So I have a short story assignment for ELA and I have a character and basically what i want the story to be but i have no idea what the plot should be!! This is always were i struggle. So basically I have this character, Diego Perez and I want the story to start out as the reader thinking he is a good guy, the protagonist. As the story goes on, I want the reader to start questioning him and finally realize he is the antagonist. If you could help me figure out a plot, that would be great!!
I had this exact idea like, a year ago holy shit
I never actually posted it anywhere though, so I'm not accusing you of stealing or anything, I just think it's a pretty cool coincidence
Here's how to write a good villain: There is neither good, nor evil. Only perspective.
Say you write that your main character burns down a church. Without good reasoning, this would raise the reader's suspicion. However, if you mention that that church worships fake deities, add in a few minor characters to help him out (a villain like him shouldn't run solo unless you know how to do that), and add in a few emotional lines, you've convinced the reader that the villain is the protagonist!
I suggest starting off putting the main character in a state of vulnerability. If the reader associates the main character with a slight weakness, they can better follow the story, when in reality, it was the main character pulling the strings all along.
It also depends. What is your main character's goal? What's their major flaw?-no, I'm not talking about, "Well, he loves puppies." That isn't as effective as saying, "Losing his mother in the war brought rage and grief to his heart, and ever since then, he's always showed a sign of recklessness." His mother may sound like a good person at first, but later in the story, when suspicion starts to rile up, the mother could slowly be revealed as a witch, or even the cause of your main character's villainry.
I have been wanting to do a story like this and now I can thank you!
