Character Crazy Bad Villains with Peter Andrews

From Simon Legree to Hannibal Lector, stand-out villains have captured the imaginations of readers and made stories memorable. The best bad guys won’t hesitate to push against and use the greatest weaknesses or failures of character that a protagonist has. They escalate action, causing harsh, out-of-proportion harm. They create powerful conflicts, with which readers can identify, but also make the character arc — the protagonist undergoing substantial and believable change— possible.

In this course, through lessons and interactive exercises, you’ll learn how to create villains that go beyond monsters and stereotypes to get under readers’ skins.

Lesson 1. The Harm Done: Villains need to stir things up and hurt the innocent.
Lesson 2. There’s Always a Reason: Villains are the heroes of their own stories.
Lesson 3. A Worthy Adversary: Intelligence, talent, power, and corruption.
Lesson 4. Rousing the Beast: Catalysts for catastrophe.
Lesson 5. Bonding with Your Villain: Connecting with evil.
Lesson 6. The Right Villain for Your Hero/Heroine: Contrasts and complements.
Lesson 7. Dare to Have a Crazy Bad Villain: Stop being nice and cause some trouble.