How to SHOW Not TELL When Writing Villains #author #writing #writer #authortube #advice

Your villain isn't scary because you told me he was the bad guy. Here's a mistake I see in manuscripts all the time. A writer introduces a villain and then labels them with their role as the villain. Basically, something like this: The kidnapper grabbed her. The guard blocked the door. The bully shoved him. It feels efficient, but it doesn't work. It's bad writing because it's telling instead of showing. The moment you name the role, you've handed the reader a verdict instead of letting them reach it all on their own. And here's why that matters. Readers trust a conclusion they've reached on their own far more than one that you handed them as the writer. There's a deeper problem too. Your antagonist is the hero of their own story. They don't walk around thinking, "I'm the bad guy. I'm the kidnapper." So when you slap that label on him, you've stepped outside the character to editorialize. You stopped the story to tell us how to feel. So here's the fix. Drop the label. Show the behavior instead. So instead of the kidnapper put her in the van, use a plain name or no name and just show the actions. Have the guy drag her from a van, lock her in a room, and start working on a ransom note. Nobody needs that word kidnapper at this point. The reader convicts him all by themselves based on what the character did. That's real power. That's good writing and putting it on the page. So the rule is simple. Never name your villain's role. Show what they do and let the reader decide what they are.