Today, while developing my script, I had a huge fight with one of my characters--the male lead to be precise. Now, this might sound weird.
'How does one have an argument with a fictional character?'
I'm telling you, it's absolutely possible. Those who know...know.
See, that's one of the things that differentiate a good script from a great script. It's why actors like Heath Ledger, Cillian Murphy, Margot Robbie were able to deliver their characters so perfectly using method acting.
But I digress.
Back to the fight. See, this particular character has the darkest psyche of all the characters I've created till date. He's willing to destroy everything around him, even if it means destroying himself...and the one person that feels like home.
Now, any writer out there knows the struggle of delivering the most realistic character development while trying to find a way they can be redeemable.
Because they risk the public hating on the character, and once that happens, the damage can be...well, irreparable.
Now, my struggle. I didn't envision an anti-hero when I started writing his character. I wanted something real. Something uncomfortable. Something that nudges at the audience's heart.
See, they'll want to hate him. Yell at him. Write him off.
But that's the problem. They can't.
Because deep down, even if they don't want to admit it, they...understand him. They relate with him. They empathize with him.
And maintaining that balance between that and being a villain is the struggle.
But he's fighting back. He argues it's too soon. He still has a lot left to show. Softening that anger...that fear, that loneliness is too soon.
It doesn't give justice to the hell that raised him...made him who he is.
The more he argues, the more the scales tip. The more the balance shifts to him being a villain...an anti-hero in the best scenario.
He wants justice. For himself. For the man he could have been. For the hell he suffered...even if that means destroying everything in his path...and the one person on earth who understands him.
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Thanks for sharing this!! That tension is actually your best friend! You can absolutely hate a character’s actions while being anchored by their 'inevitable' motivation. If he’s fighting you, dare to follow him into the dark. Do it! Just make sure the path is littered with obstacles. If he has a hard time being as ruthless as he wants to be, that’s where the audience finds their way back to him. If he wants to destroy everything but finds it hard to do so because of his history or his one 'home' person, you’ve already found your balance.
Oh this lowk sounds exciting. Would love to know more about this character and this backstory -- very palpable potential here.
Damilola, I rock with the polarity and potential conflict we could play around with respect to this character, but I want to be honest, even if it comes off a little as insensitive (although lol i hope it doesn't).
l don't think I need to tell you, you seem like you know your stuff, but writing relatable villains is nothing less than an art. If it has been done before, I definitely believe you can pull it off as well, but from the current description this really just sounds more confusing than conflicted. Is it doable? Yes. Does this seem confusing currently? I'm sorry but it does, at least a little. I myself have empathized my fair share with certain villains and ruminated on ideologies and agendas... if you're down, would absolutely love to talk it out about this particular villain with you, reading this got me excited at 2 in the morning!
I agree Phil Leasure. Dare I say, I might just follow him to the abyss. Consequences be damned. thank you
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Damilola Jabita This is such a real and honest part of the writing process and honestly, it shows you’re onto something powerful with this character.
When a character starts “arguing back,” it usually means they’ve developed a truth of their own. And I completely agree the balance between making someone deeply flawed yet still understandable is where great characters live.
What really stands out here is that you’re not forcing redemption. You’re letting the character earn it or resist it. That tension is what makes an audience stay invested, even when they don’t agree with the choices.
Sometimes the mistake isn’t making a character too dark—it’s rushing their transformation. If he’s saying “it’s too soon,” there’s a good chance he’s right. Let him fully live in that pain before trying to soften it.
Characters like this aren’t meant to be liked they’re meant to be felt. And from what you’ve described, you’re building exactly that.
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I've never had fights with my characters but we have had a few disagreements. There was one I planned on him being a comic relief, a dwarf with a penchant for fire named Pyro, but as I wrote him he remained so dead serious I had to go change his name.
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I completely agree Abhijeet Aade
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Pyro sounds like a funny character ngl. What name did you give him? Bill Albert
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hello Sandra Michelle I'll definitely keep that in mind
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I’ve had moments like this too.
Sometimes it feels like the character pushes back — like they refuse to follow the version of the story we had in mind. And honestly, I think that tension is a good sign.
It usually means the character is starting to exist beyond control, with their own logic and emotional truth.
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You're not arguing with your character. You're arguing with the work as you imagined it would be and the work as it is turning out to be. Let the work guide you. It will suck if you force it to be something it isn't.
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thank you for that James Rovira
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Ana Rodrigues a woman after my own heart