Writing fiction: the evil doers

[Arkane]

I write this here in the "general discussion" section because this post doesn't concern just one category of stories.

Creating well rounded characters is not always a must in bdsm/erotic fiction, often stereotypes will do, to a certain extent. But I really find difficult to read a NC-story where the main antagonist or "evil" character is not well defined.
In real life a lot of people are just that, simply ass**les that are ready to do everything to others even for a little gain. The world is full of these. In fiction I can't stand them. I really desire to find something more interesting in "evil" characters, and I have a difficult time in creating them.
What do you think about that?

[64Fordman]

Creating characters with unique human characteristics is challenging, but great evil personas with a streak of humanity running through a core of emotional deficiency, twisted morals and single minded obsession is most difficult.

I read once that Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, would write short stories from the perspective of his villains before writing the novel from the perspective of Bond to ensure he fully understood the antagonist’s emotional state and motivation.

When I am creating a character I either combine different traits from people I know or use TV or movie actors to assemble the desired persona.

Lobo had a productive conversation about writing in the old forum, perhaps he and other forum authors more skilled than I will provide some pearls on the subject.

[Daffy Duck]

Trish in the Human Garbage Company is as evil as Gromet might allow to be published on his website. Gromet does not like stuff that is too gruesome.

Daffy

[Arkane]

Trish in the Human Garbage Company is as evil as Gromet might allow to be published on his website. Gromet does not like stuff that is too gruesome.

Daffy

We are not speaking here of acceptable  practices or unacceptable ones, Daffy Duck.
Character creation and motives are common to any work of fiction.

[Daffy Duck]

Don't have a go at me.

I don't make the rules.

I know that when one of my story characters committed murder, Gromet refused to publish.

[Arkane]

This needs to be clarified. I'm not having a go at anyone.
Scenes about death, mutilation, serious injury, rape etc. are banned.
Still, a dangerous, evil character may well be within the terms of this website. Problem is how to create one that is not annoying.

[MaxRoper]

I like the Ian Fleming idea of writing from the villain's perspective. First person characters are generally more fully drawn because their thoughts can be presented easily. Even if, like Mr Fleming, it's just an exercise to make sure the character is somewhat believable before incorporating her/him into a story.

Of course that requires more writing time. Does anyone here have any extra?

[A Pensive Pen]

The best villains are usually the hero of their own story.

[64Fordman]

More time to write? Ian Fleming married rich and wrote at his Jamaican estate he called Goldeneye. Sadly his lifestyle also gave him plenty of time to smoke, a habit that took his life at age 56. So it depends how you look at it I guess.

But the question was about bringing villains to life.

Perhaps we can learn more about creating believable antagonists by discussing our favorite villains. I have mentioned Ian Fleming, but more people are familiar with the movies than the Fleming novels and his villains became cartoonish when adapted to the screen.

One exception, in my opinion, is actor Javier Bardem’s portrayal of the villain Raoul Silva in the Bond film ‘Skyfall’. Silva is a former MI6 agent who feels his government betrayed him after he was captured during a mission, even his suicide pill didn’t work, and launches an attack against the spy agency. Silva is an aging guy who just wants to live in peace on his stolen island, but he can’t rest until he exacts revenge. In one scene he says to Bond “running, killing, it’s so exhausting.”

During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Arthur Conan Doyle created one of the best known characters in literature, Sherlock Holmes. But the greatest detective of all time needed the greatest villain. Though he only appeared in two stories, ‘The Valley of Fear’ and ‘The Final Problem’, Dr. Moriarty is still one of the greatest villains of our time. Here is Holmes describing Moriarty to his friend Watson.

But in calling Moriarty a criminal you are uttering libel in the eyes of the law—and there lie the glory and the wonder of it! The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every devilry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations—that’s the man! But so aloof is he from general suspicion, so immune from criticism, so admirable in his management and self-effacement, that for those very words that you have uttered he could hale you to a court and emerge with your year’s pension as a solatium for his wounded character. That’s genius, Watson.
     — Holmes, The Valley of Fear

Presented as pure evil by Holmes, Moriarty displayed a human side in private. In one scene a man is wounded committing a robbery and Moriarty gives up half his share to ensure the man’s wife and children are provided for while he recovers.

Applying all of this to stories at the Plaza, it seems to me many stories designated as non-consensual are presenting a fantasy of the submissive character and the antagonist, or villain, is a tool to facilitate that goal making the dominant stereotypical or mechanical as their actions are designed to fulfil the fantasy.

[Arkane]

Usually I don't like stereotypal horny males as main antagonist characters. As a stock character, a dominant female works a little better (IMHO). But it's better if an evil character have something unusual in him/her. Or a motivation, vindication for his/her stance ("the hero of their own story").

In my opinion this must be established without taking too much space out of the story's core in order to maintain momentum and reader's interest (obviously this is more easily said than done). Probably the main character (if he/she is the "good" one) needs more space, but I don't think it has to work this way every time.

Just wanting to dominate others without further elaboration about it, or kidnapping and selling people for profit are sooo abused as evil character's backgrounds.

By the way I liked the Bardem character mentioned by 64Fordman. He had his own motives, and he was unsettling.

[jackierabbit1]

Some of the Bond villains for me fall into the insane genius category, a person right on the ragged edge with a foot in each world. I have attempted to create "evil" characters like that on occasion, but the writing takes time and is not entirely suited to erotic short stories. I also like the villain being the hero of his own twisted story concept, and this brings me to what I think could be a fun story twist if one can pull it off.

What if the evil character were to become the good guy or girl by the conclusion of her story, or once we the reader learned her story? The story could start with some typical damsel in distress scene, like some pretty young thing chained naked and spread eagle to a water wheel, she sputtering for breath as the wheel forced her head under water on every rotation as we the reader helplessly watch her torment. This erotic horror only one of the methods used to interrogate the damsel in question, her exposed body showing signs of other methods, perhaps some time with the whip that also failed to  loosen her pretty tongue.

Could we the reader then become sensitive to the needs of the masked evil torturer, he or she becoming the good guy once we find out what the pretty young thing had actually done to land in the dungeon? Perhaps she is in possession of some secret information that could save the local orphanage from some terrible fate, or feel free to insert whatever you like in place of the orphanage, like the location and time of detonation of the bomb under the schoolhouse, ect...

I think such could be a fun story line, and it wouldn't have to be terribly dark either, substitute waterwheel for tied spread eagled on a bed and tickled into hysteria for the award winning cookie recipe that had been stolen from it's rightful owner.

Thank you to all who have posted on this, I have found it to be a fun subject to ponder, Jackie.

[64Fordman]

You would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling Keebler Elves.

[jackierabbit1]

Thank you Fordman, you made me laugh. Rumor has it that those charming little bastards are hung like horses and perpetually randy, but it's just a rumor.

[Daffy Duck]

Now every chap here will claim to be Keebler Elf !

[AmyAmy]

There are no villains, just protagonists in the wrong story.

The most unpleasant character I've written, I think, is probably Johnno from Betrayal, though Lucas, who betrays his lovestruck fiance is fairly nasty, Johnno is less of an idealist.

Lucas is a fanatic driven by a cause, but Johnno does bad things out of fear and need. Even Johnno isn't simply evil and there are moments where he seems to consider making good choices instead of bad ones, times when he seems to be concealing love instead of putting up a front made of hate.

That's how I like villains generally: conflicted, complicated people, and if they're lucky enough, they can carry on to another story where they become an anti-hero instead of a villain, like Hannibal Lecter.

I guess that won't be happening for Johnno