How To Write A Controlling Character?

Fiction thrives on conflict, and some of the most compelling conflicts come not from external forces, but from characters who twist, pressure, and control others to get what they want. The manipulative character is a timeless archetype: you’ll find them in Shakespeare’s Iago, in the cunning political masterminds of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and in the “charming but dangerous” villains of countless thrillers.

But writing a manipulative character is tricky. If handled clumsily, they can come across as cartoonishly evil, or worse, unbelievable. Done well, however, these characters can drive the story forward with delicious tension and psychological depth.

If you're writing your novel, here’s how to craft a controlling and manipulative character readers will love to hate or perhaps secretly admire.

1. Understand Their Core Motivation

Manipulative characters don’t twist others around for no reason; they always have a goal. That goal may be power, security, revenge, validation, or even a twisted version of love. Before you write their schemes, ask:

• What is this character afraid of losing?
• What would they do to get or protect what they want?
• Do they even see themselves as manipulative or do they justify it as necessary?

For example, a character who craves control may believe they’re “helping” others by making choices for them. Another may genuinely think that manipulation is the only way to survive in a cutthroat world.

2. Give Them Manipulation Techniques

Real manipulation is subtle. Your character should have more than one trick up their sleeve, and ideally, their methods should adapt depending on who they’re dealing with. Some tools to consider:

• Gaslighting – Making someone question their reality or memory.
• Charm and Flattery – Using charisma to disarm suspicion.
• Feigning Weakness – Pretending to be vulnerable to trigger sympathy.
• Information Control – Withholding, twisting, or leaking information.
• Divide and Conquer – Pitting others against each other to maintain dominance.
• Emotional Leverage – Exploiting someone’s guilt, love, or fear.

A good manipulator knows their target’s soft spots and presses them carefully.

3. Show Them in Action, Not Just in Thought

The most chilling manipulators rarely announce their intentions. Instead of long monologues about how clever they are, show manipulation through dialogue, body language, and subtle choices.

For example:

• Instead of telling the reader “She wanted to control her friend,” show her cutting off other people in conversations so her friend only hears one version of events.
• Instead of saying “He manipulated his rival,” show him planting an innocent-sounding suggestion that grows into paranoia.

Readers should feel the manipulation as it happens, often before the victim does.

4. Keep Them Relatable (At Least a Little)

Even the most sinister manipulators should have a human side. Perhaps they were once powerless themselves, or perhaps they believe manipulation is for the greater good.

Some might even use their cunning protectively for family, for a cause, for survival. Remember the murderer in the very first episode ("A Study In Pink") of the Sherlock Series? That's exactly it. A manipulative murderer with a relatable (if not excusable) reason.

This doesn’t excuse their actions, but it makes them more layered and compelling. Readers are more engaged when they can understand why a villain manipulates, even if they don’t agree with them.

5. Use Victims and Foils to Highlight Their Power

A manipulator is only as effective as the people around them. Consider:

• Who falls for their schemes easily, and why? (Naïve, insecure, desperate characters are prime targets.)
• Who resists, and how does that resistance raise the stakes?
• What happens when two manipulators clash?

By showing contrasting responses to manipulation, you can create rich dynamics and tension.

6. Allow Them to Slip Sometimes

Perfect manipulators can feel flat if they never face consequences. The most interesting moments often come when their control begins to unravel:

• Maybe they misjudge someone’s loyalty.
• Maybe their lies contradict each other.
• Maybe they start to believe their own fabrications.

Watching a manipulative character scramble when things go wrong can be just as satisfying as watching them orchestrate a perfect scheme.

7. Balance Subtlety and Payoff

Readers love the “aha!” moment when manipulation is revealed. But if every move is too obvious, your character loses credibility. Conversely, if everything is too hidden, readers may feel cheated.

The trick: leave breadcrumbs. Small hints that attentive readers will pick up on, so when the truth comes out, they realize the signs were there all along.

Let's say you have this manipulative character who wants to turn two coworkers against each other to climb the ladder. They will say one thing to one coworker ("She said you seemed distracted, I don't know why"), something different to the other ("He said you didn't pull your weight but I disagree), and the reason will only be revealed when the manipulative person eventually gets promoted because the two coworkers are fighting.

8. Remember: Manipulation is a Form of Power

At its core, manipulation is about control, right? The character doesn’t need physical strength or even official authority, they thrive on influence. This makes them especially potent antagonists in political dramas, domestic thrillers, or any setting where persuasion can be as deadly as violence.

When written well, a manipulative character can dominate a story without ever throwing a punch.