My villain's backstory prompt fell apart because I named her after my ex | Creative Writing Prompts - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
My villain's backstory prompt fell apart because I named her after my ex
I was running a prompt at my Tuesday write-in at the Kalamazoo library where you build a villain from one bad day, and I gave mine the name Dana without thinking. Halfway through the draft I realized every cruel thing she did sounded like a jab at my ex, so the story read petty instead of scary. I switched the name to Maren and moved the grudge from a breakup to a burned-down bakery, and the whole thing finally clicked at 800 words. What's your go-to trick for catching a personal grudge that sneaks into a prompt?