How to Create a Villain for Your Horror or Mystery Story

Villain 1. A person is guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness; a wrongdoer.

Some writers believe creating a villain is all in a name. You can certainly flip through any baby name book, and find a name that screams evil! I don't know how many writers actually practice this method, but I have always found it quite useful. It's not the name that makes the villain, but what they do that makes, them a villain.

One of the greatest challenges when creating a villain, is coming up with a name. It's easy to name your antagonist, but that's only the beginning! Before you even decide on a name, you may want to become acquainted with your villain.

The first thing you need to decide is if your villain is a member of a gang, a cult, or if they work alone, like Jack the Ripper (that's if you believe he worked alone, or if he was he at all). Speaking of which, female villains or as they are sometimes called, femme fatales, you should have already decided the gender of your killer or killers; if they prefer to kill in packs!

Villains can range from paranormal to extraterrestrial, and psychotic to neurotic; all that matters is that they are as evil as you can make them. I love to create villains, but my first villain wasn't as evil as I wanted him to be. From the first time I introduced this character, in "Murder in Vain", he seemed somewhat wimpy for a villain; maybe because he wasn't supposed to be. Use your villains to full capacity, even if it means you have to write them into more than one story, you will be glad you did. When I was first introduced to Laurence Chamberlain, the villain in my first mystery, he wasn't the cruel husband he became in "Trompe l' oeil"! That side wasn't showcased as much the first time he was introduced; he was just your typical husband, who made a habit of ignoring his affection starved wife. Which is why I believe you should become acquainted with your villain, it helps you to figure out, what your villain is capable of.

You can find my villain, Laurence Chamberlain inside Trompe l' oeil!

Credit: Meliss Booth/Queen of Corpses

Copyright: Melissa Booth/Queen of Corpses