Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Banality of Evil – Really Good, Bad Characters


“You’re a sick fuck.”

“True, but we all have decisions in life to make. Sadly, there really is only one choice for you. The real struggle is whether or not you can live with yourself afterwards.”

From the novel: Perfect Pawn

I’m twisted, I admit it. However, in my defense I will say that I am the product of a number of things ranging from my chosen profession of twenty-two years to my interests and hobbies.


Some would argue that I have had the displeasure of seeing people at their absolute worst, man’s inhumanity to man, to paraphrase Samuel von Pufendorf (1673). I admit that there were times when I have had to deal with someone who had lost all regard for human life. It is a very interesting experience. 

Probably the reason why psychiatrists get paid so much money.

What is the most interesting part of writing bad characters? Freedom. 

While you have to be very careful with your "good" guy or gal, you don't have the same restrictions with the bad ones. Like the title of Dennis Rodman's book, they can be "Bad as I wanna be".

For me as a writer, what makes a bad character truly interesting is not the one that does a dastardly deed because they want to, it's the ones that does it because they simply don't care. There is no empathy, no compassion, just an analytical approach to an issue facing them. 

It's the epitome of the Alpha baddie. 

You know there is no reasoning with them and the only question remains is: How far are you willing to go to stop them?

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