@DiAnnMills

What drives a character to take risks, break laws, and become an antagonist? Are the traits listed on a compilation of bad-guy behaviors? Are the roots hidden in a deep hurt, possibly unrelated to actions in the present? Why is betrayal a common theme? These questions plagued me until I had a conversation with a psychologist who helped me define and understand that betrayal is a form of rage. The psychologist’s wisdom and guidance challenged me to better analyze all my characters and deepen this article.

Our stories thrive on an antagonist opposing a protagonist’s goal or ability to solve a problem. The characters struggle through scene after scene, both willing to sacrifice for what rules their every thought and action. While writers find protagonists comfortable to develop, distinguishing antagonists can be a problem.

Too many times antagonists are poorly portrayed. The character has little backstory, and writers are elusive about what motivates his actions. How do they think? The evil has a root, and it’s the writer’s job to unearth it.

A victim of betrayal may suffer in silence, sometimes choosing suicide to avoid the pain. Other victims seek healing. Still others devise revenge. The latter are the antagonists in our stories. When they use betrayal as their sharpest tool, they move beyond badly behaved characters to an antagonist who is a formidable enemy. He abandons integrity to devise a plan that builds trust and then uses the relationship to manipulate the victim.

For most of us when we’ve been damaged by betrayal, we may respond emotionally in grief, shock, stress, low self-esteem, self-doubt, anger, a loss of control, depression, or withdrawal. We seek to shake it off. We might seek counseling or take prescribed medication. The action hurts and healing takes time and forgiveness. Recovery may never happen when the victim is afraid to trust. The depth of emotion intensifies when the betrayal comes from a friend or family member.

Betrayal mixes guilt and shame. Guilt says, “I made a mistake, and I learned a lesson from it.” Shame says, “Something about me is defective, and I am a mistake.” When guilt and shame weave together, and the antagonist finds nothing to correct the misconceptions, rage results.

People-pleasers are the most dangerous of antagonists because they suppress their feelings until they experience a violent snap. No one suspects a deeply rooted resentment, and their behavior can be deadly. The reality of people-pleasers is their hearts experience more harm than the original trauma. The damage occurs over time as the antagonist reinforces his shame and believes lies about himself. He is convinced he’s not normal. Instead, he is flawed and imperfect. He’s alone in the world. No one cares, and he can’t blame them. The person hides his emotions and usually is not a public-eye person. His self-talk says of deity, “I’ve been wronged, God wasn’t there for me, now I must be God.”

The antagonist who suffers from betrayal and is a people-pleaser covers the shame through communication that doesn’t indicate his true self. He must be more intelligent and powerful, and the facade paves the way for a complex antagonist who is charming, manipulative, and even generous. Over time, he adapts to what he sees as normal behavior while carrying on his own agenda.

Flash anger occurs when the antagonist allows a snippet of emotion to erupt. Those around him label the flair as the character is merely upset, had a bad day, or perhaps isn’t feeling well. Reality is, no one understands the source of the underlying fury. If questioned about what is wrong, he denies any problems or falsifies a reason. The burst comes from years of holding back the emotions.

The antagonist is held hostage by his own emotions, thus making him as much a victim as the prey. Criminal actions can be fueled by fear, greed, pride, control, and jealousy to commit murder, seek revenge, or destroy relationships. He’s willing to sacrifice everything for retribution.

The antagonist believes his treacherous actions will make the world a better place. All the stops are pulled. Time is of no consequence, and patience can be employed to achieve the underlying goal.

What happened in the antagonist’s backstory that led to betrayal?

Creating betrayal is a powerful technique that has its roots in backstory, allowing the writer to lay the foundation for credible behavior in the present. A character who was victimized and betrayed before chapter one, line one of story and has resolved to get even or never be hurt again, is capable of unfathomable behavior. He does not love himself, so how can he love or trust anyone?

A look at the character’s life during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood will indicate when the betrayal occurred and the maturity level when it happened. Juxtapose life experiences with the character’s personality to determine how he coped with inappropriate emotions. The trauma has to be in his core.

The situation most likely originated in his childhood, something that left him powerless, and as he grew, the shame prompted the desolation of self-esteem. Many times, he placed himself into a path to be betrayed. Perhaps his father made him destroy a pet. Over time, the character makes himself responsible. Nowhewanted to kill the pet. He’s bad; everything about him is bad. The shame and anger continue to build.

What does the antagonist really want?

Revenge motivates the antagonist. He seeks justice, as he defines it, whatever that may be and no matter how twisted it sounds.

Is the character’s behavior unpredictable?

• In some situations, narcissism laces the antagonistic character’s personality. He embraces self-love. Life is all about him, everything he says and does. Betrayal is justified. For the narcissist who experienced betrayal, he’s high-level functioning, cunning, and hides his emotions. Self-contempt or self-loathing leads to other symptoms.
• Users and manipulators practice cunning and craftiness. Watch them turn on the charm until they grasp what they need.
• A psychopath demonstrates anti-social behavior, and selfishness drives him forward.

The antagonist chooses one or multiples of these responses:

• Targets specific people or people-group, blaming all for an incident that marred his life.
• Targets the person whom he believes is responsible. Or one who is similar to the originator.
• Targets the situation and all those associated with it.

How far will the antagonist go to satisfy his/her inner cravings?

The intensity of revenge is in direct proportion to the impact the trust was compromised. The writer explores the whole inner landscape of the character to discover the how, why, and depth of his actions.

How can the story show how the antagonist’s behavior is justification?

To accomplish this effectively, the writer explores and evaluates the antagonist’s backstory and weaves the information into the story when information is needed in a scene. Unless the writer successfully justifies the antagonist’s behavior or the story loses credibility.

In closing, betrayal is the most damaging of wounds. The writer who develops an antagonist who wields a sword of betrayal creates a story with unexpected plot twists. The unforeseen events keeps the reader engaged and devouring book after book by the author.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

Follow DiAnn on Twitter: @DiAnnMills