Writing Wickedly Good Villains (Watch Now!)

$97.00

How do you create an antagonist like Hannibal Lecter or Annie Wilkes?

Watch Now!

In this interactive 2-hour workshop, you’ll discover how to craft an unforgettable, wickedly good villain that keeps readers up past their bedtime. Best-selling author and longtime speaker Shayla Raquel teaches novelists how to:

  1. Choose Your Type: There are different types of antagonists, so we’ll first determine if you have an Evil Antagonist, Opposing Antagonist, Superior Antagonist, or Internal Antagonist.

  2. Determine Your Villain’s Trigger: Your antagonist did not just wake up one day and decide to be bad. There was a trigger that led them down this path.

  3. Find Your Villain’s Saving Grace: There must be a redeeming quality when it comes to your villain. Help your readers relate to your antagonist by finding their saving grace. (This section includes a fun “Who am I?” game, real-life villain style.)

  4. Answer the Age-Old Question: Was it nature or nurture that created your villain? Could it be both?

  5. Pinpoint Motive: From revenge to honor, from betrayal to desperation, there is a motive, a reason, for why your antagonist opposes the protagonist. Give them a strong motive, and the reader will stay captivated.

  6. Sketch It Out: By using an in-depth character sketch, you can create an antagonist that feels 100% real to the reader. (Class attendees will receive their very own character sketch template to download!)

  7. Special Q&A: Why is your antagonist falling flat? What are you struggling with? Let’s brainstorm together in this special Q&A.

INCLUDES: Antagonist Character Sketch Template + Annie Wilkes (Misery) Character Sketch Example

Note: You will receive a PDF with instructions on how to securely access the workshop.

Buy Now!

How do you create an antagonist like Hannibal Lecter or Annie Wilkes?

Watch Now!

In this interactive 2-hour workshop, you’ll discover how to craft an unforgettable, wickedly good villain that keeps readers up past their bedtime. Best-selling author and longtime speaker Shayla Raquel teaches novelists how to:

  1. Choose Your Type: There are different types of antagonists, so we’ll first determine if you have an Evil Antagonist, Opposing Antagonist, Superior Antagonist, or Internal Antagonist.

  2. Determine Your Villain’s Trigger: Your antagonist did not just wake up one day and decide to be bad. There was a trigger that led them down this path.

  3. Find Your Villain’s Saving Grace: There must be a redeeming quality when it comes to your villain. Help your readers relate to your antagonist by finding their saving grace. (This section includes a fun “Who am I?” game, real-life villain style.)

  4. Answer the Age-Old Question: Was it nature or nurture that created your villain? Could it be both?

  5. Pinpoint Motive: From revenge to honor, from betrayal to desperation, there is a motive, a reason, for why your antagonist opposes the protagonist. Give them a strong motive, and the reader will stay captivated.

  6. Sketch It Out: By using an in-depth character sketch, you can create an antagonist that feels 100% real to the reader. (Class attendees will receive their very own character sketch template to download!)

  7. Special Q&A: Why is your antagonist falling flat? What are you struggling with? Let’s brainstorm together in this special Q&A.

INCLUDES: Antagonist Character Sketch Template + Annie Wilkes (Misery) Character Sketch Example

Note: You will receive a PDF with instructions on how to securely access the workshop.

How do you create an antagonist like Hannibal Lecter or Annie Wilkes?

Watch Now!

In this interactive 2-hour workshop, you’ll discover how to craft an unforgettable, wickedly good villain that keeps readers up past their bedtime. Best-selling author and longtime speaker Shayla Raquel teaches novelists how to:

  1. Choose Your Type: There are different types of antagonists, so we’ll first determine if you have an Evil Antagonist, Opposing Antagonist, Superior Antagonist, or Internal Antagonist.

  2. Determine Your Villain’s Trigger: Your antagonist did not just wake up one day and decide to be bad. There was a trigger that led them down this path.

  3. Find Your Villain’s Saving Grace: There must be a redeeming quality when it comes to your villain. Help your readers relate to your antagonist by finding their saving grace. (This section includes a fun “Who am I?” game, real-life villain style.)

  4. Answer the Age-Old Question: Was it nature or nurture that created your villain? Could it be both?

  5. Pinpoint Motive: From revenge to honor, from betrayal to desperation, there is a motive, a reason, for why your antagonist opposes the protagonist. Give them a strong motive, and the reader will stay captivated.

  6. Sketch It Out: By using an in-depth character sketch, you can create an antagonist that feels 100% real to the reader. (Class attendees will receive their very own character sketch template to download!)

  7. Special Q&A: Why is your antagonist falling flat? What are you struggling with? Let’s brainstorm together in this special Q&A.

INCLUDES: Antagonist Character Sketch Template + Annie Wilkes (Misery) Character Sketch Example

Note: You will receive a PDF with instructions on how to securely access the workshop.

Shayla Raquel has taught classes on writing, marketing, and self-publishing at the following conferences:

Carrollton League of Writers — Carrollton, TX

Dallas Fort-Worth Writers Conference — Hurst, Texas 

Dallas Nonfiction Authors Association — Dallas, TX 

Editorial Freelancers Association Dallas — Dallas, TX

Enid Writers' Club — Enid, OK

Granbury Writers' Bloc — Granbury, TX 

InkersCon — Dallas, TX

North Texas Romance Writers Association — Colleyville, TX

Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc. — Oklahoma City, OK

Self-Publishing Advice Conference, ALLI

SoonerCon — Norman, OK

Texas High Plains Writers — Amarillo, TX

Women in Publishing Summit (Virtual)

WORDFest — Hurst, TX

WORDfest SW — Burleson, TX

Writer’s Guild of Texas — Plano, TX

Writers in the Field — Mansfield, TX

Writers' Retreat, God's Whisper Farm — Radiant, VA

Writing Workshops Dallas — Dallas, TX 

Yukon Writers' Society — Yukon, OK 

Published Works:

The Pre-Publishing Checklist (2015)

Shivers in the Night (2018)

The Suicide Tree (2018)

The 10 Commandments of Author Branding (2019)

All the Things I Should’ve Told You (2021)

Savage Indulgence (2022)