# Thoughts on POV'ing an Antogonist



## Rullenzar (Dec 1, 2012)

Wondering how people feel about POV'ing the antagonist at certain parts of the novel or even just starting the novel in POV of the antagonist. Do you think you should keep using their POV or would just the start of the novel be ok?


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## Leif Notae (Dec 1, 2012)

That is tough, is your antagonist also your villain? If he is, than I'd stay away from it.

You may want to dabble with a sympathetic antag, but you don't want people to relate to them too much. It takes the power away from their position and they become a secondary protag instead.

The less you can get in their head, the better off it is for your readers.


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## MadMadys (Dec 1, 2012)

I think it would be a little jarring, especially if this character is your villain, to go from knowing their every thought and motivation to later only knowing what you're telling us.  As Leif noted, it might make them more sympathetic and hard to correctly paint as a antagonist in the end.

Of course this is without knowing exactly how to plan to implement the characters and, if handled properly and done in a quirky way, it could work. There are just pitfalls along the way.


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## Graylorne (Dec 1, 2012)

I have done just this with my _Rhidauna_-books. Every three or four chapters I inserted a large alinea (in italics) from the POV of the antagonist who was hunting my MCs. I described his hopes, motives, failures (he was a very unpleasant character), to make him a person instead of a cardboard shade. He went on to the second book and only at the end is he defeated. It is very effective to give the reader an insight in the enemy organisation and what they're trying to achieve. It adds to the tension, but he is unpleasant enough to prevent the reader seeing him in a positive light.


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## Butterfly (Dec 1, 2012)

It can give a new depth to the story. I wouldn't use it just at the beginning though, but position at key points throughout the story. I think it can also add a certain level of tension and pull them out of being a villain just because they are the villain for no other reason than being the villain.

They are characters too, they have pitfalls, hopes, fears, histories that have led them to where they are, and they each have their own consequences of failing as well.... bless em. It's a tough life being a villain, what with the heroes trying to foil them at every turn.


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## Saigonnus (Dec 1, 2012)

I think it could be an interesting concept, where he's the villain, the readers know he's the villain by his actions or whatever and as a reader you don't know what the heroes are doing instead of not knowing what the villain is up to. It could still have that sense of tension and waiting to see what the heroes will do to counteract everything we see the villain doing.


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## Ireth (Dec 1, 2012)

Interesting topic. I recently added a prologue to my book _Winter's Queen_, from the POV of the villain -- it's the only time the reader gets his POV for the whole book. I don't do much more than hint at his motivation in the prologue; the heroine has to figure out what he's after for herself, and it isn't fully clear right away. My villain is very much the type to mentally gloat over his evil plans, so going into his POV beyond the prologue is a plot-spoiling risk I'd rather avoid. It could be interesting to get further into his head, but as I'm still struggling to find even one redeeming quality in his personality, I don't think I'd really want to. XD


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## psychotick (Dec 1, 2012)

Hi,

In my last book my villain gets several chapters of POV. It not only advanced the plot and explained things in a way that was easier than say using an eye of God, it fleshed him out. I didn't want him to be sympathetic to readers at all. He's an absolute a**. But it painted him as someone who they could hate. I also had a few chapters devoted to another antagonist, who went through a reversal in the book. The reason being that for him it was about redemption and the best way I could show his redemption was through his eyes.

Cheer's Greg.


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## ThinkerX (Dec 1, 2012)

> Interesting topic. I recently added a prologue to my book Winter's Queen, from the POV of the villain -- it's the only time the reader gets his POV for the whole book.



So far.  This could change.


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## Ireth (Dec 1, 2012)

ThinkerX said:


> So far.  This could change.



Possibly, but I'd really prefer otherwise, for the reasons I stated above.


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## Jess A (Dec 1, 2012)

I usually POV some of my antagonists - only briefly, though, and usually it's just in a couple of paragraphs in the book. Generally it's to see what's happening from their end, especially if the protags are elsewhere and there are events happening where the antagonist is. Sometimes they will be in the same area as the protagonist, or thinking about the protagonist. I do it where it serves the plot.


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## saellys (Dec 1, 2012)

I think the idea of a prologue-only antagonist POV could be really interesting, but it might be neat if you brought it in for the first time later in your book (depending on whether that works for your story). It could really throw your readers for a loop, in a good way. I remember the first time I read a Cersei chapter in _A Song of Ice and Fire_, and how awesome it was. Getting into her head didn't make her any more sympathetic or any less of an antagonist, but it did help me understand her, and that can only be a good thing. 

Whatever you decide, the fact that your antagonist is developed enough that they could carry their own chapters is awesome!


