Writing Antagonists (the importance of really and truly understanding how to write Antagonists) is often underestimated when considering how to develop your story’s Ending. When you know who your Antagonist is (who they are, what they want, and why), you can craft an Ending that will not only attract readers but garner attention for your work! Because compelling Endings sell stories. So, let’s take a look at how to write Antagonists that isn’t cliche so that you can write your project’s Great Ending — and get it sold!

By your final act — the final pages of your screenplay or novel — your characters should have been put through the wringer and undergone significant transformations. Your Main Character ( Protagonist or “Hero”) and their opposition (Antagonist or “Bad Guy”) will have gone up against each other in ways large (blowing up their home planet!) or small (bullying by spreading rumors). Each should be transformed by their journey/experience and each other — all of which comes to a head in the climax of your story.

But before you can write an Ending that will resonate with readers, you should consider doing a little behind-the-scenes work. Don’t worry! It’s just on two characters. 😉 It’s super helpful to know how to write a Protagonist and Antagonist that naturally clash… crescendo… and ultimately resolve in a satisfying Ending that will ring true and leave a lasting impression.

So, let’s dig into how to write Antagonists so you can find your best Ending!

To develop a strong story ending, the first thing you need to explore is the relationship between your major characters: your Protagonist and their flip-side, the Antagonist. Because their clashing relationship is what will drive the conflict at the end of your story. It’s what will cause the “Oh no… they might not make it!” moment that leads into your ending.

So, when you start a new project, you can jump right into writing an Antagonist… But it’s actually a better idea to quickly explore your Main Character by asking yourself: “What’s the ONE THING my Protagonist wants more than anything?”

Pinpointing what your Protagonist oh-so-desperately needs by the end of the story helps you discover all the ways your story might end. The simple act of asking yourself, “What do they want to DO or GET by the end of my story?” gives you a surprisingly strong insight into Knowing your Ending.

First, pick just ONE THING, a single Goal, for your Protagonist.

Like Frodo’s mission to destroy the One Ring in “Lord of the Rings” or Marty McFly’s quest to get back home from The Future, once you choose ONE THING your Main Character wants, you can imagine all kinds of ways to thwart or impede their journey — and how your story might end most satisfactorily.

Here at Writing Ninja, we created an “Ultimate Goal” Brainstorm Board® to help you do just that. It’s a SUPER helpful and fun way to discover ways to develop compelling characters! So if you need more help, check out our “Protagonist Goals” article to learn more or give our one-of-a-kind software a try – for free!

Internal Goals are all about what’s happening within a character, like their personal struggles or the changes they’re trying to make in themselves. You know, the emotional, psychological stuff… their personal journey, instead of the physical one. On the other hand…

External Goals deal with the tangible things your character wants. An External Goal can be an Action they need to complete, an Item they’re after, or a Destination they’re trying to reach.

Great stories often have both types Goals intertwining through the plot, showing us both the internal evolution and the external actions of a character. Check out some External Character Goals below.

Once you get to know your Protagonist, you’ll probably feel ready to dive into your ending.

But wait!

There’s one more thing you need to do first…

To craft an amazing Ending to your story, you should make sure you’re writing towards a conclusion that’s dramatic enough to really satisfy your audience. You know that amazing feeling you get when you close a book (or script!) that’s lived up to it’s potential? The kinds of stories that stay with you… the ones where you sigh, “Oh… that was so good…!” as you put it down. That’s the kind of satisfying ending that only comes from resolving the conflict that’s been building through the story — when it all comes to a wonderfully fulfilling, dramatic end.

And since Drama = Conflict, the more you explore the conflict your Main Character will try to overcome by the end, the more intriguing your Ending will be.

So before you do anything else, you should probably do a bit more exploring first — and that starts with writing Antagonists. 😉

Why? For the same reason nobody wants to spend two hours watching someone on a sailboat happily glide along in calm seas and sunny skies. Whistling & sailing. Smiling & sailing. Looking around & sailing. Having a snack and — you guessed it — sailing! No dolphins… no fish.. no other people… no interaction with anyone or anything. Just a guy literally “happy sailing” on the vast, calm water. Would you sit through a two-hour movie like that? Nope. Why? Because “nice and calm” means nothing exciting happens. It’d be like watching paint dry.

