![\"\"](\"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/QuestionMarkResize-1024x620.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- What if I have more than one antagonist?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
This is a pretty simple fix. Each antagonist should drive the plot in some way and may represent different facets of the Lie. However, I would recommend singling out a main antagonist as the most dangerous\u2014whether he seems that way or not to the MC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This main antagonist will be the one that has the most interaction with the MC, as well as the most influence on the plot. And when it comes down to the Climax, you\u2019ll be able to order your antagonists properly. The MC will face off with the smaller antagonists (at least, the ones who are present) before dueling the main antagonist at the Climatic Moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This kind of Climax is very common in action movies, where the MC fights the henchmen, then the sidekick, and then, finally, the big boss. However, it\u2019s definitely not limited to an action-packed story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe \u201cMen of Grit\u201d book series often features a large cast of antagonistic characters, including a wealthy Spanish gentleman, a jealous British general, a tribe of Mayans, a Roman caesar, a band of Russian assassins, and some Australian bushwhackers. But instead of these numerous antagonists making it difficult to follow the storyline, the author ensures that each villain fulfills nothing more than their role in the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSo if you have more than one antagonist, just focus on keeping them all straight. Make sure they stay in their roles and don\u2019t step out of line. And, remember, the main antagonist should drive the plot the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- What if my antagonist isn\u2019t a person?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If you think this isn\u2019t a very common occurrence, think again. There are plenty of stories where the antagonist is a robot, an animal, a force of nature, the government, or just life in general. Since they are not human, these things can only represent the Lie to a point, which is where internal conflict comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, your MC clings to that Lie fiercely, so there\u2019s going to be a raging battle inside of them. When you don\u2019t have a human antagonist to represent the Lie, simply turn the MC against himself. His own thoughts will fuel his Lie, and this internal conflict\u2014mixed with the external conflict from the non-human antagonist\u2014will still make for a great story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn the movie \u201cBolt,\u201d Bolt\u2019s circumstances keep him from getting back to his owner, Penny. While he thinks that the \u201cgreen-eyed man\u201d is behind it all, his own Lie (that he is a superdog) is really what\u2019s slowing him down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnother option with an impersonal antagonist is to fill the story with contagonists. These are people we would label \u201cgood guys,\u201d yet their intentions sometimes get in the way of the MC\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn the movie \u201cHow to Train Your Dragon,\u201d there are several different characters who play the role of a contagonist. There\u2019s Hiccup\u2019s father, Stoick, there\u2019s Astrid (until she learns the truth about dragons), there\u2019s the young Vikings, and there’s just the villagers in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSo, bottom line\u2026 drum up the internal conflict and contagonists, and you\u2019ll be good to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- What if I don\u2019t have an antagonist at all?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
While you might not have an actual antagonist\u2014human or otherwise\u2014you still have an antagonistic force. And that is actually the MC themselves. Without an antagonist at all, the internal conflict will need to be raised even more, and contagonists might also abound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, MC and the contagonists need to provide some external conflict, as well. They might make bad choices or decisions that affect those around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn the movie, \u201cThe Case for Christ,\u201d Lee Strobel is his own antagonist. Everyone around him\u2014even agnostics and atheists\u2014are telling him that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is real. But, stubbornly clinging to his Lie, Lee tries to brush the Truth off\u2026 unknowingly hurting those around him. This is brilliantly illustrated in the subplot in which he condemns the wrong man through his journalism, causing the man to be beaten almost to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- Should I use a character arc for my antagonist?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The short answer is\u2026 yes. Your antagonist will always have some kind of arc. But it doesn\u2019t have to be the same kind. It can be a Positive Change Arc, where the antagonist will eventually recognize the Truth himself. Or it can be a Negative Change Arc, where the antagonist will sink deeper and deeper into his Lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you\u2019d rather not write out a whole character arc for your antagonist, you can simply make him a Negative Flat Arc. This is when the antagonist believes the Lie the whole way through\u2014not budging even when that Lie becomes his own downfall. With this arc, you only have to remind yourself of the antagonist\u2019s Lie as you write him into the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nComment below any other questions you have about the antagonist!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve already determined what a good antagonist should look like, but you might still have some questions. So, today, we\u2019re going to look at some common questions about antagonists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,21,4],"tags":[70,24,26,29,23,32,27],"class_list":["post-440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plots-and-character-arcs","category-positive-change-arcs","category-writing-tips","tag-antagonist","tag-character-arcs","tag-characters","tag-christian-writing","tag-plots","tag-positive-change-arcs","tag-writing-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=440"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions\/444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Should I use a character arc for my antagonist?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- What if I don\u2019t have an antagonist at all?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- What if my antagonist isn\u2019t a person?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n