Whenever we think about characters like Frollo from Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or the immature lovers of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, or even the twisted love story of Lucian and Livia from S.L.Baron’s Vanilla Blood, there’s a certain element that makes the story even more dramatic than it should be, an element that’s darker, purer, and more in line with our basic human instincts. That element is obsession.

I once learned from a high school teacher that love and obsession were two sides of the same coin. That, ironically enough, is often the case. Obsession is what makes the story more interesting, and what keeps the reader guessing. It also helps to know that the sheer amount of horror associated with obsession helps the reader understand a character’s, or rather or writer’s, mindset. Although it could introduce additional conflicts that may draw the story out, it’s still an excellent way to keep things interesting. As such, below are the two most common ways to write obsession into your story. 

Materials  

While obsession can be thought of as being involved with another person, there are other motives. For example, when a person is obsessed with money, or even some mystical artifact that would promise them anything in the world, they’d go to any lengths to get it. And while it’s fine for our characters to get it so that they can survive, if they let those objects take over their mind, simply for the thrill of it, it’s easy for them to hurl themselves down a slippery slope. Take for example, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Count Olaf’s obsession with the Baudelaire’s family fortune led him to do unspeakable things to the children, things that no other sane human would do.

Emotions 

At the same time, emotions are just as powerful motivators as well. For instance, have you ever heard of that one person who just isn’t good with rejection? There have been dark, disturbing stories that have risen up from our emotions, whether they be negative, positive, or otherwise. Such subject matters have been at the center of music such as Evanescence, Within Temptation, and Blackbriar. It’s what’s driven the insanity found in books such as Vanilla Blood by S.L. Baron. Love, of course, is a prime example. To love someone to the point where you’d dance on the edge of death, or, as the Addams Family so blatantly puts it, where you’d even kill for that person; it’s a testament to what you wouldn’t do for that person. It’s monstrous, in that sense, but many people still find it empowering. 

Remember, obsession is a dangerous element to play with. Whether that be through the lenses of a lover, who has nothing left to lose, or that of a man who wants revenge, obsession, alongside its dark consequences, can be found throughout every story. It’s this very thing, ironically enough, that has led to the many infamous stories that we enjoy today.