Every so often I pull up short, stop in the middle of writing, completely exasperated. Why? Because, come on! People aren’t supposed to kill each other. They’re supposed to behave better than that. So what is this character in my book even thinking? It’s a good question, and one I’d better find answers for if my villain is going to be believable.
I write cozy mysteries – the kind of mysteries that are
gore-free. That doesn’t mean blood and guts don’t happen, just that they happen
off stage or in spare detail. Guns and knives are fine. Poison is good.
Suffocation. Asphyxiation. Blunt instruments, too. When it comes to methods for
murdering, my villains are resourceful. Their resourcefulness doesn’t seem to
bother me; that they cross a line and make the decision to kill does.
Here’s a list called “Why People Might Want to Kill” from my
files. The list isn’t exhaustive.
Revenge
Thrills
Hatred
Deep-rooted
hatred
Justified anger
Victim who
can’t take it anymore
Mercy killing
Desperation
Just punishment
Someone
inarticulate with anger
To get at
someone
When threatened
Competition
Protect a
secret
Protect someone
else
Identifying why my villain might want to kill gives me an opening, a point of exploration. I can pretend my writing room is a psychoanalyst’s office and invite the villain to lie down on the sofa and tell me all about it.
“Tell me, V, what brought the situation to this point where
you want to kill?”
“What problem is so difficult for you, V, that murder
is the best way to solve it?”
“So then, what is it, V, that pushes you past the point
where you want to kill and into the abyss where you do kill?”
The answers to those questions let
me slip into my villain’s mind and root around for more points of exploration. It’s
an interesting process, but in the end a sad one. People are supposed to behave
better, but so often they don’t. At least in mysteries, especially cozy
mysteries, we get to correct the wrongs and set the world right again.
What makes the villains in your mysteries tick?
Pride in being the best!
ReplyDeleteArrogance and competition!
ReplyDeleteArrogance and greed! The villain in my current WIP is an economist and justifies his actions with economic principles.
ReplyDeleteLots of arrogance and greed fo me too, Margaret.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's just trying to cope, albeit in a dysfunctional way.
ReplyDeleteBlackmail was the reason my last murderer killed.
ReplyDeletePride, arrogance, greed, coping in a dysfunctional way, blackmail - all terrific and plausible. Thanks, everyone!
ReplyDeleteExcellent point to look at the murder from the viewpoint of the villain. After all, everyone is a hero in their own story.
ReplyDeleteSo right, Grace.
ReplyDelete