I've spoken about some of the heroes, now let's discuss what I love about some of the Austin villains and how they have inspired my writing. Mr. Wickham is a pretty clear cut villain, but realistic as well.
Why Mr. Wickham is on my list of great villains?
He is a reasonable, attractive, and charming man who knows he must marry to better himself. Still, the methods he is willing to use make him a perfect villain. He breaks the heart of one young girl because he won't get her money. He tries to impress the women around him, but when he isn't able to quickly draw in a woman with money, he moves to seducing a young and innocent girl with a flirtatious nature. It's a despicable thing to do. Even more despicable is, he refuses to marry her (which will ruin the entire family) unless he receives money. Now
that is a villain.
My villains are a little like Mr. Wickham. They are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends--even when that is beyond the realm of decency. One of my villains in particular is progressively more villainous as the story goes along. This is how I imagine Wickham would have been, had they not paid him to marry Lydia. He would have continued to do worse and worse things until he degenerated into a criminal. That is what greed can do.
Who is your favorite villain and why?
