The 7 Rules of Writing a Revenge Story
As a reader I’ve always been drawn to stories about seemingly ordinary people who find themselves in completely extraordinary situations. I’m fascinated by the way people react to the challenges in front of them, and how their actions contrast with what I would have done. This idea of ‘dilemma’ and ‘what would I do’ has followed into my writing and my books always feature people whose lives take a darker turn than they may have liked.
(5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters and Stories Better.)
In my debut, Her Perfect Twin, we watch Megan accidentally—kind-of accidentally anyway—kill her identical twin and then take over her life in an effort to cover up the murder. But for my second novel, I wanted to center the story around a woman thrust into a quest for revenge when her best friend is murdered, and Her Sweet Revenge was born. Because what would you do if someone killed your closest friend? You’d hardly let them get away with it.
So how do you write a revenge thriller? Here are my seven top rules for writing a revenge story that will keep readers turning the pages as they desperately try to find out if the hero will succeed in their endeavor.
1: Provide a Motive
All revenge stories hinge on the motive behind the vengeance. It must be strong enough to take the reader with you on the protagonist’s journey. If your character goes off on a bloody crusade because their neighbor scratched their car, it will probably feel like overkill. But can I get one hundred percent behind John Wick.
Thea in Her Sweet Revenge wants her best friend’s killer to pay for what they did. But I really wanted to make the reader care, not only about the impact of her friend’s death on Thea, but to feel a visceral anger for Helena’s murder in the first place. In the end, I took a leap and decided to show the reader Helena’s story unfolding, introducing her as a POV character right from the beginning.
2: Justify Even Morally Gray Actions
If you are going to have one of your characters do something unspeakable in the name of revenge, you must make very sure the antagonist is guilty before they’re punished. Acting as judge, jury, and executioner is generally frowned upon, so make sure there is enough evidence to satisfy even the harshest of readers.
If your protagonist is seeking vengeance for themselves and know the perpetrator, this is easy. If they are seeking revenge for actions taken against someone else, this can be a little harder. But don’t feel like your protagonist has to enroll in CSI school or learn sufficient skills to hack into the CCTV system for video proof. A witness, a valet slip to prove they were at the scene of the crime, even a confession will all suffice.
When I was researching for Her Sweet Revenge, I came across an article that said you must make sure all traditional methods of justice have been exhausted before your character attempts to take matters into their own hands. Now, in some ways I agree with that. But personally, I ignored that advice.
In Her Sweet Revenge, Helena’s death is treated as an accident by the police even though Thea is sure it was murder. Does she spend a hundred pages trying to convince the police to the contrary? I don’t want to give spoilers, but no, she doesn’t. After all, it just wouldn’t be a fun book to read, and it is perfectly acceptable to skip to the good part!
Check out Sarah Bonner’s Her Sweet Revenge here:
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3: Make the Reader Root for the Protagonist
This isn’t just a rule for revenge stories; it holds true for almost all thrillers. This isn’t about making sure your characters are “likable,” but rather about making sure the reader cares enough about them to want them to succeed. Draw your reader in by rounding out your main character, make them human and not just a machine for revenge.
4: Give Them Some Challenges Along the Way
The crux of this rule is not to make it too easy for your protagonist to get their revenge. There need to be setbacks, times where things don’t go entirely as hoped, and your protagonist must regroup and come up with a new plan.
And if you are planning for your protagonist to take a very permanent form of revenge—causing significant harm to another, or even murder themselves—remember just how hard that would actually be for an ‘ordinary’ person, no matter how justified they thought it was. Could you pull the trigger? Could your protagonist?
5: Make It Original
Whatever type of revenge you decide to have your character enact, make it original. This is one of the fun parts of being a crime writer: especially if you are trying to find a way for your protagonist to commit their own murder and then get away with it! But you don’t have to go overboard, sometimes it’s better to put a simple twist on a classic than risk creating a farce.
6: Make It Satisfying
Although you’re writing a revenge story, remember that your protagonist doesn’t have to succeed in their plot. Their attempts may be thwarted, they may change their minds, perhaps someone else gets there first. But whatever way you decide to go, make it satisfying. Make the reader feel that the outcome was worthwhile, that they enjoyed the ride, that there was purpose to the events that happened.
7: Bring in a Twist
My final rule is more of a tip: Bring in a twist. Or two. Or three! Especially if your revenge story is a thriller, make the reader gasp in shock as new reveals turn events on their head, or new information shifts the sands beneath the protagonist’s feet.
I like to play with structure in my novels, flipping the POV characters to give you the other side to a story at key points in the unveiling of the plot. Often these new POV characters have minds of their own and bring a new layer of intrigue as they reveal that perhaps not everything is as it seems. I won’t say anymore, you’ll just have to read Her Sweet Revenge to find out!