Smooth sailing is great in life but BORING in stories.

You need something or someone to come along and challenge your hero — or your audience will leave to find a more engaging story. You need to find some stormy seas for your Main Character. And that’s where your “Bad Guy” can come into play — they can rough up otherwise calm seas!

Your Antagonist is the yin to your Protagonist’s yang: the Joker to your Batman, the Biff Tannen to your Marty McFly, or the Darth Vader for your Luke Skywalker. Or, if you prefer using nature or the supernatural in addition to — or in place of — a traditional human Antagonist, you can have some non-human Bad Guys, like the iceberg smashing into Rose & Jack’s life in “Titanic,” the tornadoes for Bill & Jo in “Twister,” or the dinosaurs chasing Grant & Ellie in “Jurassic Park.”

(Notice each of these classic examples has BOTH a Force of Nature/Supernatural AND a human Antagonist? In addition to those non-human forces, each story has a literal Bad Guy. Rose’s finance, Cal, played by Billy Zane, chases Jack around to get him away from Rose. Rival tornado hunter Dr. Miller, played by Cary Elwes, tries to beat his former coworkers. Disgruntled computer programmer Nedry, played by Wayne Knight, disables all security systems — which releases the dinos!! — so he can get away with his stolen embryos.)

To disrupt your Protagonist’s journey on the high seas of your story, you need some kind of storm… or inner turmoil… or a shark… or a pirate! You need something or someone to come along and rock their boat — or try to capsize them! Because if you don’t have a strong enough foil, it’s kind of like trying to bake a cake without the flour; you’re going to end up with a flat, sickly-sweet mess — and nobody wants that!

You should pick the OPPOSITE THING for your Antagonist.

So when you’re picking your Antagonist’s Goal — the ONE THING they want more than anything else — you should try to pick something so diametrically opposed to your Protagonist’s Goal that there can be NO QUESTION that they’re on opposite sides. That they’re mortal enemies. That they will kick, scratch, or hurl mean words at each other until the very (bitter) end of your story.

When you know what your Protagonist wants AND what your Antagonist wants to stop, you have all the elements you need to create conflict and develop an amazing ending. It’s basically as simple as 1 + 2 = 3:

Without #2, you don’t have a well-defined ending — your story will just kind of wander, and you won’t know where to end (and you get blocked!) or maybe it’ll weakly peter out and eventually end… somewhere… boring.

That’s why it’s important to know what your pesky, annoying, or downright evil Antagonist is going to get into as your story ramps up. What will they do to mess with your Main Character’s story… and when? If you don’t know how the two sides of your story are going interact, how can you know how to write towards that end?

Knowing your Antagonist ending fuels character motivation, drives the plot, and shapes your character interactions.

Because, let’s be honest — without a compelling Antagonist, your Protagonist will just have another average sunny sailing day. And who wants to watch that?!

As you can see, developing a compelling story Ending is about understanding your characters — and especially understanding how to write Antagonists! The more you dive into their desire, fears, and motivations, the easier it’ll be to craft an ending that rings true, delivers a powerful emotional punch, and leaves your audience thoroughly satisfied.

But if the thought of trying to do all of the above seems overwhelming or complex, never fear… help is here! Because you can try Writing Ninja for your Antagonist writing — for FREE!

With our unique Antg-O-Meter and Brainstorm Boards®, you’ll get tons of character development writing tips — Antagonist and Protagonist! They’ll give you everything you need to write strong antagonists, helping you explore your antagonist’s depths, from their darkest fears to their most nefarious goals. Dive into the riveting world of character creation and let our innovative platform guide you toward your most compelling, sellable story yet.

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It’s full of fun toys, like an “Antg-O-Meter” that uses AI to help you build the perfect Antagonist for your story:

So, why wait? The Brainstorm Boards® are full of ways to help you explore how to write a good Antagonist! Let Writing Ninja unleash your inner storyteller today and start exploring how to write a great Antagonist — one that doesn’t just challenge your hero, but also elevates your story’s Ending.

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