So I'm trying to write a story where one of the main characters was someone who betrayed a trust and who still grapples with the consequences of that choice and his own personal feelings of guilt. However I'm having trouble thinking of a suitably big betrayal that won't instantly turn him into an unsympathetic character.
Here's what I've got so far:
1. The double agent. He was sent in from an outside authority for the purpose of spying on someone, but wound up forming an actual friendship with the people who he was supposed to betray. But knowing that if he didn't betray them his own life would be forfeit.
2. The doomed romance. He betrayed the trust of a lover, maybe by taking advantage or calling off a marriage or falling for her sister. Either way he shattered the trust of his would be fiance and the damage is far reaching and irreparable.
However those two seem really obvious, and have been done by better writers than me. I'm wondering if anyone else has a more interesting or nuanced take on the subject?
So I'm trying to write a story where one of the main characters was someone who betrayed a trust and who still grapples with the consequences of that choice and his own personal feelings of guilt. However I'm having trouble thinking of a suitably big betrayal that won't instantly turn him into an unsympathetic character.
Here's what I've got so far:
1. The double agent. He was sent in from an outside authority for the purpose of spying on someone, but wound up forming an actual friendship with the people who he was supposed to betray. But knowing that if he didn't betray them his own life would be forfeit.
2. The doomed romance. He betrayed the trust of a lover, maybe by taking advantage or calling off a marriage or falling for her sister. Either way he shattered the trust of his would be fiance and the damage is far reaching and irreparable.
However those two seem really obvious, and have been done by better writers than me. I'm wondering if anyone else has a more interesting or nuanced take on the subject?
How about an indirect betrayal, where he betrays an organization or entire group, but is later confronted by a friend who was part of the group, or his feelings or guilt are for that one friend, instead of the entire group?
How about an indirect betrayal, where he betrays an organization or entire group, but is later confronted by a friend who was part of the group, or his feelings or guilt are for that one friend, instead of the entire group?
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Shinimasu
A kind of story I like:
The betrayer is an ordinary person with a serious weakness… maybe they're cowardly and easy to threaten/bribe. Their weakness led to them betraying someone/some group/some ideal they cared about, and the guilt has shocked them into a serious quest to reform. Their attempts at self improvement/actively setting right what went wrong might lead them to become more than just an ordinary person. Could be a very different story depending on who knows about their misdeeds.
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Shinimasu
A kind of story I like:
The betrayer is an ordinary person with a serious weakness… maybe they're cowardly and easy to threaten/bribe. Their weakness led to them betraying someone/some group/some ideal they cared about, and the guilt has shocked them into a serious quest to reform. Their attempts at self improvement/actively setting right what went wrong might lead them to become more than just an ordinary person. Could be a very different story depending on who knows about their misdeeds.
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purplecinnibar Oh that's really really good. I hadn't even thought of an accidental betrayal but it opens up so many fun possibilities.
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fwd
This one too, I really like it.
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purplecinnibar Oh that's really really good. I hadn't even thought of an accidental betrayal but it opens up so many fun possibilities.
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fwd
This one too, I really like it.
