The antagonist's arc (in a three act structure)

Woollybear · Jul 19, 2019

I'm re-outlining my second novel. This is my third stab at it, after the 65K first stab that was too pantsed and going nowhere, a 35K second stab that was actually going somewhere but I wasn't happy with many bits, nor the overall impact the final product would end up having on novel 3 (a gleam in my eye).

OK, so third stab, Novel 2, underway. I'm plotting again, and outlining with Blake Snyder's 15 beats open on my laptop. I'm hoping my flirtation with pantsing will at least help this project feel more alive, despite the beat-sheet formula and reverting to my plotting nature.

What I have:

I have an arc for each of two protagonists. Starting world, inciting incident, leaving the normal world for the journey, dark night, climax, denouement.

I have an antagonist. I'm actually excited because I see how to make this character's goal sound like a good thing, and yet still be in opposition to the protagonists. I have a goal and a path for this character to work toward the goal, I have escalating reasons and this character almost reaching the goal.

I have an idea how the parts all fit together to make the climax work. The plotter in me rejoices.

My question:

Does an antagonist need an inciting incident? My character has a goal, agency, competency, and an arc. Is it necessary to incite the antagonist? I think not, because I think there are plenty of examples in literature where an antagonist is simply already on a path.

If anyone has insight, I'd be curious for it, otherwise I think I will assume the answer is no. When I think of The Radleys, for example, which I recently read, the antagonist was not incited necessarily but instead he seized upon an opportunity at the I/II juncture, to advance toward his goal. Maybe antagonists more often have opportunities near the ActI/ActII juncture, and maybe this takes the place of a more typical inciting incident. In a sense, an opportunity incites.

Bufty · Jul 19, 2019

The antagonist, if he's a bad guy or up to no good story-wise, may well have reasons or motivation for his behaviour but how far you wish to go into these is up to you. Just keep them interesting if you do decide to share them.

Woollybear · Jul 19, 2019

That sounds like you agree that the antagonist, even one that's a viewpoint character (at times), may not need a clear turning point between ActI/ActII.

Looking back to novel one, my antagonist was a villain and his opportunity (discovering the protagonist) was the protagonist's inciting incident (to avoid the villain)--basically, their first meeting was a plot point. Opportunity for him, inciting incident for her.

This is how my thinking is developing about the antagonist's arc.

Bufty · Jul 20, 2019

I don't deal in Acts 1 and 2 etc.. and don't really follow you here. Sorry, Patty. :Hug2:

good luck.

starrystorm · Jul 20, 2019

I'm not sure an antagonist needs acts or an inciting incident or plot points. They are just another character like the love interest or best friend. They should have a goal, but the readers don't care about watching the antagonist succeed and fail like one would with the MC's arch.

Woollybear · Jul 21, 2019

Sounds good, thank you both.

I'm working through the snowflake method now, which is new for me and has me viewing the structure from a different angle. Not sure if this will lead to an inciting incident for the antagonist or not, but I am definitely seeing the different storylines start to intertwine.

PostHuman · Jul 23, 2019

I still have a lot to learn about novel structure, but in screenplays often these major turning points are the same scenes for the antagonist, just the flip side of protagonist's experience.

indianroads · Jul 23, 2019

IMO an antagonist needs a motivation, but not necessarily an inciting incident explicitly written out in your story - it can be the antagonist's backstory instead.

I would hesitate, and think long and hard before using a canned template in my writing, because it might make my story feel phony or overly contrived. Instead, it might be better to look at these suggested structures, but see them as suggestions rather than laws.

We each have our own methods, which should continue to evolve as we complete more novels. There isn't one way that works for everyone. For example, I call myself a plotter, but actually I plot about 70% and pants the remaining 30%. My recent works have 3 acts and I'll keep that pattern until the series is finished, but for what comes next? Who knows? I'll use whatever fits and works for the story.

In my WIP the antagonist remains in the background, and doesn't show up in person until the last few chapters of the book. That's what works for this story... can I use that template for everything? Heck no.

Woollybear · Jul 23, 2019

Thanks both!

