on Writers in the Storm:

How is your story going? Is it on fire with lots of excitement and drama?

Or is it limping along at a lackluster pace with little emotional impact?

If it’s the latter, consider this: You may not be paying enough attention to your antagonist.

I was guilty of this in my early writing. I focused so much on my hero that I neglected the poor bad guy (or girl).

When your antagonist isn’t getting enough of your attention, your entire story suffers. I’d go so far as to say your story will fail if you haven’t given just as much of your heart and soul to your bad guy as your good one.

If you’re unsure whether that’s happening in your story, look for these five signs of antagonist neglect.

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