I mean, as authors, we certainly have moral/human values that we uphold in real life. However, when we write a conflict narrative through villain antagonists, we're forced to depict acts of crime or immorality that often run counter to our ethical values. So, how do you feel about it?
That's a really good question.
Brings to mind a few things that I try to bear in mind.
1. I want you to hate that villain. I mean when the villain's name is mentioned or alluded to, I want those visceral feelings of dread, anxiety and you wanting that character erased from all existence for the good of all that is living and sacred to surface. That's the point. You're supposed to hate them.
2. I want you to understand them. The more you understand about them, the less empathetic you should feel toward them. The more dread they should inspire when the reality sets in that there is no changing the mind of that villain. There's no appeal to some sense of reason. That is a mind that is made up. That's a morale killer. Worse still, you understand that they have a point, even if that point is made poorly, even if you agree but you believe in your soul, whatever it is they're doing "This Is Not The Way!" That's the part that should terrify you, that with the villain, hope is an ever-dangling carrot on a stick.
3. The villain will forever alter the protagonist.
Villains are fun for me to write because I'm acknowledging that all that stuff, it's there. It's in my head and that is some uncomfortable stuff to face at times.
The trick of it is that, in my love of tabletop roleplaying games, ironically, that's what got me back into writing fiction because I wanted to share the worlds that where happening in my head from my games with everyone else. Welcome to the 26-Chapter Backstory of our characters.
Anyway, we're writing a pretty dark world with very dark forces right now and listen, writing a villain should be a lot of fun, really go for it. Like, use it to channel the really raw, angry, petty, spiteful...feel the hatred floooow through you but here's the kicker, make a game out of it. Thousand Year Old Vampire and Lichdom are two games that come to mind and you control the level of morality. Go take a walk on your dark side. When you put all that on the paper page of a composition book. When that page is stained with strokes of ink, then there it is, it's out of you. You don't have to worry about that anymore. Now take all that and go create a compelling villain, one that makes your protagonist that much more interesting because they have something that they have to battle for the sake of all those around them. No one's going to look at Thomas Harris and think, "Bro thought of Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter...weirdo" they're thinking "Dude, that's the guy that created Hannibal Lecter! I gotta get my copy signed!" because he wrote compelling villains.
No pun intended, go roll the dice on yours.
It's okay to be comfortable knowing that that's a part of you but be in control of that. Break open in the event of an emergency.
Go play something dark and if you want to include it into The Nocturneverse, let me know. Table's open.
