The Risk of Writing Unlikable Characters

by Linda K. Sienkiewicz

What kind of fictional characters do readers enjoy most? Good-hearted people who somehow find themselves in trouble? Or shady characters who create mayhem? Likability in fictional characters can be a complicated matter, especially for a writer.

In an essay from last year, author Jennifer Weiner noted that some writers are being urged by their agents and editors to make their characters more likable, in the interest of sales. Yet, writer Mohsin Hamid confesses, “I read fiction to fall in love. And in fiction, as in life, characters don’t have to be likable to be lovable.”

As writers, are we ever too concerned that characters be so likable that we can’t let them disappoint our readers?

An agent once told me that no one enjoys mildly interesting characters. It was her impression that readers these days read novels for the same reason they gawk at accidents. If traffic is slowed because a car is on the side of the road because it ran out of gas, no one pays attention. “It takes a paramedic and two police cars and some crunched cars for rubbernecking and involvement.”

I agree. I enjoy reading about flawed characters because they're more believable, and more like me. It’s the writer’s job to make flawed characters deserving of a reader’s attention, as well as likable on some level. If readers understand a character’s motives, I believe they will find a way to empathize with the character.

The narrator in my novel, In the Context of Love, (Buddhapuss Ink LLC July 2015) is a married woman who, at a low point in her life, has an affair. Her marriage is on the skids, she’s sinking fast and desperate for love. Early in the writing process, I feared her lapse in judgment might turn off a segment of moralistic readers. A fellow writer told me not to worry. “It’s okay to have your readers get angry with your characters,” she said.

In the end, my character redeems herself. I hope she does, anyway, because I know some readers will label a book as bad if the character does something bad. Others will go so far as to judge the author as bad. As writers, that’s a risk we have to take.

I think we should allow characters room to slip and fall. I like characters who make bad mistakes, those who don’t stumble blindly, but walk directly into the darkness.

What do you think? Have you ever encountered a character whose actions were so morally repugnant that you put the book down? Or did that make you want to read more? As a writer, do you worry readers will judge your characters, and you as well? I'd love to know.

©2014 Linda K. Sienkiewicz

 

Sienkiewicz is a writer and artist who's always in search of a good story. Her poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in over fifty literary journals in print and online, and among her awards are a poetry chapbook and Pushcart Prize Nomination. She has an MFA in Fiction from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. Her first novel, In the Context of Love will be released in July 2015 by Buddhapuss Ink LLC.

 

Thanks Linda, for a terrific piece on a sometimes thorny topic for writers when it comes to writing characters!
READERS: We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of our #WW Writer Wednesday Series and that we'll see you again next week when our guest poster Georgia Ruth tackles Naming Your Characters. Till then, "Butt in chair, WRITE!
~ The Black Cat

10 Resources and Tips for Writers - CHARACTERS

We've given you writing prompts, helped you overcome your procrastination issues, set out some great sites for research and reference, now what? Time to start writing of course! Many experts think the best place to start is with your characters. Who are they, what are they like, what do they do and how does that play a part in the story you are writing? Here's some help as you answer those questions and more about these very important people:

