Screenwriting Tip: Give your Nemesis a plausible world view

Here is a tip from my 1-week online class Write a Worthy Nemesis:

This tip is so simple, yet I constantly read scripts where the writer did not grasp the concept: Give your Nemesis a plausible world view.

Unless a Nemesis is a delusional psychotic, they will have a view of the world that makes sense to them. And frankly even a delusional psychotic will have a take on reality they believe, whether it’s God speaking to them through the neighbor’s dog or aliens invading through the water faucet. Maybe crazy to us, but sensible to them.

For non-psychotic Nemeses, by giving them a plausible world view, a writer humanizes the character. And as noted elsewhere, this brings the Nemesis closer to the reader because if we can understand what they see when they look at the universe, even if we disagree with it, we can share something of their humanity. That makes for a much more compelling Nemesis character.

In truth, it’s really more like this: Go into your character and discover their world view. They have one. It’s much more authentic to let them tell you what it is rather than laying one on them.

However you get there, determine what their world view is and let that inform all the choices you make as to the Nemesis character’s beliefs and behaviors.

This is one of 6 tips I provide in Write a Worthy Nemesis. Combined with 7 lectures [written by me], forum conversations and feedback, workshops where participants develop their Nemeses, and a 90-minute teleconference, it’s a great class. And there’s still time to join in with a terrific group of writers who are taking the course.

For more information, go here.

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