It’s not uncommon for the terms “villain” and “antagonist” to get thrown around interchangeably, but they’re not actually the same thing.

Yes, all villains are antagonists, but on the flip side, not all antagonists are actually villains. Believe it or not, the distinction is important, as it can significantly impact the dynamics of your story, particularly how conflict and opposition are framed.

The human range of emotions is far greater than we can consciously perceive.

It's easy to generalize them by saying things like, "angry," "sad," or "scared," but how do we hone in on those emotions?

How do we, as writers, make an individual emotion expressed by a fictional character somehow seem believable?