One of the questions my developmental editor asked me before taking me on was “Is there a villain or antagonist in your story? Who?” When I answered the question, I didn’t mention villains, only antagonists. That’s because I don’t think there are any true villains in my story, only characters who have desires that run counter to what the heroes want. 

In fact, I have three tiers of antagonists in my story:

• Series antagonists, who drive the entire series
• Book antagonists, who drive the action of each book (some series antagonists become book antagonists)
• Threshold guardian antagonists, who present mid-book blocks our heroes must overcome to progress toward their goals (Threshold guardians are a character type discussed in The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.)

I like what Jack Anderson, the author of The Return of Moriarty, says about the differences between heroes and villains. In particular, I agree that while “heroes die for their beliefs, villains kill for them.” But I would add one more quality I think separates villains from antagonists: relatability.

DC Comics vs. Marvel Comics

There’s no better example of this distinction in action than the stories from DC and Marvel. DC features iconic villains like the Joker, the Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Bane, Lex Luthor, and Darkseid. Many of them are certifiably insane, while others are egomaniacal sociopaths and ruthless tyrants.

On the other hand, Marvel features iconic antagonists like Magneto, Thanos, Loki, and Kingpin. They’re bad and absolutely kill others in the name of their beliefs, but they’re not insane, two-dimensional characters. Their heinous actions stem from relatable worldviews, such as Magneto’s desire to protect mutants from racist persecution and Thanos’s desire to alleviate resource scarcity caused by overpopulation. These characters also have other redeeming characteristics, such as the ability to care for others.

If you’re into antagonists and protagonists who are rainbows of gray tones, rather than black and white cartoon characters of evil and good, then my sci-fi trilogy is for you.

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I’m not the first to say it, but this cliché advice is routinely misunderstood and used to stifle authors and put them in a box that limits their imagination to what they’ve experienced firsthand. Even worse, some writers hear that advice and put themselves in a box. Here are three much better ways to interpret this advice:

1. Write what you want to know about

When you don’t know something, you research it. For my sci-fi trilogy, Project T.A.G., I googled a lot of stuff and read tons of articles. For instance, while I’ve visited locations for another work in progress, Project W.A., I unfortunately wasn’t able to visit any of the largely international locations for Project T.A.G. So, I did some research to get a basic understanding of those places, and then imagined how they might change by the year 2104, which is when much of Book 1’s action takes place.

Military academies and bases are major settings for my story. As someone who hasn’t served in the military (much less the military of 2104), I did more research and some imaginative extrapolation to fit a post–nuclear war era where combat drones are common.

2. Write what you know emotionally

Lisa Cron shares that freeing interpretation in Wired for Story. This is the core of all the projects I’m working on now. For instance, the series arc of my work in progress Project T.A.G. is driven by a man who loses his daughter at birth. Unfortunately, I know what losing a daughter feels like. Essentially, that character is a shadow version of myself. While I was able to move on, he became bitter and blamed the world.  

3. Write what you would like to imagine knowing

Learn by doing doesn’t make any sense for sci-fi authors who write about aliens or wizards, or most historical fiction authors, or horror and thriller authors writing about sociopaths and serial killers (hopefully). 

In these instances, the world you create just has to be credible. Sometimes that entails some degree of plausibility. Other times that entails painting a vivid enough picture to create the suspension of disbelief. Every time, it requires being consistent and true to the rules you’ve created for your world.

Some people might think this third interpretation gives authors too much latitude. But I agree with While My Baby Sleeps author Natali Simmonds, who says, “Limiting yourself solely to your own life can narrow your creative possibilities. Good fiction and writing often involve imagining the experiences of others—especially those with perspectives and backgrounds different from your own.”

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