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## Ireth (Dec 1, 2012)

saellys said:


> I think the idea of a prologue-only antagonist POV could be really interesting, but it might be neat if you brought it in for the first time later in your book (depending on whether that works for your story). It could really throw your readers for a loop, in a good way. I remember the first time I read a Cersei chapter in _A Song of Ice and Fire_, and how awesome it was. Getting into her head didn't make her any more sympathetic or any less of an antagonist, but it did help me understand her, and that can only be a good thing.
> 
> Whatever you decide, the fact that your antagonist is developed enough that they could carry their own chapters is awesome!



I'll think about it some more. If nothing else it could bolster the word count -- the revising process is paring things a little thin right now, and it wasn't exactly a doorstopper to start with. XD And the villain's prologue is only two pages long. What does that tell you?


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## saellys (Dec 1, 2012)

That your antagonist cuts to the chase!


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## Ireth (Dec 1, 2012)

saellys said:


> That your antagonist cuts to the chase!



Heehee. Yes, he certainly does. I tried not to drag the scene out past its purpose, and I think I might have done *too* well.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Dec 2, 2012)

saellys said:


> I remember the first time I read a Cersei chapter in A Song of Ice and Fire, and how awesome it was. Getting into her head didn't make her any more sympathetic or any less of an antagonist, but it did help me understand her, and that can only be a good thing.



This had the opposite effect on me. I definitely found her more sympathetic after her POV was introduced.

It's certainly possible to write an antagonist POV without creating sympathy but I'm fairly certain that wasn't what GRRM was going for.

If you want to try it, you've got nothing to lose in experimentation.


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## MAndreas (Dec 2, 2012)

This is a great topic, and one I've been thinking about recently.  In my other books I don't go into my "big bad's" head- ever.  I'm more like a mystery writer usually in that regard.  But for my new WIP I've been dabbling in my antagonist's POV.  I agree with some of the other comments on here, I wouldn't start the book with it as it could confuse or put off some readers.  But I'm finding that showing my villian's view (as twisted as it is) is allowing me to deepen the reader's knwoledge of this world, and show just how screwed up the main character's situation really is .


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## Rullenzar (Dec 2, 2012)

Some very good points have been made. I've been thinking about this for a while because the story I'm currently trying to write involves a character who starts out bad and then slowly switches stances. So with this being the case I will be POV'ing him at certain points as he will become a key component in my main characters plot. This got me thinking about doing POV's with my main Antag. I just don't know how well i'd be able to do it and if I want my story clouded in moral ambiguity or straight up right/wrong, evil/good. 

I'm leaning more towards morale ambiguity because I enjoyed the gritty feeling of Game of Thrones and being able to see all the different sides. But I fear I may be biting off more then I can chew if I go this route.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Dec 3, 2012)

Rullenzar said:


> ... I fear I may be biting off more then I can chew if I go this route.



That's a good thing. Challenge yourself. It helps us grow as writers.


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## PaulineMRoss (Dec 3, 2012)

Short answer: it depends.

Long answer: As a reader, I rather dislike an antagonist having his/her/its own POV. It reveals too much, I think. It's far more interesting to me if the protagonist is working everything out blind, and the reader is just as ignorant of what the antagonist is up to. However, I can see that there are times when it's the only way to tell the reader some important information, and I quite like the idea of the antagonist having the prologue POV only, which serves to whet the appetite without giving away too much. 

But I really dislike the antagonist having regular POVs if it's just a way to explain his/her/its motivation, or try to make an outright evil villain sympathetic, or artificially ramp up the tension by showing that the protagonist is making a big mistake in his/her/its tactics (oh no! she's defending the city gate, while WE know that the bad guy is crawling through the sewers). Bleagh. 

On the other hand, if the antagonist is just a regular character who happens to oppose the protagonist for some rational reason (rather than being the Big Bad aiming for global domination), giving them equal POV time can be very effective.


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## Mindfire (Dec 3, 2012)

Going against the grain here. It's a tool, just like any other. Use it when you need it. 

Sometimes a villain POV is the only way to give the reader some crucial information or show how great a threat the villain is. If the main character can't know something that you need the reader to know, a villain POV is a great cheat to use to get that exposition in. Particularly if the villain and hero are separated by a great distance and/or have no real personal connection. It also gives an opportunity for dramatic irony: the reader knows of an oncoming tragedy while the character does not. This is, I think, an underrated way of creating tension.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 3, 2012)

If the antagonist is not supposed to be sympathetic, then you can still do their POV, but keep it short. Think about great movies where we see the antagonist off by himself (not interacting with the protagonist). It's always short, and usually it gives you information about how they're going to make the protag's life harder--introducing some new device, weapon, item, kidnapping, etc. that the protag will only find out about later. (Usually after a long enough interval that it's not fresh in the audience's mind, so that they can have an "Oh yeah!" moment when it's reintroduced.)


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