Whether the antagonizing forces to your protagonist are sentient, or natural forces, having at least a basic understanding of the type of opposition your protagonist will face will get you on the right track faster with your first draft.

Depending on the nature of your project, and where your inspiration leads you, this and the following parts to Getting Started may work better in a different order for you. I am merely presenting the ideas in the fashion that worked for me. So, without further ado…

Understanding and developing your antagonist is every bit as important as understanding and developing your main character. Characters that are evil for the sake of being evil just don’t fly anymore. At this point in the evolution of the fantasy genre, readers love complicated characters. The popularity of Game of Thrones is evidence of that.

Depending on the age of your readership, though, you might get away with simplifying the adversaries. After all, readers loved Voldemort, and he wasn’t overly complicated, but the odds of being the next JK rowling, unfortunately, are stacked against us.

Ask adult readers who their favourite villain in Harry Potter was, however, and most of them will probably say Professor Umbridge. This might be a good opportunity for you to consider why that might be.

So, when developing your antagonist, put yourself in their shoes and get to know them as well as you would your hero.

What is their primary objective? What do they want?

What created the tension between your antagonist and your protagonist?

Is there a possibility of peace between your protagonist and antagonist? What reasons might there be that prevent this?

In the event of MC vs nature, consider the magnitude and even science of your setting.

Why is the environment dangerous, or difficult for your protagonist?

What sort of equipment does your protagonist need to survive in the setting? Why don’t they have that equipment? Did it get broken, lost, stolen, or perhaps they never had it in the first place and are looking for a means to survive.

What kind of wildlife, or other cultures might they interact with in this setting? Or perhaps, as in Andy Weir’s The Martian, it truly is a matter of a man using his education, stubbornness, and sense of humour to survive. Along with a bunch of macgyvered space tech.

Brainstorm to your heart’s content, and you will have an arsenal of peril and predicaments to draw from as you develop and craft your novel.