: Their own distinct personalities and motives for villainy. Would this be a good way to write a Complete Monster? It's a start. But there are only a few motives that really apply to

their own distinct personalities and motives for villainy. Would this be a good way to write a Complete Monster?

It's a start. But there are only a few motives that really apply to a CM. Power, greed, pleasure in torture, killing and causing death. Perhaps misplaced vengeance.

To me, the way to make a plausible CM is to remove the insanity and build a simple genius psychopath, a person without a conscience or empathy and incapable of love that truly cares only for themselves, not even their own children or family, parents or spouses. To them everybody else is disposable worker ants to be used and discarded, including infants and children. Nobody else matters, except for their utility in accomplishing a goal.

To me, although "enjoying killing" is not a problem for the plausibility of a CM, irrational behavior ruins the plausibility. I don't think an irrational villain can rise to the level of being a worthy foe, irrationality makes them too easy to catch/stop and carries a high danger of resolving the plot by deus ex machina: "Oh, villain did something stupid." I find that to be disappointing even if the author telegraphs the ending by having the villain do the stupid irrational thing several times; if it is a habit it would have done him in long before the hero comes on the scene.

I would keep them rational and ruthless and quick to kill, and of course with a plan and goal to achieve it that must be stopped.

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: I agree, subtext is something the author does throughout the work, in various ways. It is not necessarily a psychological leaning of their own, it can be an explicitly formulated principle.

@Mendez196

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: To me, Stephen King's advice (as seen in a live interview, and asked what advice he had for aspiring writers): Basically he said, if you want to write, write. Every day. Don't worry about

@Mendez196

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: Alternative sources of drama/tension when the setting is low-violence So, I think I might just have turned my fantasy setting into a Saturday morning cartoon. I just, don't want people to die

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: How do I describe drugging? Iâ€™m supposed to write a scene where someone drugs her husband for sexual purposes. But I donâ€™t happen to know how that works. Does she slip drugs into his food

: Their own distinct personalities and motives for villainy. Would this be a good way to write a Complete Monster? It's a start. But there are only a few motives that really apply to

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: I agree, subtext is something the author does throughout the work, in various ways. It is not necessarily a psychological leaning of their own, it can be an explicitly formulated principle.

: To me, Stephen King's advice (as seen in a live interview, and asked what advice he had for aspiring writers): Basically he said, if you want to write, write. Every day. Don't worry about

: Alternative sources of drama/tension when the setting is low-violence So, I think I might just have turned my fantasy setting into a Saturday morning cartoon. I just, don't want people to die

: How do I describe drugging? Iâ€™m supposed to write a scene where someone drugs her husband for sexual purposes. But I donâ€™t happen to know how that works. Does she slip drugs into his food

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