RE: How does one write a scary character?

#2
Depends on what kind of 'scary' you're going for. Ideally, truly scary characters are intelligent (not brutes) and lack something 'human.' You'd want to balance other characters' interactions/reactions with the scary one (goosebumps and stuff) with the scary characters own scary actions. Also, vagueness/ambiguity always adds to scariness. Avoid describing them like wolves or something, because that used to be scary in the 18th century. If you wanna make them beastlike, you'll have to either give them scary powers (dementors from harry potter) or describe them in very vivid, frightening detail (bristling fur etc) Also, scary actions are scarier than scary features.
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RE: How does one write a scary character?

#3
I think the most important part is the feeling, that the character is an actual threat for the hero. My problem with many "scary characters" is how I can see their defeat from the start. When I think I know how to defeat the character, all the scary lines become the tantrum of a little child. That's also the reason why many "brute force" charactes aren't scary for me, because they are often quite easy to overcome. I read some exceptions but those were mostly based on how they actually got the hero. So more of a hindsight scariness.

The real scary characters are those with seemingly no weak points. I would second the "intelligent" part of WhoCares, but it's really hard to write those. You need a character that is more intelligent than those around him without the latter ones acting stupid. It has to feel like a chess game between a pro and a good player and not between a good player and a child. If the reader sees through it early everything can feel rather boring and bland afterwards. A good way to prevent that is to hide and slowly reveal (background) information. This often can be tied in with the story, so it's a rather easy way. Just be prepared to show something good at the end, so that all the buildup won't end in frustration.

Instead of hiding information you can also use actions the reader simply can't "understand". Crazy actions, lacking empathy, weird overreactions from a otherwise completely normal person. One may seem to be your model citizen, before he kills his neighbor just to prove a stupid point (or because the neighbor used a wrong word) and afterward he just eats with his wife, caressing his son's hair. This gap between a normal human and some crazy/scary action works best for me. The feeling that you can't look behind the smile of a person. It also goes well with the "vague background" part, where I can easily wonder why someone would end like this.

There are possibly many other ways, but those works best for me...

RE: How does one write a scary character?

#4
In general, I think what makes an antagonist 'scary' is the impact they have/could have in your world. There are many stories with villains that are supposed to be strong and imposing, but the reader knows that they won't actually kill the main character or take over the world. Even well written, three-dimensional antagonists can seem unimpressive when their goals will obviously never be achieved.

Sometimes, all your opposition needs is a real threat. What's more intimidating, the man who has nearly stolen the heart of our MC's girl, or the umpteenth villain who threatened to blow up the world? That doesn't mean that antagonists can't dream big, but they will naturally become more intimidating when the reader feels that the stakes are not only high, but also realistic.
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RE: How does one write a scary character?

#5
Evil is all a matter of perspective.
We establish morality on a basic code of behavior, how we should and should not behave. A truly frightening character is devoid of these characteristics.
One method is to take beloved icons and have them desecrate this moral code. Example: Clowns killing people (thank you Mr. King).
Insane villains are also something a writer can sink their teeth in. Have a look at one of my last pieces; there are a lot of crazy people there. Hope I helped.

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RE: How does one write a scary character?

#6
For most things, you have to realize that the choice of words and the tone of voice is most important in the setting. So if you want something to feel evil, use words that sound dark and have a more heavy load. I know what I mean myself, but find it hard to explain. Im not a native, so finding the right synonyms etc, can be a task for me.

Anyway in example.

Paint a scene about a tree and apples hanging from the branches.
1. Make it a happy story
2. Make it an evil story

1.

Leaves rustled in the fresh summerbreeze, the shadow of the tree looked like a thousand limbed dancer that performed stretching exercises. Among the lush, green leaves there were hints of green, red and yellow. The ripe and tasty apples that the tree carried would fall down into the long grass and be harvested by the farmer. (I know it sucks, the story makes no sense)

2. Leaves rustled dryly, their branches clawing into the sky to express their agony of the luke-warm breeze. The dry, sickly green leaves housed shrunken, brown apples that could fall at any moment. Only the stem kept them from being taken by the horros that lurked below.

Although it's not the best explanation, I think setting the tone with the right words will greatly increase the impact of your characters.

RE: How does one write a scary character?

#7
In my opinion a scary character is honestly a result of create unsettlement in the readers. This can be done in several ways limited by the type of story, world and character in general. In order to create this sense of unsettlement in a reader however one must create a character who in some way, shape or form behaves in a way that feels fundamentally wrong based on the confines of the world.
The creation of this effect can occur through multiple means one such being to reveal threat to characters in said novel while withholding information. This is a viable technique but tends to be difficult to master in moderation and has become very cliché. Good examples are Sauron from the lord of the rings.
Another technique would be to in one instant create a massive sudden threat to the survival of characters the readers are emotionally invested in example being as said above dementors.
Next, one can place us, the readers, in the eyes of the protagonist. These eyes place us in a naturally biased footing then slowly show the disturbance felt on a fundamental level by the protagonist, if done correctly the reader will feel fear at the character . An example being Hannibal Lector a portrayed in silence of the lambs. While strongly helped by the use of visual the inherent wrongness in the existence of a person like the doctor and the damage he does to our main character create the onlooker .
Finally, I suppose one can make use of excellent world building to set a status quo of a world so that readers are drawn in and in any action outside status is met with that automatic feeling of unease. This is much, much more complex than any previously suggested ideas. Done correctly one should be able to turn any action beyond the constraints of the world to wrongness and fear but you would need to truly invest a reader and make that world as vivid and real in its boundaries and customs as our own.