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Step 1
Give your villain a reason to be angry. Make her motivations real. Being stood up on a date 15 years ago is not a believable reason that a woman would stalk a man and go after his family.
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Step 2
Make your villain intelligent. He has to match wits with your hero in order to challenge them. You don't want to bore your readers by having the hero know the villain's every move.
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Step 3
Avoid clichés. Many times we see the jealous ex-husband, jilted mistress, or guy made fun of in high school back for revenge. If you are going to do this, make them stand out by being different. Give them a life of their own so they don't become one-dimensional.
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Step 4
Try not to make your villain too evil. Twist the character's personality and make the reader a little sympathetic. If your villain goes around causing terror to everything that crosses his path, the story will quickly lose appeal.
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Step 5
Keep your villain strong until the end. Too many times we see stories that end with the villain giving up and wanting to change his or her ways. A powerful villain never gives up and will fight to the finish.
