Writing Villains. How to create the Best Baddies.

How can you write more effective bad guys? Give them a bigger sword? A more evil cackle? Or could the key to unlocking great villains be in your hero? Shock twist!
Here's the Theme as Story Fuel video I mentioned... • Theme is Story Fuel (...

[@gendor5199]

I just bumped into you yesterday, and I like this video! I am thinking of writing some Roleplaying scenarios for characters, and I am still trying to figure out some themes, Love and how love can turn to hate is one, a second might be "A man chooses, a slave obeys".
For the latter a bad guy would obviously be a ruler of a kingdom or an organisation who has the law on their side, but that doesn't make them good, and obeying turns you into something bad, but the former? Perhaps a lovestruck person turned into Darth Vader? Making his way thru the lands driven by hate?

[@MarkStayWriter]

I like the idea of role playing scenarios. Get them on their feet like actors doing improv. Have fun with them. You’ll never know what cool stuff might come out of these sessions that you can use in your story.

[@Rockhopper1]

Thank you, once again it seems like you are talking directly to me. I have written two evil characters that share a story arc. Do they have to be written as evil or can they be normal people with differing value and standards to the protaganist. Its causing me a lot of angst and I want my audience to despise from the outset. Their evil deeds I am writing from low level to major horrible stuff, and is the society they are in let them get away with their acts helping to amplify the horror they perpetrate. Its really tough to write horrible stuff when you are a good person, I like to think so anyway.

[@MarkStayWriter]

There's an old writing maxim which is the villain is the hero of their own story. They *think* that they're doing the right thing, and might have a few qualms about doing terrible stuff, but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs etc. I think the best villains are not pure evil (with the exception of Evil in Time Bandits!) but angels who have fallen.