Just in time for NaNoWriMo, Writer and Proud has a great post on The Difference Between Villains and Antagonists.
“I had to figure out the difference for myself a while back, when I realized that while my main character (Mara) for Shadows and Light was a villain, she wasn’t an antagonist. Likewise, her counterpart and new partner main character (Ace) was an antagonist, but not a villain. I’d like to explain how this is possible.”
In trying to make my characters have more depth, I also like to remember that every villain (or antagonist) likes to believe that they are the hero in their own story. This helps me to look at the character’s point of view. There needs to be a reason why they act they way they do. Even psychopaths have motivation and reason. 1. They want what they want. 2. They don’t care about the consequences to anyone else.
So if you invest in your villain, you might be able to come up with a character that people can identify with or at least understand. And hey, origin stories are all the rage so who knows, you may even find a plot for another book.