Lately, I’ve enjoyed writing short stories from the point-of-view of my villains. My current work-in-progress will contain several, so it has been a good writing exercise. Months after reading these stories, several in my writers’ group commented on how much they not only hated my villains, but loathed them—with a visceral revulsion at how disturbingly evil they were. So I thought I would share some tips on my process for crafting them.

Simply having the villain commit evil deeds is not enough. Part of the fun of writing from the villain’s perspective is diving into their psyche, getting to know them at a deeper level. Just like the protagonist, they have motives, wounds, and flaws. They also have fears, enemies, secrets, regrets—and relationships.

Tip 1. Create a backstory

Perhaps some people are born evil, but that would be a rare case indeed. Something needs to have occurred in the villain’s past that has left a scar, something unhealed, that still needs fixing. In my novel, Token of Betrayal, I built the backstory for a secondary character who stars as the villain of the second novel in the series. Understanding the driving force behind their actions helps to build a credible character arc. Although the reader may despise the antagonist’s behavior, they understand the motive is deeper than just random hateful acts.

Tip 2. The villain doesn’t view himself as a bad person

Humans are amazingly skilled at judging others harshly, even as they excuse their own similar behavior. For example, we may decry someone who speaks harshly to a coworker. Yet how many times have we yelled at a family member or neighbor, then justified our behavior by placing the blame on the other person. They deserved it!

A villain may not perceive their behavior as evil or depraved, but merely righting a wrong or enforcing justice. Their twisted logic makes them more compelling and their actions more abhorrent. In my short story, An Eye for an Eye, found in the Paper Lantern Writers anthology, Destiny Comes Due, my villain rationalizes his contemptible acts as necessary to protect his reputation and future career prospects.

Tip 3. Some people will align with the villain

My favorite way of looking at this is: One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. We see this throughout history—and even today. Not everyone thinks alike, nor has a similar life experience. People choose sides and wonder how anyone can support the opposing viewpoint.

Often, real life villains present as charming, grooming people to think they are upstanding citizens. But away from the eyes of those they have deceived, they commit horrible deeds. Despite evidence, their supporters refuse to believe the truth and defend them. Consider Ted Bundy, a man who presented as charismatic and trustworthy. That was how he was able to lure women away and murder them. When exposed, those who knew him well found it difficult to believe he was capable of such heinous crimes.

Tip 4. The villain wants something

We have all heard the quote, “The end justifies the means.” While a villain who creates mayhem for its own sake can be fun, like the Joker in the movie The Dark Knight, for most stories, it only makes them unbelievable.

Just like the protagonist, the villain needs a goal, a motive, and story arc. There can be many motivations: love, hate, wealth, fame, power, revenge, or even protecting something important to them. Javert from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables was a man simply doing his job as a police inspector. Upholding law and order was important to him. He made it his life’s mission to capture Jean Valjean, a criminal who broke parole. Javert wasn’t an evil man, just misguided, seeing the law in black and white with no room for mercy.

Tip 5: Step it up

Don’t begin with the villain at his most depraved. Let the reader experience their descent into greater levels of warped thinking as their deeds become more despicable. Whether their intent is to regain something that is lost, or to get something they desire, what steps will they take to remove any obstacle to achieving it? Once the villain gets what they want, do they continue down the same path? Do they become so jaded they now considers insidious acts not as evil, but business as usual?

Don’t be afraid to take the villain beyond the point of redemption, as I did in my novel, Betrayal of Trust. Not everyone will get their day of reckoning. Maybe the villain achieves their goal—or not. That is for the author to decide—unless the villain was a real historical figure, then history has made that determination.

When writing villains, don’t just make them evil or misguided. Give them real goals and motives, flesh them out into well-rounded, three-dimensional characters like the protagonist. No one is evil all the time, so give them a heroic moment or two.

Have fun with the process. Get into the villain’s head—and make them unforgettable!