Tried a 'villain origin story' prompt and my character ended up relatable

I gave my creative writing group a prompt to write a villain origin story set in a small town. Everyone wrote about tragic backstories and bad choices, but my character's motive was just wanting a consistent coffee shop after three kept closing on her. I learned that everyday frustrations can actually make a villain more human than some big disaster. Has anyone else had a prompt backfire in a good way like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_jones22d ago

Wait so did she actually burn down the other coffee shops or was it just like a quiet resentment thing? That would actually make a killer scene if she just snapped over a lukewarm latte one morning.

betty_kelly922d ago

Quiet resentment thing" is way more interesting honestly. If she actually torched the places that just makes her a villain, but letting an accident happen keeps her sympathetic while still being dark. The slow burn of watching a competitor fail without lifting a finger is scarier than a straight up arson scene because it shows how easy it is to cross a line without ever making a conscious choice to do harm.

mark43622d ago

Huh, thats actually a good point nobody mentioned yet. What if the fire was an accident but she just let it happen because she was tired of competing? Like she left a space heater on or something stupid, then stood outside watching it burn with a cold latte in her hand thinking about her margins. That would be way more unsettling than a straight up arson scene. Shows you how far someone can go without actually crossing that line themselves. Plus it keeps her morally gray enough that you could still root for her in the next season.