How to Slowly Reveal People with Horrible Hearts

There are nasty people. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they make brilliant antagonists. A nasty piece of work might be the kind of man who pillow-talks his wife into betraying her best friend. Or the colleague who smiles to your face while quietly undercutting you with the boss. Or the neighbour who accidentally spreads your secrets around town. These are the people who say one thing and do another, who look perfectly pleasant but turn out to be selfish, cowardly, cruel, or even dangerous.

Showing these characters, not telling, is one of the most satisfying things you can do as a writer. Let their true nature ooze out slowly, so the reader feels that prickling in their skin and thinks, ‘Ah, this one can’t be trusted.’ Make the reader wince, then make them furious. Show the small betrayals before the big ones. Show the subtle put-downs, the passive-aggressive remarks at the dinner party. Readers must be in no doubt, given the pace you choose, that this person is a bully or simply has a horrible heart. (I hate bullies!).

Remember to ask yourself how their heart got so twisted. Perhaps they grew up in a home where love was conditional. Maybe they were loved and adored by a mother who could see no wrong in her son or daughter the bully. Or maybe they were humiliated once and decided never to be the victim again. The why doesn’t excuse them. It deepens them. You’ll find that readers lean in when they sense there’s a reason behind the cruelty.

Dialogue is one of your sharpest tools here. Snappy, revealing lines will show readers everything they need to know. Like those throwaway lines, ‘you are just like your sister,’ or ‘relax, it was only a joke, can’t you take a joke?’ can say more than a page of backstory.

Tip: Many writers slip into info-dump dialogue that feels forced. Knowing how to weave in context naturally is essential.

This is exactly what we’ll be exploring in the Art of Writing’s 2-hour live Zoom class on Dialogue That Does More Than Talk!

Workshop Details
Date: Tuesday, 11 November 2025

In this class, you’ll learn how to:
• Make dialogue feel alive and natural (no more stiff conversations!)
• Use speech to reveal character without overexplaining
• Move the story forward with every line
• Avoid common dialogue pitfalls that pull readers out of your world

What You’ll Get from the Class
In this 2-hour drill-down workshop, you’ll:
• Learn practical strategies for sharpening dialogue and avoiding common traps
• Work through exercises to practice tension, rhythm, and subtext
• Analyse examples that reveal why some exchanges sing while others sink

DATE:

November 11 (just remember 11/11 😊)

Time:
Sydney: 7:00 PM (AEDT)
London: 8:00 AM (GMT)
Central Europe: 9:00 AM (CET)

Location: Live on Zoom (link provided after booking)
Cost: $120 AUD per participant
Early Bird: $99 AUD if booked two weeks in advance
Bonus: Downloadable checklist “10 Dialogue Traps to Avoid” (sent 24 hours before our session)

Register here!

A little bit extra:

If you’d like to dive deeper into my work, grab an e-book copy of The Promise here. 

Or Death in the Mountains here.

In yet more news that is super important:

I also noticed that the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is hosting a Speed Dating Day with agents and publishers. It’s all happening on 22nd and 24th October by Zoom, so even if you’re overseas you can take part, though it may not be ideal if you’re not an Australian citizen. If you’re international, you can always attend the Florence Publishing Day instead, on October 25th! 

These are incredible opportunities for those of you who are genuinely ready to pitch your work.

But please, and I say this with love, do not pitch if your story or manuscript isn’t ready. This is your one shot to make a strong first impression. Make sure your work is polished, your pitch is clear, and that you know what you’re asking for. If you’re still drafting or figuring out your story’s shape, use this as motivation to get it there for next time.

And something else:

Calling all Art of Writing writers — Art of Writing Showcase
Do you have a piece of writing you are excited about? A scene or a passage that captures you and your voice? We would love to share your words in our upcoming Art of Writing blogs. Send me a few paragraphs of your work. Your excerpt can be anything you are working on. 

We celebrate all genres:
Memoir and/or creative non-fiction
Fiction or short story excerpts
Personal reflections on your writing journey

This is your chance to showcase your voice, inspire fellow writers, feel heard and published, as well as celebrate your story. Your excerpts are going out with all your spelling and grammatical mistakes and repetitions. I am not editing. It is your reputation on the line, not mine. So make sure you edit well yourself before publication. We cannot wait to read your words. And thank you to those writers who have already submitted.

This week a big thank you to Kerry Alderuccio for her piece. An excerpt from WHISPERING SHADOWS (this par really makes me want to read on!)

Bronwyn sat quietly on the narrow bed, eyes closed, feet planted firmly on the floor. Her upturned palms rested in her lap, open and still. At first the sensation was faint, an unmistakable tremor deep within her gut. It swelled and spread, an unseen current rippling outward until it filled her entire body. Without any effort on her part the imagery appeared, clear and sharp in definition. Firstly, the long petticoats, skirt and smock of Margaret. Her pretty face framed by blonde plaits, just as she remembered them. The child looked in perfect health once again. She twirled on her booted feet, then paused to smile at Bronwyn, extending a small bunch of bluebells in her direction. The vision took only moments, but its meaning was undeniable. Margaret’s spirit had survived a physical death, just as Bronwyn knew it would.