Ask Jerry
Punchable Villian
Asked by Jennifer Shackleford on October 2, 2020
Hi Jerry,
I read on another site that a good fiction book MUST have a punchable villain. What if you have a good antagonist, one who challenges the protagonist, but they are not a villain. They have made some mistakes and they've kept some secrets from the protagonist, but they are not a villian – just a flawed human being. Will that work?
Book Premise: woman is rushing home to say goodbye to her adopted mother who is dying of cancer. Adopted mother has some secrets she wants to tell her about her real mom and herself before she dies.
Jerry's Answer
Hadn't heard that punchable villain moniker, Jennifer, but I like it. You need a villain who is complex and has valid motivations, justifiable reasons for doing wrong. They feel right, not wrong. But they have to be wrong and they have to get theirs in the end.
The adopted mother is not the villain. So inject another, someone who wants your main character to suffer for some seemingly (to them) good reason.
I like villains who have surprisingly good sides and leave the reader conflicted in some way. Oh, they're wrong and they're evil, but they have soft spots, things they do that make you wonder if down deep they're not wonderful and we're wrong about them.
Just remember, the more effective and powerful your villain, the more heroic your protagonist.