So, you’re here because you want to learn how to write assassin characters. I’ve written some assassin characters, and I’ve certainly read a lot of them, so I might have a tip or two to share with you about how to write assassin characters. One thing is for sure: it doesn’t matter why you want to write assassin characters, what matters is that your Google search history will never look the same.
How to Write Assassin Characters: 5 Main Tips
- Your character is not you
- Your character could be you
- There’s not one shape only for an assassin
- How will they kill?
- What are the consequences of their acts, and how will they escape them?
How to Write Assassin Characters: Your character is not you
Your character is not you. What they do is different from what you would do. To some people this is clear, to others, it’s harder to understand that you can write an awful problematic character and that is okay. I personally fall into this category of people. I constantly reflect on my characters and their actions. Sometimes, I need to step back and think less about what I would do and let the character do the genocide they want. It’s simple as that: step back, let your character be as evil as they want.
How to Write Assassin Characters: Your character could be you
Having said that your character is not you, on the other hand, your character could be you. You could live your deep hidden fantasies and use this as inspiration to write assassin characters. For example, I always think about my ex-boss when I want to write about killing someone. While in real life I’d never do something like that, as I’m not able to kill a fly for my life, it’s fun to live my darkest and most horrible fantasies in fiction. I’m assuring you that you’ll write the best assassin characters if you do that.
How to Write Assassin Characters: There’s not one shape only for an assassin
When we think about assassin characters, we think about guys wearing capes hiding their faces, and going about being mysterious. We also think about Dexter or Hannibal, classic serial killers from TV. But there isn’t one shape only for assassin characters. They can be girls, they can be even children. They can be sweet, caring, loving, and have a whole developed personality besides being “evil” and a “killer”. The best example I can think of is Killua, from HunterxHunter. He’s 12 years old, and from a family of assassins, but he’s funny, cute, and caring, he only happens to be an assassin. So, don’t be afraid of breaking the mold. Develop the characters like you would develop any other character. I have tips on how to properly develop a character HERE.
How to Write Assassin Characters: How will they kill?
If you want to write assassin characters, you have to think about what assassins do, which is killing. Thanks to Google, we can learn a lot of tips on how to do that. Don’t be afraid of Googling that, even though it might look like the FBI will visit you, many writers search for that every day, so you should be safe. You’re not the first one to look for “the best 10 poisons to kill someone”, that I promise.
How to Write Assassin Characters: What are the consequences of their acts, and how will they escape them?
Now you need to think about the bigger picture. Where do your assassin characters stand in the world? Will there be consequences to killing? If so, how will they escape it? Are they serial killers who need to get rid of the body later? Or are they in a post-apocalyptic world where killing is normal and there won’t be any consequences at all? Google is your best friend. Don’t be afraid of Googling “how to hide a body”, there’re loads of articles about that out there, and as long as everything is hypothetical, you should be fine.
How to Write Assassin Characters: Final Thoughts
So, it doesn’t matter if your character is an assassin or not. They have to be well-developed nonetheless. This means that they should have a personality besides “being an assassin” – they could have a pet who they really love, or be really into tarot reading, or maybe have a passion for baking cakes. You decide that. The most important part is that they’re a person before being an assassin. And, remember, they’re not you – but they could be. Live your fantasies, fictions is for that. Finally, Google is your best friend. Good luck!