Sauron. Hannibal Lecter. Nurse Ratchet. Some of the most fascinating characters in literature aren’t the heroes, but the villains.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss ways to that our villains are as fully developed as their more heroic counterparts. We’ll look at how the maxim “The best villain is the hero of their own story” plays out in practice. We’ll also look at the strengths and weaknesses of different villainous archetypes, such as sympathetic villains, anti-villains, hero-villains, and classical villains. And when students leave this workshop, they will have crafted a detailed character sketch for an iconic villain of their own.