I received this note in my email box this morning.
I’m another writer who has been tinkering with a story about con artists. If you are telling a story from the perspective of the morally wrong person does there need to be justification (aside from money) for these people to do what they are doing?
Also… I want one of my main characters to be a bit quiet/precise with his words… what can I do to make him more interesting.Thank you for presenting your talents for questioning.
The answer to your first question is no. Beyond that, the best advice I can give you is to read some books that are from the pov of a "morally wrong person." Donald Westlake’s PARKER novels come immediately to mind, as well as Gary Disher’s
WYATT novels, Thomas Perry’s BUTCHERS BOY, Lawrence Block’s HITMAN, and Barry Eisler’s RAIN series, to name just a few. You might also look at Dan J. Marlowe’s THE NAME OF THE GAME IS DEATH and Jim Thompson’s THE GRIFTERS (the basis for the movie the same name, screenplay by Donald Westlake).
As for your second question, I can’t answer that. It’s up to you, my friend. That’s what being a writer is all about.