Who Doesn't Love an Antagonist?

My villian showed up today.

Thank God.

Until he walked up out of the shadows, my work in progress was going swimmingly. Wonderful, complex heroine with actual problems, both internal and external. Wonderful hero, though not fully fleshed out, supportive and charming and mostly interesting with problems of his own, just about at the end of his rope in regards to our heroine. Cool subplots. Fun characters. Interesting locations.

Now, that's all good, but if you're writing a book, those things are expected. I mean, if you want anyone to read it you'd damn well better have all that and more, right? Would you pay $25 to read a book about a happy man and happy woman and their wonderful, lovely lives together brunching on champagne and caviar? Neither would I. Might like to visit that land myself, though, come to think of it. But a story should carry you away to fantasy land, and for that you need a bad guy. An antagonist. A villian.

Today, my villian showed up and I couldn't be more thrilled. He's pretty twisted, incredibly handsome, very charming, and possibly an arsonist. I don't know about that yet. I have a fire but I'm not sure if he set it.

Regardless of what he's done, I know he's the bad guy and now my cast is complete. There's a catalyst in the story that makes the other pieces into a cohesive engine that will actually run. He makes my subplots hum with purpose and causes my heroine to stretch way yonder outside her comfort zone in order to reach her goals. He gives an air of darkness, of mystery, of dark humor. And boy, is he great looking. There's a reason so many women keep falling for him. I'm starting to think that if he makes it to the end of this manuscript in once piece and keeps himself out of prison, he might be the hero of the work after the next one.

We'll have to wait and see about that. Either way, women love a bad guy. It's going to make it tough to create one who won't immediately fall under his spell.

I can hardly wait.