writingadvicefromauthors

'Villain' is a dated term. It brings to mind a particular kind of bad guy that has become kind of a toothless foil in both the minds of writers and their audiences. These affably evil tropes portray some over-the-top black hat who has an inexplicable demagogic ability to attract hordes of henchmen, cronies, and minions. They bumble around carrying out their latest master plans with their enablers, dishing out head thumps and intelligence burns with comedic flare. It's fun, but…