by Venita Lynn Bonds
Craft
My elderly aunt believes everyone has at least one redeeming quality. “The devil has a good work ethic,” she jokes, “but sometimes he tries too hard.”
Her observation offers a lesson in creating believable villains: even a redeeming quality can become an exploitable weakness. These five keys can make your bad guy feel real.
Key 1: Vulnerability
While it’s tempting to make him bad to the bone, give your villain a human fault or weakness.
Example: Boyd Crowder in Justified is a charismatic leader, but his belief in his own superiority is the vulnerability that contributes to his downfall.
Example: Hannibal Lecter’s intelligence and sophistication make him a formidable adversary, but his fascination with Clarice Starling becomes a weakness she exploits to track down a killer.
Key 2: Backstory
Villains often justify their actions by pointing to their past—their backstory.
Example: Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men. Her past—marked by childhood sexual abuse—helped her justify those killings as self-defense.
Example: CEO Richard Scrushy orchestrated a massive corporate swindle that bankrupted its investors. When indicted for money laundering and securities fraud, he justified himself as a rags-to-riches visionary whose philanthropy made him a force for good.
Caution: Think of backstory as salt. You need to understand what drives your villains but sprinkle it into the story sparingly—and never in the opening pages.
Key 3: Body Language
The human body speaks louder than words. Villains reveal themselves through “tells”—subtle movements that betray their thoughts.
Example: “He locked onto my eyes without blinking. Liars do that to make you think they’re telling the truth. Unfortunately, his legs bounced as though keeping time to a drumbeat. Legs don’t lie.”
Example: “Her left eyelid twitched. I was a lousy poker player, but I’d known her all my life. I saw her tell.”
Key 4: Secondary Characters
Secondary characters can reveal a villain’s backstory, defend his motives, and provide justification for his actions.
“He makes medicine from plants, so it’s all natural,” she said.
“Poison ivy’s all natural. Rattlesnake venom’s all natural.”
“He’s not poisoning her! A physician with his credentials wouldn’t kill his patients.”
Key 5: You
The better you understand human behavior and communication, the more believable your villains will be. Give them a frailty to make them feel real—even if it’s only their work ethic.
About Venita Lynn Bonds
Venita Lynn Bonds is a Registered Nurse with a background in psychology and corporate counterintelligence training. Her works have appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, NoSleep Podcast, and Killer Nashville Magazine. She won the 2026 Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Short Story Collection and was First Runner-up Overall. In 2025, her novel won the Claymore Award for Best Southern Gothic.
For More Information
Website: http://www.venitabonds.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venita.bonds
