by Debbie Burke
Let’s assume most of us who follow Anne’s and Ruth’s blog are not kidnappers, rapists, or murderers. Since we’re not, it can be difficult for us to imagine the mindset of characters who commit heinous crimes. So how can we write multidimensional, memorable villains who have more depth than the cartoonish Snidely Whiplash?
Today, let’s drill inside your villain’s head. No, not with the power drill that’s a gruesome staple in horror and slasher films. This approach will be less gory and more surgical.
Dark Places of the Soul
To write convincing villains, authors need to delve into dark places of the soul.
But…exploring that territory requires caution.
Creating memorable villains is a worthwhile goal but not at the expense of one’s mental health. I personally know several authors who suffered from nightmares and anxiety while writing about real-life serial killers and their victims.
Depression is common among writers. Be mindful of your own wellbeing as you dig into those dark places of the soul. Only go as far as you can without damaging your psyche.
Ways to Channel Your Inner Villain
Ask yourself questions but be careful about writing down these answers—you don’t want to incriminate yourself, right?
- Have you ever wanted something or someone so much you didn’t care about consequences to have it/them?
- Have you ever done something you know was wrong, but you wanted to please, impress, or stay connected to someone else?
- Have you ever lied or covered up the truth to protect someone else who acted immorally or illegally?
- Has someone ever terribly harmed you or a loved one?
- What if the only way to stop or prevent ongoing harm is to kill that person?
- What if their death is the only way to find justice?
- If you could kill them and not get caught, would you?
A defense attorney friend observed that she often related to her clients’ destructive impulses. She wondered if the difference between regular people and lawbreakers is lack of impulse control. I think she’s right. At times, most people are tempted to act in illegal, antisocial ways but they resist the impulse. Criminals don’t.
Emotions Caused by Trauma
When terrible experiences happen to you in life, what do you feel?
- Fear?
- Panic?
- Rage?
- Frustration?
- Helplessness?
- Not caring about the consequences?
- Something else?
Why does a particular villain interest you?
Do they remind you of a person in your past? A rotten boss? A horrible ex? A family member who abused you? What emotions does that person evoke in you?
- Anxiety?
- Powerlessness?
- Resentment?
- Jealousy?
- Hatred?
- Love?
Yes, love. This often occurs in abusive domestic relationships. A beaten child can love and hate the parent at the same time. A wife can simultaneously love and hate the mate who’s viciously pummeling her.
Love is a complicated emotion with many layers. Exploring those complexities in characters draws the reader in closer to your story. It becomes real because they identify with the struggle.
Have you ever instantly disliked a person? Chances are good that person reminds you of someone in your past who negatively affected you. Tap into that association to describe your villain.
Tips to Build a Villain:
Write down the villain’s five worst qualities. What do they think, say, or do that makes you absolutely loathe them? Here are a few examples to get started but expand on these for your character.
- Selfish
- Intolerant
- Cruel
- Arrogant
- Conniving
- Manipulative
Now search your memory for times that you yourself displayed any of those five worst qualities, even for a fleeting second.
- Did you ever say or do something hurtful or cruel to someone who didn’t deserve your wrath?
- Instead of petting the dog*, did you kick it?
- What stopped you from continuing that negative behavior?
Next, write down the villain’s five best qualities. Here are a few starter suggestions but, as above, list additional items to fit your character.
- Intelligence
- Persistence
- Drive
- Resilience in the face of setbacks
- Adaptability to changing circumstances
Wait a second. Don’t those qualities sound heroic? Yes.
To be a worthy opponent for your hero, the villain should possess positive traits that parallel your hero’s.
Except in the villain, those qualities become twisted. They use their strengths to do wrong.
*Side note: “Pet the dog” or “save the cat” are phrases often used in writing craft guides to indicate compassion. When otherwise unlikable characters perform generous or thoughtful gestures toward another, that gives them a moment of humanity. Hitler was a monster but even he loved his dog.
More Exercises to Build a Villain
Real people are great springboards from which to launch villains. Inspirations come from:
- The news with its never-ending parade of wrongdoers;
- True crime books, shows, and podcasts;
- Destructive relationships among people you know;
- Your experience with a dysfunctional family.
This may be painful territory to explore when it hits close to home. Using your personal experience can yield writing that touches the reader’s heart because it comes from your deepest soul.
However, always be cautious when using real people as models for characters. Although suits for defamation and/or libel are uncommon with fiction, it’s best to avoid the problem.
Instead, mask the real person’s identity using the following tricks:
- Change their gender, appearance, occupation, and other identifying features;
- Change the location;
- Change the timeframe when the story takes place;
- For specific events that actually happened, change the circumstances.
Focus on the emotions you feel about the character or incident rather than physical, factual details that could be recognized.
Sympathy for the Devil
“There but for the grace of God go I.”
Whether or not one believes in higher powers, most people understand the concept. If not for chance, luck, fate, or divine intervention, we could easily be an unfortunate person trapped in tragic circumstances, forced to do wrong.
In Sympathy for the Devil, the classic Rolling Stones song, Lucifer boasts of the evil he’s wreaked through history. Yet he also claims saints and sinners are one and the same.
Most humans have both good and evil inside their hearts and minds. They are capable of either. Usually, they control destructive impulses and remain within the bounds of society and law. But some give into destructive impulses and act immorally or illegally.
Under the right circumstances, a noble, moral person may commit terrible atrocities, while a vicious, corrupt person may show kindness.
When you need inspiration for your villain, listen to the Stones’ song.
Drilling inside your villain’s brain can be challenging and even scary. When the author makes villains understandable and relatable, those characters linger in memory long after the reader finishes your book.
by Debbie Burke (@burke_writer) July 13, 2025
What about you, scriveners? Do you have trouble creating believable villains? Have you found that getting into a villain’s head is depressing? Are your villains relatable? How do you create memorable villains?
About Debbie Burke
When readers meet Debbie Burke in person, they often say, “You look like such a nice lady, but you kill all these people!” She reminds them her murders only happen in books.
The award-winning author of a nine-book thriller series, Debbie is also a longtime contributor to The Kill Zone, an educational blog about crime writing. Website: debbieburkewriter.com
Bad guys and worse gals have long fascinated her so she took a deep dive into them in her new book, The Villain’s Journey – How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate. This guest post is excerpted from that.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Today is launch day for The Villain’s Journey – How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate!
You’ve read about the Hero’s Journey but what about The Villain’s Journey?
Do you want to write mysteries and thrillers that keep readers up nights? The secret lies inside the Villain.
Discover Debbie Burke’s new craft-of-writing guidebook that takes you on that exciting journey.
Follow the steps to the darkest depths of the human soul. Trace a character’s descent into malice, mayhem, and murder.
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Image of Snidely Whiplash via Wikimedia Commons
Lack of impulse control – I think that nails it. I always say all people are weird, some just more dangerously weird than others.
We all have those moments when we imagine the worst for someone else. We just have to let our characters follow through.
Alex, if we let our characters commit crimes, thankfully we authors don’t wind up in prison!
There’s a world of difference between weird and dangerously weird.
Thanks for stopping by!