There are some characters you are likely to enjoy more in fiction than you would in life. These are the dysfunctional characters who make stories interesting by behaving badly for good reason.

As the writer of these characters it is your job to understand, even if they cannot, why they do what they do.  One way of doing this is to know their childhoods, their families and their key relationships. In some cases it might not be possible or appropriate to include these details in the story itself, nevertheless, you must know them so well that they inform your characters’ words and actions.

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Using at least one cliché, create a character who lacks the capacity for self awareness and cannot recognize how their behavior and beliefs are causing damage to others. As you do this ask what  your character believes about her/himself? What does s/he believe about other characters? How do these beliefs shape her/his behavior? How does s/he explain or justify her/his behavior?

Writing prompt: Create a character whose version of the truth cannot be trusted. Incorporate at least one cliché from the list below.

like showing a red rag to a bull

it’s no picnic

time is what keeps everything from happening at once

pissed as a newt

useful as a screen door on a submarine

a day late and a dollar short

off like a prom dress