On writing bad guys

Posted on 05/26/2022 at 10:41 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Writer Unboxed shared two posts on villains in fiction earlier month.

In some cases, you may want your reader to already know who the villain is; in others, you want the reader to be surprised (but not completely baffled) by the great reveal.

Authors writing about the latter should check out Sarah Penner’s eight strategies to hide a novel’s villain in plain sight.

And those whose bad guy isn't a secret will want to read longtime editor Dave King's reflections on writing evil characters, whether with some ambiguity or none at all.