Antagonists
In my last post, I wrote about villains. Most people consider the Antagonist to also be the villain, but that's not always true.
In this post, I will attempt to explain the difference between Antagonists and Villains in literature and film.
I used Lucifer, perhaps the most famous villain of them all, to explain Villains. I will continue to use this most famous story to analyze Antagonists. As we go along, analyze your current WIP.
Obstacles
Without obstacles in our way, life would be pretty boring. Overcoming obstacles in the path toward our goal is what makes us stronger. Everybody loves a clear sunny day. But we need rain. Rain makes things grow. If it were sunny every day, everything would dry up and die.
Think about your current WIP. What obstacles have you put in the path of your protagonist? There are none, you say? Well, does that reflect life? Of course not.
You have plenty of obstacles? Good! Now let's take a look at them.
In the typical plot arc that most writers follow, obstacles tend to increase in severity, beginning with the inciting incident, as the story moves forward.
In the story of Lucifer and Jesus, Lucifer puts many obstacles in the way of the Hero, but there are other obstacles that happen outside of the villains' control or plan.
Antagonist(s)
In writing, most obstacles are caused by the villain, but some are there as a result of the antagonist.
Think of this story line: Amy wants to earn a place on the volleyball team so she can win an athletic scholarship to college because her family is too poor to send her to college.
Goal: Be on the championship volleyball team and earn a college scholarship.
Villain: Becky, she's a rival teammate who is also trying to win that scholarship. She decides to destroy the heroine, Amy.
Antagonist(s): The coach. He doesn't play Amy as often as she'd like. The college scouts aren't watching her play. Her teacher is strict about late homework, especially when it comes to athletes. Mom doesn't like Amy skipping out on chores just to play volleyball. The boyfriend, Ryan, feels left out because Amy is always busy with practice after school. Amy's knee has bothered her, so she has to work hard on perfecting her form on the court.
As you can see, there are plenty of antagonists in this story, but only one villain. Only one seeks to harm our heroine. The others don't really want to harm her. They do have her best interest in mind.
See the difference?
Look at your story. Do you have plenty of antagonists placing obstacles in the path of your heroine? If not, make sure to add more. These obstacles provide a way for your readers to cheer for your protagonist. You want to make your readers care for your protagonist and the journey toward that goal.
Be sure, though, to have your protagonist successfully overcome each obstacle. These achievements make your protagonist stronger! As with life, the storms hit hard, but the winds make the trees stronger. The rain replenishes nature. Without storms, nothing thrives. It's the same with your story line.
Think of all the antagonists torturing Harry Potter as he makes his way toward his final goal: Destroying Lord Voldemort.
He had several professors, his own lack of wizard skills, his friends, his fellow classmates, magic, and even Dumbledore keeping him from moving forward! Unlike Voldemort, most of these antagonists had Harry's best interests in mind.
Now that you know the difference between antagonists and villains, you can easily see how fun it is to make your hero or heroine's journey challenging. Remember that each obstacle needs to become more and more severe as the story goes forward.
In my Dragon Forest trilogy, one reader commented, "Wow, in Dragon Forest II, you really beat down your protagonist! But he kept going." I loved that observation because, it's true, but also because the reader saw how the hero got up and kept going toward his goal. Think of Rocky. He got up and kept going. He went the distance. That's what we want to see in a story. That's what we often experience in our own lives: We get hit hard by trials, but we have to keep going.
Back to Lucifer and Jesus...we see how Jesus was attacked by the religious leaders of his time. He was even abandoned by His best friends. He was arrested and accused by the community and even executed for crimes He didn't commit.
Lucifer wasn't responsible for all of these obstacles put in the Hero's way. The Hero of the story proceeds to overcome each obstacle, including death.
What about your story? Will your protagonist overcome? Not all do in literature, and that's fine. It's up to you! When I taught writing, I often had students ask if their protagonist could die at the end of the story. "Why not?" I'd ask. "That happens in life, doesn't it? As long as the story ends in a satisfying way, your reader will love it."
If you cheat your readers out of a satisfying ending simply because you don't know how to show your protagonist overcoming all those obstacles, your readers will know and they will feel cheated. Don't fall for the easy way out! Nobody likes that.
The writers of a popular TV show in the 1970s-80s tried to cheat their viewers. "Dallas" had an intriguing story line for an entire season. Instead of resolving all the issues and problems presented all season, they cheated their viewers by claiming it was all just a dream.
What??!! The entire season was just a dream?
Viewers were horrified. The TV show "Roseanne" tried this with an entire series! It also failed because viewers felt cheated.
So, don't cheat your readers. They are cheering for your protagonist. They deserve a well thought-out resolution to all the problems you presented.
Writing an interesting story isn't easy. If it were, everyone would do it successfully. Writing takes time and effort. But it isn't impossible, either!
Writing is FUN! As you analyze your current WIP, make sure you have given your protagonist plenty of obstacles to overcome.
