Jay's debut novel is out now! said, "I think villains have more flexibility with what they can or can't do. The only trait I think is necessary is to make them as human as possible. Cartoonishly evil characters don't enhance the heroic qualities of your heroes. Villains who have nuances will give your readers a better, more complicated picture of your heroes as well. "

A*Monaing*Faith said, "This may sound contradictory, but I like for a villain to possess both brutality and compassion. Brutality because that's what makes life hard for the hero; compassion, because it really messes with your head when someone's nice to you then mean as heck, then nice to you again; classic abusers syndrome. As for a third....they should have funny and entertaining minions, those are always good. "

Mark Allen Mc Lemore said, "I am a fan and critic of independent film. Here we have a group of people who have to take little and make a lot. They are usually unknown directors and/or actors with a very little budget. One thing that is usually a must is the character driven story.
With this in mind, I recently watched a film where the villain was an element. It inhabited one of the characters and turned them evil. So, here are two traits, the villain must affect the hero of the story, perhaps even drive them and it has to be ultimately disliked. Sure, sometimes we can sympathize with the villain, but ultimately...
Anyways, the third trait is their defeat or, perhaps as the appearance of defeat. The hero must inevitably confront and destroy, or be destroyed by, the villain."

Silverwindrose Dragon Minstrel said, "Humm... A villain need to be well hum... a challenge for the hero to find a way to deal with.
What do I mean?
Well I have found villains can be things or beings. All they need is to be a challenge that is hard to deal with. The villain also needs to be able to shift their way of doing things as so that they can make it challenging for the hero.The villain also has to be able to catch your attention and hold it."

Second of Nine said, "I am greatly looking forwards to the next newsletter, and hearing other opinions about villains! Myself, I think one of the most important things about a good villain is that the reader is able to be sympathetic with them. The best villains that I've read about are the ones that I find myself trying to come up with situations where they can be the hero, and yet are completely believable as the villain in this situation. I like to use villains that are villains because they operate on a logic, moral, and cultural code that is simply at odds with the logic, moral, and cultural code of the story's hero/heroine."

blue jellybaby said, "For me a villain is someone who is the epitome of evil. He (or she) wants to do harm, especially to the hero or his romantic interest. He has no morals and is only out for his own gain."

Quick-Quill said, "I love this newsletter. I don't have an ACTION/ADVENTURE story, however, I find my hero a little flat. I am going to take some of the things you listed here and see if I can make him the hero; the one who finds the truth and stands up for what he believes. I did discover his love interest is more of the heroine type. She made me proud, now I have to see what I can do to give my man not just a dogged determination to find his roots, but do something a little Hero-ish....what to do?"

BIG BAD WOLF is Merry said, "If you want Heroes, and Villains, look to the Redwall series. You will find those who are utterly despicable, and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal, namely the conquest of Redwall or its allies, and you'll find those who are truly courageous, and often times willing to pay the ultimate price to protect their home, and friends, and family."

bobneH .. aka.. just bob said, "In my story, Blinder, Dan Davis is a 'reluctant' hero..(anti war Navy Chief, forced to lead his team into harm's way)(although one of his team loves to kill).. a side note.. After 9/11 I added an Arab, just to kill him, but I liked him so much I made him a hero... go figure."