1. You might start by asking your main character some questions. Alicia Rasley lays out 9 great ones to start with in her article on the Writers Digest site. Her suggestions will help you understand your protagonist.
2. Elizabeth Craig has a few more questions for your characters in her article inspired by her interest in the PBS Inspector Lewis series which made her think  "So much of our energy as a writer is poured (and rightly so) into the conflict the protagonist is facing and how they handle it. How can we best fit in the tidbits about the character—the non-conflict-related stuff that makes us love them?" Check her article for some help digging out those choice bits that we might have left untapped otherwise. 
3. Maybe you need a name for that character? Try Behind the Name, a great site for noodling out the perfect name for any character.
4. Need some help figuring out your characters archetypes? Not quite sure what kind of character you're dealing with? Wikipedia to the rescue with their helpful entry on Archetypes, their origins and creation.They also have a great list of Stock Characters you might want to check while you're at it.
5. If Wikipedia is too dry for you, try TVtropes where they have a great list (with click through descriptions) of Stock Characters too. What is a Stock Character? you might ask - their definition:  A Stock Character is a one-dimensional character who is instantly recognizable to us from other stories; the gruff grandpa, the snooty cheerleader, the bratty younger sibling. 
6. Need more help getting the creative character juices flowing? Seventh Sanctum's character generators may be just what you're looking for.  There's one for every kind of character from human to Super Ninja!
7. Unsure who is running your story - you or your characters who seem to have taken on a life of their own? You should stop by Literary Agent Nathan Bransford's site  where he talks about making sense of the character's inner logic. While you're there, you might also check out his articles: What Do Your Characters Want? and Sympathetic vs. Unsympathetic Characters. 
8. Margaret Atwood provided the following tips as part of her recent keynote speech at Belmont University's Ninth Annual Humanities Symposium. To help your reader keep your characters straight, Atwood advises writers to use character names that begin with different letters of the alphabet or to at least give them a different hair color. For example, Betty is a blonde and Barbara has dark brown hair.
9. Atwood also advised that when writing about several different people, it’s important to keep their timelines straight. She suggests creating a chart for yourself with the years across the top and the months down the side. Be sure to put the characters’ birthdates in so you’ll automatically be able to determine the actual age of characters as time passes in your story.
10. You should also check the world events against those birthdays so you know what would have been going on at different ages in their lives. Atwood gave examples like the invention of pantyhose which preceded mini-skirts and made them possible. Things like the color of appliances, carpeting, etc. used in homes at that time of your story are also important to check. Some folks still vividly recall the period in the ’70s when avocado green, orange and brown were all the rage in home décor. It’s important to get the details right, she says, or someone will write you a “nah nah nah letter,” as she calls it.

So there you have it - 10 important resources and tips to help you create solid, memorable characters. Check in with us next week when we continue this series with 10 more resources for writers!
Now get writing!

Authors, be sure to check out our YA Mystery Short Story Competition - Mystery Times Ten. Happy writing!

This article may be copied and quoted as long as you include the byline below:
© 2010 by MaryChris Bradley, Publisher Buddhapuss Ink LLC, the proud publishers of The Last Track by Sam Hilliard and the upcoming Mystery Times Ten, a collection of Mystery Short Stories for the YA audience.
 

From the Editor's Desk - 7 Tips to Get Your Novel Started

So, you want to write a novel?
Can you see the story in your head but find it impossible to get it on paper?
Do you begin writing excitedly and then burnout almost immediately?

Maybe the following suggestions will help you:

1.Outline Outline Outline

Some people say they can just start writing and it all flows smoothly and evenly to become the perfect piece. If you can write your novel this way, great! You can probably stop reading this article now. And, we may have a contract for you!
The rest of the world needs to put their ideas into some kind of outline. It shouldn't include every detail, just the framework. You will add and modify as you go along.

2. Point-of-View

Decide what point of view you are going to use in a scene and stick with it. Please, don't jump back and forth, it's too confusing to your reader. Use the "omniscient" viewpoint sparingly and have a limited number of POV characters. Never tell the POV of an insignificant character.

3. Dialogue

Read the conversations aloud. Better yet, have someone else read them aloud for you. Now ask yourself: Does it sound natural? Do the conversations flow? Do people really talk like that?

4. Dramatic Concept

Imagine you are writing the blurb for your novel. Can you sum it all up in just a few sentences? If not, you need a stronger dramatic concept.

5. Tension & Escalation

A good story needs conflict but it is equally as important that your conflict escalate. It should gradually build up to a critical level.

6. Show me, don't tell me

If a character is angry, don't just tell me she is mad. Put her in a situation that will make her mad and SHOW ME how she reacts.

7. It's all about the presentation!

This is actually the most important. No matter how great your spell check or grammar check program is, or how many times you proofread your manuscript yourself, you will likely miss some spelling, grammatical, punctuation mistakes.
Once you've written, and re-written your novel, and have polished your story like a jewel, you should have someone like a professional editor proofread your work. If you don't know an editor personally, you can hire someone. It is well worth the price. Nothing will get your manuscript tossed into the round file faster than a lot of errors.

Now, good luck and start writing!