🚀 go-pugleaf

Correct me if I'm wrong:  Fred wrote that his protagonist wasn't a very
friendly guy and that his antagonist searches for morality(?) or was it
an understanding <rationale> why he committs mutiple murders.

I'll skip the protagonist character and get right to the heart of the
serial killer (pun).  Anyway, my understanding of serial killers is that
they are incapable of displaying guilt, remorse, doubt, or a conscious.
Their behavior is consistent with someone who is immune to the basic
moral delimma's that face most individuals.  They do not think that
what they are doing is typically wrong or unjustified.  In numerous
studies of serial killers (Eggar, 1991) and other documented examples
from the FBI suggest that serial killers murder in various ways to
satisfy a need.  That need may be that they derive a sense of power
over their victims.  In most cases this is probably true, but the sad
fact is that they often must mutilate their victims to achieve true
power.  The serial killer is neither compasionate nor caring towards
their victims and most often enjoy the thrill of watching someone beg
for mercy.  To suggest that one would begin to doubt their actions is
for the most part unrealistic.

Even after they are caught (most times by accident) they do not show
remorse for their crimes, but indifference towards their victims.  The
typical serial killer denies that they did anything wrong, but instead
will talk about their abused childhood or antisocial behavior in ways
that make it look like they are the victims.  But, don't ever believe
that a serial killer is anything other than someone who enjoys inflicting
pain and emotional distress on the helpless.  No serial killer in their
right mind would take on a stout and robust male in thier prime.  Instead
they perfer young children, women, older people and in general those less
likely to be able to defend themselves.

A portrayal of the serial killer in the urban setting would be terrifying
if the pubic only knew how many were out there and the chances of getting
caught are next to nill.  Published reports suggest that between 35 and
200 serial killers roam the country committing an estimate 2500 plus
murders annually.  Scary, eh?

So for Fred's antagonist, I can't imagine him or her feeling remorse or
guilt for what they do, but rather excitement and exaggerated diviant
behavior would be more like it.  This doesn't mean that the antagonist
in Fred's novel couldn't be different or that the protagonist couldn't
be an asshole, but in the world of make believe the writer has to have
us believe that it could happen.  If Fred had convinced the reader of
the differences, then I applaud him and encourage him to continue with
his efforts to get it published.

Good luck Fred,


Jon