Indian roads--spot on. This is my third attempt at novel 2, and my third different approach toward it. (Fourth, counting the snowflake method, which we discussed last week in a writers group). So yes, RE: no 'one size fits all,' Heheh, absolutely true.

So far Snowflake is helping, and I recommend it. I was jazzed to discover that it's by the same guy that blogs about scene-sequel.

Still, despite these methods, which aren't templates so much as foundational structure to keep in mind, such as is often discussed elsewhere,escalating tension and so on, I like to think my 65K pantsed draft (attempt 1) is helping my writing flow more easily, and I like to think the 35K scene-structured draft (attempt 2) makes writing scenes properly more instinctive for me. We'll see. I'm taking the opening scene of the novel 2 to writers club tonight. I specifically want to know if the protagonist is sympathetic and if her goal is clear. This was a hangup on novel 1, for me, so if they say 'yes' then it's a win.

Woollybear · Jul 24, 2019

They said yes!!!

( The framing was not clear--e.g. "wait, whose house is this?"--but that wasn't on my radar. That's what revisions are for, right? )

SwallowFeather · Jul 25, 2019

So glad they like your protag, Patty!

I have a pretty definite opinion on your original question so I'll go ahead and share. It's yes and no in very specific ways. The No: antagonist doesn't need an inciting incident on the page. That's not at all necessary. From your protag's point of view the antag can just show up one day with a ready-made obsessive goal that is terrible (or at least opposed to the protag's goal.) That's fine.

But the antagonist has his/her own story even though it's not this story, and that story had an inciting incident at some point. Your story won't automatically suck if you don't know what that incident was, but knowing what it was, and mapping out your antag's whole story according to the plot structures you're using, will make him/her a stronger and more three-dimensional character, and that will strengthen your story. So basically, yes--there's an inciting incident somewhere in your antagonist's backstory, and writing it & the rest of that story's progression (in summary form! I've only ever done these things in summary form b/c obviously we're not made of time) can really make your book stronger.

Woollybear · Jul 25, 2019

Ooooh. I like this. The inciting incident can be earlier than the start of the novel for the antagonist.

I do know my antagonist's inciting incident. It happened a long, long time ago and I had already decided to allude to it somewhere in act 2.

Thanks!

Brooklyn_Story_Coach · Jul 25, 2019

Good question! And, like so much of writing, it really depends on your style and what kind of book you want to write.

That said, I’ve found antagonists without a full arc feel flat. If you aren’t asking a lot from you antagonist, that can be okay, but why not build the full arc? Even if you don’t use or show it, your antagonist will be more complex and believable because you know the backstory!

It is one of those things that basically has no downside. The worst case scenario is that you really understand an important character!

My bet, though, is that the novel’s plot will improve based on the work you do with the antagonist’s arc. I believe your antagonist has a story she wants to tell also!

EmmaSkysong · Jul 26, 2019

I agree with what's already been said here! It also sounds to me like you're right about how your antagonist fits into the plot points along with the protagonist (inciting event for the protagonist being an opportunity for an antagonist already into his/her arc).

The antagonist's inciting incident can certainly happen "off-screen" and even prior to the story. Knowing what it is can help explain your villain's motivation later on. Often the antagonist's role early in the story is doing something to kick off the protagonist's journey -- and the reason the antagonist is acting at all is because they've already been incited on their own mission and are in a phase of action. That's what leaves the protagonist scrambling to keep up and make sense of the forces working against them throughout the first half of the second act.

If you're studying 3-Act structure, you should totally check out K. M. Weiland's blog. She has some great stuff on plotting the beats for both story and character (see the side bar). I found her points easier to work with than Blake Snyder's personally.

The antagonist's arc (in a three act structure)

Woollybear

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Woollybear

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

starrystorm

Woollybear

PostHuman

indianroads

Wherever I go, there I am.

Woollybear

Woollybear

SwallowFeather

Oops I just swallowed a feather

Woollybear

Brooklyn_Story_Coach

Non est ad astra mollis e terrisvia

EmmaSkysong