Okay, so I've been thinking about my villain and how he has to be defeated at the end of the novel--which I am still far away from. I am more of an organic writer--I discover as I write--rather than a planner (which means I get to rewrite a lot
). However, I would like to have this worked out ahead of time if I can so I can lay the "clues" in these chapters where I am developing the villain and the reader gets to meet him firsthand.
I've heard stuff from EUOL like the stronger the villain, the stronger the hero. So I don't want it to be some pansy flaw. And I don't want it to be real obvious--I'd like it to be subtle so a really smart reader would pick up on it, but not everyone would. I'm kind of stuck on how to figure it out, so I thought I'd get some suggestions.
How do you guys come up with villains--particularly the "fatal flaw" that makes it possible for them to be defeated at the end? I need some brainstorming ideas, if you have any. I'm looking for generals right now, though I might ask for specifics if I continue to be stuck.