Writers Write Is All About Writing
Writers Write Is All About Writing
A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge

A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge

In this post, we explore how to write about revenge – with examples. We’ve created a quick start guide to writing revenge.

Read the other posts in our Quick Start series:

  1. A Quick Start Guide To Creating Characters
  2. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Fantasy
  3. A Quick Start Guide For Beating Writer’s Block
  4. A Quick Start Guide To Writing For Children
  5. A Quick Start Guide To Writing YA Fiction
  6. A Quick Start Guide To Writing A Memoir
  7. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Descriptions
  8. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Romance
  9. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Science Fiction
  10. A Quick Start Guide To Foreshadowing
  11. A Quick Start Guide To Writing An Inciting Incident
  12. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Dialogue
  13. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Crime Fiction
  14. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Emotions
  15. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge
  16. A Quick Start Guide To Writing First & Last Lines

A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge

Revenge! Some of the best books in the world are about revenge. But before we get started on how to write revenge, it’s a good idea to look at some famous quotes on the subject.

  1. An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. — Mohandas Gandhi
  2. When you begin a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself. — Ancient proverb
  3. The strongest revenge is being unfazed by your betrayal. — Unknown
  4. The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury. — Marcus Aurelius

The 6 Most Important Things To Remember About Revenge

  1. Tring to get revenge is usually the result of a betrayal.
  2. The desire to revenge harm done to oneself or to a person one loves or strongly admires, is a very human emotion.
  3. While revenge is an emotion, the physical act of revenge is, in most cases, a crime.
  4. Revenge in real life always takes a toll on the person taking revenge and, in many cases, that person will end up in gaol. Not many people are clever enough to take revenge without committing a crime and getting caught.
  5. Depending on the type of revenge taken, it can perpetuate a cycle of violence.
  6. Depending on the person seeking revenge the type, intensity, and duration can differ.

The 17 Different Forms Of Revenge

  1. Subtle – Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
  2. Once-off – Atonement by Ian McEwan
  3. Obvious – Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  4. Long-term – The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
  5. Psychological – The Mindfck Series by S.T. Abby
  6. Physical – The Revenant by Michael Punke
  7. Financial – Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer
  8. Life-threatening – First Blood by David Morrell
  9. Violent – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  10. Unrelenting – The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  11. Can involve property damage – The Life And Loves Of A She-Devil by Fay Weldon
  12. Can involve kidnapping – The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
  13. Can involve murder – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  14. Self-preservation – The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
  15. Can involve telling the truth but in such a way that it appears as if it’s just a story to everyone except the victim – The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  16. Forgiveness – Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  17. Ignoring the acts of the person who hurt you – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  18. Living well despite the harm done – Queen Bee by Amalie Howard

The one book that encapsulates nearly every one of these is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It’s loosely based on a true story.

Writing Tips

For a revenge plot to work, there are five things you need to have clear before you start writing.

  1. First read Why Revenge Is Such A Brilliant Plot For Beginner Writers.
  2. Decide what you want your readers to learn. For example, do you want to show readers that while revenge may be justified, and will accomplish what the main character set out to do, everyone around them may think they are insane or even over-reacting. Or would you like them to learn that revenge isn’t nearly as powerful as forgiveness. Or do you not want readers to learn anything? Which is just as important. Do you want to shock your readers? When times are uncertain and there seems to be a lack of justice in the world, revenge plots provide that sense that, at least in a fictional world, punishment for crimes committed can be delivered by revenge. In the real world, however, revenge can also be a crime for which the perpetrator will go to prison.
  3. Next, decide on your ending. ‘Revenge is best served cold’ (attributed to Eugène Sue.) Knowing your ending will make plotting toward it that much easier. It will help you decide when secrets should be kept, how much to reveal when, how to phrase your dialogue so that it’s not on the nose but still plants clues and unease in the reader. It will keep you on track and stop you from wallowing in the actual act of revenge. It will give your revenge purpose.
  4. What is the depth of the ‘betrayal’? (Spoilers ahead). The depth of the betrayal or original injury makes the anticipated revenge that much more understandable, and if written well, wanted by the reader as much as the main character. If there is a twist in the plot, it becomes that much more powerful. Take for example, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. He went to prison with hard labour for five years, which became nineteen, for stealing bread to feed his sister’s starving children. On his release he had to carry papers that defined him as an ex-convict. On top of that he was hunted by the self-righteous Javert for the rest of his life. All of this would have made killing Javert an understandable act of revenge. But when the provided with the opportunity, he instead steps away. It’s an act of forgiveness that is so powerful, that Javert can’t cope and kills himself.
  5. Decide when to reveal that the main character’s actions are those of revenge. In The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine are only revealed at the end of the book.

The Last Word

Writing revenge plots can be as delicious as reading them. You can also sign up for one of the rich and in-depth workbooks and courses that Writers Write offers, to inspire your writing.

Elaine Dodge
by Elaine Dodge. Author of The Harcourts of Canada series and The Device Hunter, Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, including ghost writing business books, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.

More Posts From Elaine

  1. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Emotions
  2. Why A Good Vocabulary Is Important For Writers
  3. What Is Cozy Fiction? & How To Write It
  4. What Is A Cozy Fantasy?
  5. What is Romantasy & Why Is It So Popular?
  6. How Much Personal Experience You Need To Write Fiction
  7. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Crime Fiction
  8. What Can Jane Austen Teach Writers Today?
  9. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Dialogue
  10. What Is Deus Ex Machina in Storytelling?

Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.

Posted on: 18th March 2026
(733 views)

1 thought on “A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge”

  1. Author The Jazzi 1

    Wow! I’ve been writing a revenge fiction book that is so good. I actually started in 2007 but with six kids, life was lifting baby! LoL! Well know, they are all grown with their own families. So I’ve been writing since 2021. Now even thou I have three novels/print and ebook, and 20 low content books on Amazon, (AUTHOR THE JAZZI 1), I could never shake this book. We had an old apple computer back in the day, so I pulled the hard drive out with my book on it through an apple store, but now I have windows, so It wouldn’t translate to windows so I’m starting all over. I honestly felt a bit lost but seeing this article actually got me hyped again and now I’m ready to start. I’ve envisioned my book back then to be a movie. So please wish me luck on my venture and hopefully I can finish this time. LoL!

Comments are closed.