The absence of a villain

[Dreran the Green]

In most stories (at least most of the ones I have read) there is a character or creature that is always there trying to prevent the hero or heroine from accomplishing their task. Tolkien had his Dark Lords and treacherous wizards, what about everyone here? Do you like having villains in the books you read, or not? Do you always write a villain or two into your own? If so, what are they like? And must there always be an opposing force to the hero/heroine?
I have been writing a fantasy book for a while now. I am almost done, but yesterday I realized I never wrote in a villain, or any sort of enemy for my main characters. There are a lot of flashbacks where they battle with different enemys, but for the main part, in the present time the story is taking place, no one. I'm torn between two options: If I write in a villain or someone to fight my characters, It will change the story dramatically, and I don't know if I want that. But without one, I'm afraid the story is really just a long dragging on of events. Again, do you like villains in the books you read?

[Lizra]

No, I need no villians! ;) Life presents plenty of obstacles by itself, there's no need to create a "VILLIAN". (IMO) A villian for villians sake could be a bit trite. :)

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Hehehe....I can just imagine the villian in your gardening essays, Lizra...:D

The Monster Cabbage! :eek:

[IronParrot]

Villainous characters are more appropriate for some genres than others. If it suits the story, go for it. If not, don't.

[Agalayth]

My story has an antagonist, but it's not important to every story. Like IronParrot said, it's appropriate in some genres, but not in others.

[turtlelover]

if you don't want to change the book then don't if you think it has value and is a decent story them I'm sure it is because many times we are our own toughest critic!



:D

[Dreran the Green]

True.:)

[Laurus Nobilis]

As long as there *is* a plot, the story won't be boring just because it doesn't have a villain. If it works as it is now, I wouldn't add a villain for a villain's sake.

I guess it depends on the story.

[Lief Erikson]

The thing is, readers have to remain interested in the book. Suspense is a great way to do that. Suspense doesn't always require a villain, but it usually comes from readers' concern for the main characters, or for minor characters.

Having a villain is an easy way to make readers concerned for the characters they've grown to care about. Villains, like I said, aren't necessary. But they are a useful tool to easily create elements that are necessary for a good story.

[Anglorfin]

Obviously since you've written so much already a villian is not necessary. I think it takes greater talent than people realize for a writer to create conflict within a story without adding a "bad guy" or blatantly obvious antagonist.

[Lief Erikson]

Just so long as the story keeps the reader interested, without one. Not having read the story myself, of course I can't make any sort of opinion yet on whether a villain would be good to have involved :).

[sun-star]

It depends on genre, but it also depends what you mean by a villain. If it's a cardboard cut-out evil guy whose only entertainment is making things difficult for the hero, it's not very realistic (possibly the understatement of the century). But there's nothing wrong in having two conflicting characters, as long as they are both well-drawn, properly rounded and morally complex. However difficult that is to do :)

[Adrian Baggins]

All my stories have vilans, be they people or circumstances, such as in one of my books, 4 years of a girls old life is stolen after a car accident on a rainy night on a narrow bridge and she gets amnesia. Villans can be anything, all stories even if the villan is time itself, have villans. That is my writing philosophy anyway.

[Entlover]

You have to have conflict in order to have a plot.

The conflict can be between man and another human, man and nature, or man and himself, but there must be conflict of some kind or there's no plot.

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I'm having way too much fun not being clear on who's "evil" and who's on the side of "good" and what is good anyway and who gets to say what's right and wrong, and all of that.

My main story right now has the main character going from being on what she thought was the side of good and right to suddenly being thrown into a rather permanent situation in which she is on the side she had been fighting, because of one moment of lost faith. So the main conflict in that bit of story is her trying to figure out if there really ought to be sides, and who's right and who's wrong, and all that. Because she can either, at this point, turn herself in, kill herself, or deal with her situation and get used to it. Without much doubt or thinking she goes for the last option, because now she has the freedom to enjoy herself now. What she does spend time thinking about is why she was killing these people before, and if it is "right" that an organization exists, or if these people are by nature evil. Stuff like that. So there's no villain except her own thoughts, really. :)