Quick n' Dirty Writing Exercise: Draft a Villainous Monologue
This week's Community Corner deep-dive — 1.29.25
Howdy, workshoppers!
We’re in the final week of Lauren Veloski’s fantastic dialogue workshop and there’s been some stellar advice and discussions over the past month — thank you to everyone who’s joined in and shared your thoughts!
Lauren’s latest lesson is all about the mighty monologue, which made me think of this piece of writing advice from John Yorke:
“Put your most persuasive argument in the mouth of your antagonist.”
AKA: a fantastic excuse to go to town crafting a spectacular villain monologue!
But here’s the trick.
The best antagonists somehow manage to engage our empathy or understanding. Perhaps they’re charming or maybe they just genuinely have a good point to make.
And it’s this persuasiveness makes them much more interesting than your garden variety moustache-twirling Bad Guy™.
Give it a try:
Write a monologue from the perspective of your WIP’s antagonist and make it SO relatable or reasonable or rational that it makes your protagonist (and your reader) stop and go, “huh, maybe they’re right…”
Then share a lil’ snippet below for feedback and thoughts from your fellow workshoppers!
Thanks so much for taking part in this month’s workshop and our brand new Community Corner!
Catch up with all Lauren’s tips on crafting ‘real talk’ in your writing here — and may all your dialogue be snappy and full of subtext…
Yes, I understand the Miranda warning. I watch cop shows like everybody else. Hell no, I don’t want a frigging lawyer. Leeches on society, every damn one of them. I admit it, I killed my wife. Why would I deny it?
“Mel,” she asked, her fingers steepled below her chin. “Aren’t you sick of these idiots just doing whatever they please and then getting a golden parachute while company value sinks, people lose their jobs, and actual smart people are sidelined?
"And don’t you want it to stop? Don’t you want them to be held to the same ridiculous standards as we are?”