Writing prompt #103: THE TYRANT

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been thinking about “caudillos” lately, the brutality of strongmen—and their depictions in Latin American literature. Characters based on real dictators such as the Dominican Republic’s Rafael Trujillo, as captured by Mario Vargas Llosa in THE FEAST OF THE GOAT, or Guatemala’s Manuel Estrada Cabrera, as rendered by Miguel Ángel Asturias in EL SEÑOR PRESIDENTE.

YOUR PROMPT: Who is the tyrant in your story? The person around which malevolent action swirls? From whom danger and revenge come? Whose cruelty ruins lives? Is there one (or more) in your world? Look around. The person could be as unassuming as a neighbor, or a protagonist’s grandmother, the local priest, a third-grade teacher. Zero in on this character and write a scene in which they feature prominently, 2-3 pages to start. Then see where this leads.

Good luck with this!

Abrazos,

Cristina