Overcoming obstacles is what makes life...and a story...interesting, so give it your all.
Happy writing!
In this post, I will attempt to explain the difference between Antagonists and Villains in literature and film.
I used Lucifer, perhaps the most famous villain of them all, to explain Villains. I will continue to use this most famous story to analyze Antagonists. As we go along, analyze your current WIP.
Obstacles
Without obstacles in our way, life would be pretty boring. Overcoming obstacles in the path toward our goal is what makes us stronger. Everybody loves a clear sunny day. But we need rain. Rain makes things grow. If it were sunny every day, everything would dry up and die.
Think about your current WIP. What obstacles have you put in the path of your protagonist? There are none, you say? Well, does that reflect life? Of course not.
You have plenty of obstacles? Good! Now let's take a look at them.
In the typical plot arc that most writers follow, obstacles tend to increase in severity, beginning with the inciting incident, as the story moves forward.
In the story of Lucifer and Jesus, Lucifer puts many obstacles in the way of the Hero, but there are other obstacles that happen outside of the villains' control or plan.
Antagonist(s)
In writing, most obstacles are caused by the villain, but some are there as a result of the antagonist.
Think of this story line: Amy wants to earn a place on the volleyball team so she can win an athletic scholarship to college because her family is too poor to send her to college.
Goal: Be on the championship volleyball team and earn a college scholarship.
Villain: Becky, she's a rival teammate who is also trying to win that scholarship. She decides to destroy the heroine, Amy.
Antagonist(s): The coach. He doesn't play Amy as often as she'd like. The college scouts aren't watching her play. Her teacher is strict about late homework, especially when it comes to athletes. Mom doesn't like Amy skipping out on chores just to play volleyball. The boyfriend, Ryan, feels left out because Amy is always busy with practice after school. Amy's knee has bothered her, so she has to work hard on perfecting her form on the court.
As you can see, there are plenty of antagonists in this story, but only one villain. Only one seeks to harm our heroine. The others don't really want to harm her. They do have her best interest in mind.
See the difference?
Look at your story. Do you have plenty of antagonists placing obstacles in the path of your heroine? If not, make sure to add more. These obstacles provide a way for your readers to cheer for your protagonist. You want to make your readers care for your protagonist and the journey toward that goal.
Be sure, though, to have your protagonist successfully overcome each obstacle. These achievements make your protagonist stronger! As with life, the storms hit hard, but the winds make the trees stronger. The rain replenishes nature. Without storms, nothing thrives. It's the same with your story line.
Think of all the antagonists torturing Harry Potter as he makes his way toward his final goal: Destroying Lord Voldemort.
He had several professors, his own lack of wizard skills, his friends, his fellow classmates, magic, and even Dumbledore keeping him from moving forward! Unlike Voldemort, most of these antagonists had Harry's best interests in mind.
Now that you know the difference between antagonists and villains, you can easily see how fun it is to make your hero or heroine's journey challenging. Remember that each obstacle needs to become more and more severe as the story goes forward.
In my Dragon Forest trilogy, one reader commented, "Wow, in Dragon Forest II, you really beat down your protagonist! But he kept going." I loved that observation because, it's true, but also because the reader saw how the hero got up and kept going toward his goal. Think of Rocky. He got up and kept going. He went the distance. That's what we want to see in a story. That's what we often experience in our own lives: We get hit hard by trials, but we have to keep going.
Back to Lucifer and Jesus...we see how Jesus was attacked by the religious leaders of his time. He was even abandoned by His best friends. He was arrested and accused by the community and even executed for crimes He didn't commit.
Lucifer wasn't responsible for all of these obstacles put in the Hero's way. The Hero of the story proceeds to overcome each obstacle, including death.
What about your story? Will your protagonist overcome? Not all do in literature, and that's fine. It's up to you! When I taught writing, I often had students ask if their protagonist could die at the end of the story. "Why not?" I'd ask. "That happens in life, doesn't it? As long as the story ends in a satisfying way, your reader will love it."
If you cheat your readers out of a satisfying ending simply because you don't know how to show your protagonist overcoming all those obstacles, your readers will know and they will feel cheated. Don't fall for the easy way out! Nobody likes that.
The writers of a popular TV show in the 1970s-80s tried to cheat their viewers. "Dallas" had an intriguing story line for an entire season. Instead of resolving all the issues and problems presented all season, they cheated their viewers by claiming it was all just a dream.
What??!! The entire season was just a dream?
Viewers were horrified. The TV show "Roseanne" tried this with an entire series! It also failed because viewers felt cheated.
So, don't cheat your readers. They are cheering for your protagonist. They deserve a well thought-out resolution to all the problems you presented.
Writing an interesting story isn't easy. If it were, everyone would do it successfully. Writing takes time and effort. But it isn't impossible, either!
Writing is FUN! As you analyze your current WIP, make sure you have given your protagonist plenty of obstacles to overcome.
Overcoming obstacles is what makes life...and a story...interesting, so give it your all.
Happy writing!
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