them, they show up but are not interested in what you'd expect them to be after, act antagonistic, but not much is made clear about their motivation until much later. Challenging antagonists to write, I must say, because there's things I so want to reveal earlier.

@chrisrudolf9839

6 жыл бұрын

A good antagonist should have a clear motivation and should act believable upon that motivation, but of course that motivation doesn't have to be known to the Protagonist or the Reader from the start, it can be a mystery that isn't revealed until shortly before or even after the climax. However, if you want that to be an effective great reveal, the mystery has to be relevant throughout the story. Make other characters puzzle about the villains motive, drop hints that are intriguing and will all make sense in retrospect, maybe lay a false trace if you want it to be a plot twist. But avoid the Impression that the bad guy is the bad guy just "because he's evil" and don't have a Protagonist that doesn't give a shit about the villains motivation, otherwise your great reveal at the end would seem forced and the Reader would just shrug it off.

Yoshikage Kira from _Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable_ has these three characteristics. He's so good of a character that he made the entire story of Part 4 ten times better.

Good video, and a nitpick: your example of Darth Vader and his character arc over three films demonstrate something that I find disturbing in far too many movies that have a "redemption of the villain" aspect written into them. Somehow, everyone conveniently forgets that Vader (our example here) not only kills certain individuals, but helped wiped out an entire planet and shed nary a tear. We're supposed to conveniently forget all that by the end of the third film, though. Vader has been transmuted back into a good guy, with all looking like it's been forgiven as he is standing, ghostlike, next to Ben Kenobi and Yoda. Despite all that he has done, and all that we know that he has done, everyone is all smiles and happy. If you think about it, it's far less satisfying than the usual ending where the antagonist is ultimately destroyed because evil is not supposed to triumph.

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

An antagonist's arc doesn't have to be about redemption, necessarily. As storytellers we can choose the angle we go with. I also think that personal taste matters a lot. You say that it's far less satisfying. I'd argue that it's far less satisfying to YOU (and quite a few others), but I really enjoyed that arc myself. The idea that anyone can be redeemed regardless of past mistakes is attractive.

@badbeardbill9956

6 жыл бұрын

Vader doesn't get redeemed of those actions at all. Everyone is happy because they defeated the empire, not because Vader is now good. You're not supposed to conveniently forget, you're supposed to take it into account and realize how far he's come. He was totally okay with destroying planets not all that long ago, and now he's sacrificing himself for his son, saving the rebellion and basically dooming the empire.

Are those ribbons writing awards? Whatever they're for, congratulations.

@ChrisFoxWrites

6 жыл бұрын

They're from Toastmasters. Each represents a speech contest =)

Can a villain be a group of people, or a civilization? And if so, do these rules apply?

@dhenderson319

4 жыл бұрын

Same... my story is almost like country against country, commander against commander, king against king

@thomasbrian5531

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I’m trying to make the entire government corrupt. And it’s not a fight against JUST the leader, it’s a fight against the jurisdiction of the capital.

@dhenderson319

4 жыл бұрын

Carter Brian omg similar to me... but mine isn’t all corrupt. Many videos talk about making the characters grey and that’s what my govt system is.. there is bad and good, but the bad overpowers the good And the opposing side is the same, morally grey but the good overpowering the bad So my story takes place in the worse country that start picking on their allied country who retaliates and slaughters members of my govt (the royalty and Nobilty) So I have been thinking who the antagonists actually really are... initially I called the opposing country the antagonists but I am starting to think it’s my own king since most of this is his own fault

@thomasbrian5531

4 жыл бұрын

Dervii Henderson Wow that sounds very interesting. Mine is more of a society in which the villains are seen as the good guys whilst the heroes are looked down upon and prosecuted. Best of luck to your writing process, I hope to be able to read your book one day 😁

@dhenderson319

4 жыл бұрын

Carter Brian lol thanks that’s interesting too... hope to read your also🤗

Is an Antagonist who can Turn into a Dragon, is descended from the greatest dark sorcerer in History (in my story) Has a gifted ring which will play a major role in the story of the sequal, is considered to be the most powerful sorcerer of the current time (Until the protagonist discovers the truth of his past), excels at a certain element of magic, and is later cursed, considered OP? o.0 And should I use a character (or past character) who is one of the most famous sorcerers, named Merlin, who is the ancestor of the main protagonist? :T Or should I choose a different Name? (I mean, JK Rowling, writer of Harry Potter, uses Merlin a bit, at least I am told so, I never really read the books.) Oh, My antagonist, I asked if he was too OP, but there are Limitations. He he is bound to one form, one element, of magic. He is later cursed (like I have already said) he soon learns that someone has manipulated him, his ring, a gift from his ancestor, goes faulty and he becomes "trapped" in a sense that he can barely control the ring and his Dragone form slowly becomes permanent. I already started writing..... But I lost the document :( BTW it is my first book! xp

@limeman7553

5 жыл бұрын

Well, can you give an explanation either why or HOW the antagonist has these powers? Like, why did he have these powers? Cursed? Trained? Passed down? Found? Also, having limitations might help to an extent. If these powers can be overcome by a fluke within them, it can counter that strength. Or can the protagonist get around his strengths? Maybe he can find out his "exhaust port" to finish the antagonist. That all depends on you. If they are overpowered beyond repair, at least make the reader understand the fight the villian is going through or the benefits/downfalls from these powers. That all depends on you

“Kills the Emperor” Star Wars fans: mmmmm actually....

