Do you have a villain in your story? Is this scoundrel executing gruesome acts? Is it hard for you to get into the head and heart of the “bad guy?” Does he or she have a heart?

Here’s an idea about how to flesh out your baddie. . . so that he/she is someone you can live with for the duration of your writing.

Do a freewrite. The antagonist was once a child. What were his/her passions as a teenager? What games did they play as children? What delighted this child? Write about his/her first car.

Choose a prompt and write as if you were answering from the villain’s point of view. Imagine you are a neighbor or a relative of the undesirable person. Write about the mean person from someone else’s point of view.

What is the turning point, or the chain of events that changed this innocent toddler into a dreadful creature?

Probably not much of this brainstorm writing will make it into the final cut, but it will help you understand this despicable creature and make him/her come alive.

Remember: There usually is a wicked character in stories. . . that’s what gives stories their heft, their meatiness.

An example is Anna Quindlen’s “Every Last One.” We meet an individual who is charming, likable . . .lovable. Then an event changes everything and everyone. Use a book of your choice as your textbook. Study how the author developed the character of the “bad” guy.

No one was born bad. How did they get that way? You are the puppet master . . . create and control your characters, even the evil ones. Just write!