The Purpose of the Villain in Your Story

Published May 27, 2025, 6:00 AM

One of the most common questions I am asked from anyone who is writing about their life goes like this: 

How do I write about the people who hurt me? 

Maybe you find yourself wanting to write about your parents, lovers, ex-lovers, siblings, neighbors, bosses, co-workers, etc but you aren’t sure how you would do that in a way that is true and also respectful. 

Maybe you aren’t worried about being respectful but you are worried about being sued. 

In this episode, I’ll share my own process for writing about a villain in my story and discuss a guiding concept I use anytime I’m writing about others. This storytelling truth might bring healing beyond your writing.

The villain in the story has a purpose. I’ll share it with you today.

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Write Your Story with Ally Fallon

We are all creating the stories of our lives each day. Sometimes it’s hard to believe in a happy end 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 94 clip(s)