In a post on his blog, writer and history buff Marlin Bressi shares the fascinating life story of Frank Lee Wilson, an electrician, former high school teacher, and the first official executioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “The story of the rise and fall of Frank Lee Wilson is a remarkable tale; it is the tragic story of a quiet, tiny man tasked with the awesome responsibility of meting out justice to the state’s most hardened and repugnant criminals,” Bressi writes. “And it is a cautionary tale about how a mild-mannered individual can turn into a cruel, hardened shell of a human being in just a few short years after being granted the God-like power of revoking human life.”
This is a great example of a downward character arc, all but begging for a fictional take, and a good reminder of how thorough research can help you flesh out a character.
