As a writer, I am told my story's heroes shouldn't be too strong, and my villains shouldn't be too villainous, or my readers won't find my characters believable.
What makes a villain too villainous? Is it a villain who cheats at golf because he can't be viewed as a "loser?" Or is that just a character flaw that makes the character more believable? How about a villain who brags about never paying his contractors the full contractually agreed-upon price? How about a villain who has the power to help his medically fragile family member but chooses instead to cancel their medical coverage? How about a villain who verbally and physically attacks women or the disabled? How about a villain who never served his country in the military, but denigrates war heroes as "suckers and losers" because they were taken prisoner or killed during battle? Does this villain intentionally inflict pain and emotional distress on people, or is he just oblivious to what his actions are doing to others? Does he do what he does because of some childhood trauma that has rewired his brain into that of a malignant narcissist, who want to be seen as superior to everyone and everything? Or does he delight in shocking the conscience of others because he has no conscience and can't understand how a conscience works? How about a villain who takes an oath of office but "forgets" to put his hand on the Bible and subsequently violates everything he swore to do? Is that an accident or deliberate? Does he know he isn't going to keep the oath he is swearing to? Has he been compromised by some foreign adversary who has something on this villain that his fragile ego doesn't want to be known? Like money laundering? Or accepting bribes? Or something else that is so horribly disgusting that even he forces his brain to deny it? Or is this villain just a useful idiot to the people pulling his not-so-invisible strings? Or is there something else behind the scenes that everyone supporting this villain knows about, but is keeping it secret because they profit from his villainous actions? What if your story villain does all these things and more? I find it unimaginable that this villain has been written into our daily lives, making "truth is stranger than fiction," now our unimaginable truth.
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Celeste BennettI'm a struggling author, these days what author isn't? I'm learning that life is better when you do what you love and I love writing, when I'm not crocheting or spending time with family. Archives
March 2025
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