@ChrisFoxWrites

3 жыл бұрын

This video did not age well lol

I don't believe revealing the motivation of your antagonist is always necessary; for example Iago from Othello never has his motivations fully revealed and he is one of the strongest antagonists I've ever read.

@ChrisFoxWrites

6 жыл бұрын

Iago is such a fascinating villain. We know he hates Othello, but don't know why. We're forced to infer a reason, but I feel like Shakespeare gives us all the tools we need to do that. We see how Emilia attends Desdemona, and my take away is that Iago felt he and his wife were inferior. So much so that he wants to trick Othello into destroying himself by thinking his wife is having an affair. No rule in writing is absolute, but principles exist for a reason. I've learned the hard way that not showing my antagonist's motivation results in readers being less invested in the novel. You can get away without showing what caused them to want what they're after, but I'd argue that you most definitely need to show what that antagonist is after.

What happens if the antagonist loses? Like, if they have their power taken away from them temporarily. Does this negativity effect your story?

@ChrisFoxWrites

2 жыл бұрын

In general? Yes. It removes tension. Imagine if Vader had lost all power midway through Empire Strikes Back. It's the opposite of raising the stakes. But remember that every rule is made to be broken. What if they come back stronger later in the book? What if they are replaced by a stronger villain? You can make it work. Just be mindful of tension.

@jonesy7425

Жыл бұрын

@@ChrisFoxWrites Thanks for the clarification!

Wasn't darth vader pretty famous even before the third movie? Making the arc part irrelevant?

I see you’re using antagonist and villain interchangeably. Books like Artemis Fowl shows that the protagonist isn’t necessarily the hero, and the antagonist isn’t necessarily the villain.

@dhenderson319

4 жыл бұрын

Truth... I have several antagonists and no actual villain

OMG Chris, spoiler warning!!!! ;)

@ChrisFoxWrites

7 жыл бұрын

I wonder if somewhere in the world someone who hasn't seen Star Wars is going to have it ruined by me. I'll take the risk =p

@kelvaris1

7 жыл бұрын

I actually know a fellow Kindle Scout winner WHO HASN'T seen it. I keep telling her to fix it. Great video as always, Chris.

How do you write a protagonist that's meant to be villainous in nature.

I haven't seen ET....I prefer "The Thing"

@squirrelattackspidy

7 жыл бұрын

Which version? The original, the 1982 remake or the 2011 remake? :)

@frankblack676

7 жыл бұрын

Squirrel Attackspidy The original of course but the prequel was way better than i thought it would be.

@squirrelattackspidy

7 жыл бұрын

I agree with you about the prequel. My favorite was the 1982 version. :)

@frankblack676

7 жыл бұрын

So good, So relatable, isolation just breeds fear like Alien.

Thanks for the advice, If you want to hear my story click read more. Bendy, a villian born from the ink, is betrayed by his creators, henry stein, and joey drew. Henry, he left the old workshop, joey, he malicously neglected him, 30 years after henry left, he comes back because of an invite joey left. Along the way he meets bendy, boris the wolf, alice the (fallen) angel and the butcher gang, when henry reaches the full version of the ink machine, he goes in, and fights bendy's final form, beast bendy. (Made by Joey Drew Studios Co.)

Could you offer free lessons on good story telling to Katherine Kennedy? Her crew recently doubled down on stupid by declaring Rey more powerful than Vader. So... Vader over powered the Emperor. The Emperor offered Rey unlimited power at the end of Return of the revenge of the end of the fall of Skywalker. Why? How is Rey supposed to be tempted by that? What those movies prove is that Kennedy is no story teller and needs to take lessons

I swear the ads were so annoying I had to restart the video everytime I click on the vid it gave me an ad ;-;

if only the emporer stayed dead.

I don't get this video I click on this to learn about writing a antagonist not a villain there not the same

@ChrisFoxWrites

5 жыл бұрын

For our purposes villain and antagonist are interchangeable. In almost every form of commercial fiction they are one and the same. Who is the antagonist of Harry Potter? Star Wars? Mean girls? Lord of the Rings? In every case the antagonist is also the villain. It's absolutely possible to have an antagonist not be a villain, and if you're doing your job the antagonist should be sympathetic. Don't get hung up on semantics. Focus on principles.

@dhenderson319

4 жыл бұрын

Chris Fox yes the villain is the antagonist but the antagonist is not always the villain Like @Sarah M, I also have antagonists and not villains So I completely understand what she’s saying The rules more apply to villains than antagonists, atleast for my story since it’s more of country against country, king against king, commander against commander etc

Jeez, Star Wars spoilers! Just kidding

Darth Vader killed Obi Wan? Dude spoiler alert