The One You Love To Hate
Author: Scott Lindsay

Many of the best stories in fiction have both an antagonist and
a protagonist.

The protagonist is the main character or hero that we cheer on
and hope conquers all.

The antagonist is the story's villain. The best bad guys are
the ones we love to hate. We don't need to know why they are
bad, we don't need a play by play of the choices they made
early in life, we simply recognize they are bad and we don't
want them to win.

A story can operate without an antagonist; however the use of
an antagonist is the best way to demonstrate conflict within a
storyline.

Conflict in a well executed work of fiction provides the
friction that keep readers tuned in. In most cases the
antagonist reigns supreme through the majority of storyline.
The reader wants the forces of good to triumph, yet the villain
remains in charge of the bulk of events that thread through your
tale.

This combination of good versus evil creates suspense and
causes your reader to wonder how exactly the protagonist will
gain an advantage.

One of the primary benefits fictional conflict is the reader is
often forced to consider how they might respond against such
odds and in similar circumstances. In a best case scenario the
story assists the reader in learning more about themselves.

Conflict can also be used to disrupt a normally predictable
plot. By presenting conflict that is, in many ways, worse than
the previous conflict you can instill a greater desire for evil
to be defeated while keeping the reader guessing where the story
may be headed next.

Ultimately the story must provide resolution. For the fiction
writer of faith this resolution process often provides the
simple message that good will triumph over evil although other
threads of faith will likely work their way through your text –
sometimes without you being consciously aware of their presence.


If you allow the antagonist to loose the struggle too early in
your story it becomes anti-climactic and the fire in the story
is reduced to an ember that may leave your audience cold.

The use of a villain (may not be a human, could be an animal,
ideal, political agenda, etc.) goes a long way in conveying a
story with elements that emotionally involve your reader.


About The Author: Scott Lindsay is a web developer and
entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters
(http://www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects.
FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online
destinations for Christian writers. Please visit the website
at: http://www.faithwriters.com