Things I have learned from Joss Whedon pt 1

I write. I am looking to do more, I have been procrastinating quite a bit recently. I write a lot when I have time, but the problem is I don't plan time for writing. I pack my days with many things to do and because of that I sometimes lack time to write. Working on the first ten chapters of my Outlaw novel and that is the goal for now. But that is all beside the point. The point that I wanted to make is I am inspired by many things, and I like to try to adopt the ideas and concepts of my favorite writers into my stories. Here is one of the things I have learned from Joss Whedon...

The villains never think they are villains, they usually perceive themselves as being righteous. That the actions they do are for good and not evil.

This is a really important concept, as it makes the protagonists more human, more real. No one wants to be the bad guy. Unless they are psychotic. In the real world everyone wants to do good, the difference is that one persons good is another's evil. Good writing has this. A villain should never be a faceless, generic enemy like the terrorist that plagues most action movies. That is too comic booky. No the best bad guys are the ones you are never entirely sure are bad, and I have made one of my most important characters exactly that.