Big. Bad. Boss.

It's Friday! That means The Walking Dead returns in two days!

Yep, that's the highlight of my Valentine's Day. Peanut Butter ice cream and TWD. Bliss.


But for now, it's still Friday, and it's time to discuss the biggest bad guy of them all:

The Boss

Of course, we all know this is the main antagonist. This is the guy that we read most often, most likely because they're so much fun to write. Why is that, I wonder? I honestly have no idea. But I do so enjoy writing bosses.

Anyway, to get right to the point, I have two simple things I keep in mind when creating my biggest antagonists:

1. Make him epic

Obvious, right? But very important for the boss. He needs to be the biggest obstacle your protagonist has ever faced, so he probably needs to be at least slightly stronger than your protagonist. It makes for a good story, as long as you don't make it super coincidental that the protagonist wins in the end.

So, give your antagonist the odds. Stack things in his favor. Make him cocky and headstrong, and give him the will and the desire to fight for what he wants. Make him a combination of Sauron and Sarumon. Make him laugh at the oncoming threat, because he knows nothing can beat him. And make your readers think that he might just be right.

2. Give him life

This is the part a lot of people skip when making their boss. They make him so epic and cool and cocky that they forget he needs to be a person, too. That's what's going to make him the most epic he possibly can be. Give him reason for why he is the way he is, even if you're the only one who's going to know it.

Doing this will make it ten times easier to write him, and it'll make him a million times more real for your readers. And after all, that's what we're going for. Make him real, make your readers afraid of him, even though they know he can't possibly jump off the page.

Make him alive.


[love]

{Rani Divin}