I came across a Dean Koontz article that, in part, answered the question, "How do you come up with your villains?" His response struck a chord with me that resonated with my most enjoyable characters. Whether you're just starting out, stuck in a roleplaying rut, or just looking for a different angle, maybe this will help put things in a new perspective. It's actually pretty close to how I've approached roleplaying in some of my favorite incarnations.

http://www.kindlepost.com/2010/10/guest-blogger-dean-koontz.html

"Another frequently asked question is "How do you create such bizarre, yet convincing and terrifying villains?" The glib answer is to say I watch the evening news. In fact, however, the antagonists in my novels create themselves, just as do the protagonists. I conceive a character around a seed of truth, some essential fact that lies at the core of him, then I give him free will, and I discover more about him as the story unfolds. Sometimes, when characters surprise me with their revelations, it seems as if they are indeed real, that I am writing in a kind of dream state that allows me to bridge this world with some parallel reality and tap the consciousness of people living there, rendering them as characters in my novels."

Good read.

Use an IV dose of benedryl in a 50cc syringe to inject it directly into your vein along with NS. WEEEE. Sleep time.

I think that far too few of CF's characters are built this way, but when you encounter one who is, it can be tremendously rewarding.

I'm also glad to see that I'm not the only one who appreciates Mr. Koontz. After the Odd Thomas books I've grown pretty fond of him, even if most of his earlier work is groan-inducingly campy.

Glad to see Fjarn peek out again too.