Why You Shouldn't Ignore Hate in Your Fiction
I really do get put off by stories that don't have element of hate in them. Hate, like love, is a primal human emotion that many writers ignore.
In all my ghost writing projects I have come across only three authors who incorporated hate and loathe in their fiction. And they ended up being NYT best-sellers.
When we talk about hate, we frown at it. We think it's better to keep the thoughts of "hate" in our mind and in the confines of our homes.
But writers shouldn't. Here's why
(1) Hate and Fear are Basic Human Emotions
Take a look at our history. Not just modern history, but pre-historic history. Humans have evolved with hate and fear.
We're so in-built to hate and fear, that our human brain is still wired to fight and flight mode.
When we were hunter gatherers, our survival was wired into the hate and fear of the "other" tribe.
The so-called great western civilization was built by colonialism, guns, and wars...again, driven by hate towards people whom they thought inferior.
(2) Hate Still Exists
Look around, hate is everywhere. Especially today.
There's hate for people who don't look like you.
There's hate for people who don't think like you.
There's hate for people who don't eat like you.
There's hate for people who don't vote like you.
There's hate for people who don't like the music that you like. There's hate between genders, between races, between different nationalities, between everything. .
It's everywhere. And it's palpable. You can't escape it, you can't deny it. And you as a writer shouldn't overlook it.
(3) Love is a Luxury
You feel love when you're not afraid. You feel love when you're heard, seen, validated, and recognized.
And it rarely happens.
The world has seen a bit of peace since 1945 when the World War 2 ended. And today it seems that it has ended.
But before then, most of the humanity was fighting with each other. Nobody could afford to love because love needs peace.
And peace is always fragile.
We're moving towards a hate-driven society. And our culture and political systems clearly shows it.
And you as a writer shouldn't ignore this basic emotion that most of humanity is responding.
People are getting triggered, and if your characters get triggered too, like your readers, it leads too...the next point.
(4) Hate Hooks People
Now this is something that has taken over, especially since the lockdown days.
People were locked in homes. They were frustrated.
And then there was plethora of content on the web promoting or insinuating hate.
These content creators became filthy rich.
Now, I am not saying to promote hate in your writing. I am saying that a strong hateful disgust between the protagonist and antagonist hooks readers.
Because it's a sad reality today that people respond to hate more intensely than any other positive emotions.
So, How to Incorporate Hate in Your Fiction?
You can incorporate it not just in fantasy but also in any kind of popular fiction, including romance.
Hate, like love, builds over time. No one is born full of hate and love.
Society, culture, and even the zip code in which you're born determines what kind of personality you'll have.
So, don't make your character full of vengeance, loathe, and hate right from the start. Let it build in the character.
If you're writing fantasy, then create your world in a way that will inject hate in the character, drip by drip.
If you're writing romance, especially enemies-to-lovers then make the "other" so full of traits that the partner is bound to hate him or her initially.
If you're writing villains, then don't make the villains spiteful by default. Remember Joker?
