Story Writing Basics – What Is An Antagonist?

When I’ve engaged in journal writing as I plan my stories, I’ve always started with the primary protagonist. Getting inside the head of the character who is going to carry the story’s plot is a must, but it’s only a starting place. Once I’m done, I know that the next big step in story writing is developing a good antagonist. Vital for both plot and character development, understanding how to use an antagonist properly is the key to telling a good story.

The antagonist of a story is a character or concept that is generally defined not by what it does, but rather by who it opposes. The easiest way to think of the antagonist usually requires them to be cast as the villain to your protagonist’s hero, but this doesn’t necessarily need to be the case. It’s not the morality of a character that defines him or her as the antagonist of a story, but rather the character’s position in opposition to the hero.

When you first start story writing, it can help to plan out your antagonist’s primary role by thinking about what kind of obstacles your main character will need to overcome. When those obstacles come in the form of a character, you have the perfect place for an antagonist. Your job from that point is to figure out exactly how to slot this character into your narrative. 

So now that you know what an antagonist is, it’s time to start thinking about how that character works within your narrative. Stories can have more than one antagonist, representing both the major and minor obstacles the protagonist must overcome in their journey. As you plan your story, you need to think about what kind of role your antagonist will take on in the story at large.

Though an antagonist is defined by opposition, that still leaves many potential roles open. Some antagonists show up for a few pages, providing a brief obstacle or a chance to pontificate about a protagonist’s character development. Other antagonists take up a role as a major story driver, showing up throughout the work to push various pieces into play as the story moves along. Whether a driver of the plot, or a simple device, you need to know where to place your antagonists within the greater narrative.

In many stories, the antagonist’s role is every bit as important as the role of the protagonist. Protagonists tend to be responsive characters – they react to the things that happen within their stories. On the other hand, the antagonist is almost always proactive, providing a catalyst for your story beats. A story without a major antagonist can be fantastic, of course, but such stories are rare. Suppose you think back on your favorite stories, films, or even games. In that case, you know that something is always standing in opposition to your story’s protagonist – and you also know that when this role isn’t adequately filled, even fantastic protagonists can feel a little lacking.

When thinking about a good antagonist, don’t just go with a one-dimensional obstacle for the protagonist to get by. Instead, think of this character like any other – fully fleshed out, with the same kind of motivations and drives that your protagonist would have. It’s not necessary to make every antagonist the hero of his or her own story. Still, it is necessary to ensure that the character rings true enough that their appearance doesn’t elicit groans from the reader. 

Great antagonists make some kind of internal sense, even if they are monstrous. If a character is opposing your protagonist, think about why they would do so. You can use your antagonist as a vital tool to develop your protagonist, so put some thoughts into their actions beyond the basics.

When you’re deep into your story writing and development, you can trick your audience. Sometimes there’s a character appearing to be the protagonist. In “Alien,” the main character of Dallas is the captain of the doomed ship. The aliens take it over. Once that alien is loose, Dallas is killed. This twist shocks the audience into wondering what could happen next. If you kill off the main characters, there is no way this will be your everyday story.

 When you start your journal writing about your antagonist, try to keep a few of the following questions in mind during their development:

• What motivates the antagonist to oppose the protagonist?
• What is the antagonist’s end goal?
• What is the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist at the beginning of the story? At the end?
• When viewed from the outside, is the antagonist a consistent character? If not, is the inconsistency intentional? 

If you can answer those questions, you’ll be well on your way to developing an antagonist that can help buoy your story.

Grab your writing journal (see our journals at The Amazing Office), start developing your antagonist and write some stories!

Did you see my recent post Top 10 Writers Productivity Tips For Any Writer? 

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