You may have a character who does bad things but do you know why that is? Give your villain a backstory and find out why they do what they do.
Watch my video below, or read the post, to find out why your villain needs a backstory.
Hello my lovely writers!
My family and I became obsessed with Traitors, the reality TV show. We watched the UK one, we then went on to watch the Australian one and we just finished watching the US one last night. So, yeah, you could say we’re a bit obsessed!
Last night was the US final and Cirie, the winner, talked about what drives her. It really hit home how that show utterly exemplifies why baddies do the things they do. Not that Cirie is a baddie, but she’s a traitor in the show so she is deliberately deceiving, manipulating and throwing red herrings out there to do her best to make sure she’s at the final. She even made sure she was the final traitor so she didn’t have to share the winnings with the other traitor who made it through to the end.
What’s the motivation?
When you listen to the reels behind the scenes when they’re doing the interviews, we see Cirie’s motivation and find out why she’s doing this. She’s working in healthcare and made it plain she’s not earning a lot of money. She rents at the moment but would like to buy a home. She has a lot of people depending on her as well as an elderly mother who she needs to look after.
These are all really powerful motivators and drivers for her to do whatever it takes for her to get to the end of the show and win that $250,000.
When you see poor Andie – one of the runners-up – she looks hurt, betrayed and heartbroken. She can’t believe Cirie has done this to her. But for Cirie, this had to have a good ending and she was absolutely motivated to win. She doesn’t see herself as a baddie, she sees herself as a hero, simply doing what she needed to do to make sure her family came out on top. This is what all of them were trying to do, even the faithfuls, who wanted to get to the finish line too.
Give your villain a backstory
Traitors really exemplifies why not all baddies necessarily come from a bad place and that they’re not all psychopaths. When you’re writing about your villain or your antagonist, do you think about their motivation? Do you know why they are doing what they’re doing?
It’s too easy to say all villains were born with a screw loose and it’s just in their nature, but very few people are born evil. Very few people are born with a screw loose in that way and it’s usually experiences, something that has happened, that has driven them to behave in the way they do. Remember that old phrase, ‘They’re a hero in their own story.’
Give some thought as to what your antagonist has been through and what has led them to make the decisions they make. What has led them to try and kill the person they’re trying to kill or do whatever it is they’re doing, because it’s not come out of nowhere. When you give thought to that and delve deeper into your villain’s backstory, it’s going to make for a much more layered, interesting and exciting story.
So, get thinking and give your villain a backstory.
Emma xx
Emma Dhesi
Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.
She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.
Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.
Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!
