Just realized I was writing antagonists all wrong for like 7 years

I used to make my villains just evil for the sake of being evil. You know, mustache twirling, kick puppies, that kind of thing. Then I read this book last month where the bad guy genuinely thought he was the hero of his own story. Made me rethink every character I ever wrote. Now I ask myself: what does this person want, and why does it make sense to them? Changed my whole approach. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized your bad guys were too flat?

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noah9141mo ago

Oh man, I had that same realization a few years ago... it was like a lightbulb went off. I started giving my antagonists a core belief that they'd stick to even if it made them do terrible things, and suddenly they felt way more real. That shift from "evil" to "believable motivation" made my stories so much better.