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In the comments of Lisa's "How?" post, Meredith asked, "How do you skate that fine line between having a strong character with many, many flaws and having a character who's unlikeable?"
When Lisa asked me to tackle this subject, I wrote, "LOL! I'm the last person who should write this post, since I've done it all wrong!" But Lisa knew I'd struggled with this, and when we struggle, we're forced to study and learn. So I'll happily share my observations using some of my favorite examples.
Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games"
(stubborn, rebellious, manipulative)
Katniss wasn't a whiner, even though her circumstances were dire. Early on we were shown her struggle to survive, and the importance of the people she loved. The scene where she volunteered to take her sister's place in the Games endeared readers to Katniss. We rooted for her as her life became a complicated, dangerous mess. When she used her supposed negative qualities against evil, they became her saving grace.
Mr. Darcy from "Pride and Prejudice"
(prideful, arrogant, selfish)
In this post, I broke down why Mr. Darcy was the ultimate likable unlikable character. He was misunderstood, and Austen did a wonderful job of showing this throughout the story. In the opening, he was horrible to Elizabeth Bennet. As the story unfolded, we witnessed kindness and vulnerability behind the veneer, and we loved him even more. Austen accomplished this through subtle "Save the Cat" moments.
Nick Levil from "Hate List"
(lonely, angry, bitter)
In this post I shared how impressed I was by how the author created a sympathetic villain in Nick. He killed fellow students. He was a monster. He should be hated. But the author dropped in snippets of backstory that allowed us to peek inside Nick's life, and experience how tortured he was. Readers understood Nick, even though he'd done a horrible thing.
Here's one of the main lessons I learned when studying negative traits and unlikable characters--readers need to know why the character is the way he is. Bullies don't just become bullies out of thin air. Something in their past took them down that road. Probably something painful, even humiliating. Once the reader understands this, there's a better chance they'll root for our characters, even if they're less than perfect.
We've all learned that protagonists can't be all good, and antagonists can't be all bad. Doing character worksheets, such as this one on Jody Hedlund's blog, can go a long way toward creating real people, warts and all.
Do you have tips to share about creating a flawed but likable character? Please share!
Hi Julie!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, especially about Mr. Darcy. I don't know the other two characters as intimately, but Darcy is an ingenious character. I think the reasons are pretty clear, as you've stated. Slow, subtle tidbits about who the character is as a person, down deep where they hide it. That's how I try to accomplish the same with my characters. I make a chart, jotting down elements I know are important to create a relationship with the reader. I put them in ascending order and up the tension or information with each.
Great advice. Def. I think exposing their background goes a long way! Or sometimes if I know the change is coming I don't mind an unlikeable character at the beginning b/c watching them change is rewarding.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways we teach clinicians to avoid "client-blaming" is by doing exactly this--focusing intensely on WHY the person is doing these things, and working on those "drivers", as we call them. I think that if you do that, and if the character does engage in some selfless acts that redeem him/her, it's actually possible to create a fatally flawed character readers will feel something for. I totally agree about Nick Levil! And that made Hate List all the more heartbreaking! Because you could understand why Val loved him, even when the rest of the world couldn't. Great post, Julie!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. Julie. This is awesome. Awesome! You've given me so much reading material to study. ;) I definitely think you're right that defining a character's background and experiences are the best way (and maybe only way) to make them relatable.
ReplyDeleteReally great stuff! Thanks!
Excellent examples. A character without flaws is boring and unbelievable. A character with flaws without explanation is a flat stereotype. thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteSee you guys? Julie is AMAZING. ;D Thank you for all the wonderful comments!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! Julie is indeed amazing, I must agree Lisa. I think it all comes down to the core of the character, whether or not they're a good person beneath all the bad.
ReplyDeleteHi, everyone! Thanks so much for the awesome comments. I love how we can learn these lessons together :D
ReplyDeleteLisa, thanks so much for having me at your virtual home.
This is such a challenge for me while writing :-D I love that you are sharing the goods. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! And I'd say, though it sounds a little contradictory at first, a likable-unlikable character can be made likable by the other characters. If Elizabeth in P&P had been more gentle and sensitive, Darcy's initial rudeness may have marked him permanently as misguided villain, but because she gives as good as she gets, he becomes more of a challenger. That's my advice. :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, I fall in love with a character when they look over the hot mess of their life, suck it up and get on with it.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to a character who has a pretty normal life but whines about things when they go wrong. Or spends far too much time merely thinking over and over about something?
Great advice, Julie. I love the examples. They're just want I needed.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to keep from tripping over the line. Thank goodness for those Save the Cat moments. :D
I don't have any tips but I try not to make my bad guys 100% bad.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post! In my experience, characters exist on a continuum, with some good and some bad, never all of one or the other. It's what they do with those qualitiea that makes them likeable or unlikeable. Going back to stories we love and breaking them down can teach us so much. Thanks for sharing the good advice, Julie!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Julie! I agree that the best characters are ones with flaws. The ones you root for even though (and because) they aren't perfect.
ReplyDeleteAwesomesauce. I think male characters can get away with being "unlikable" far more than female ones can, yes?
ReplyDeleteAnd I think there's a whole discussion waiting to be had there. :D Great post by two of my favorite folks~ <3
Nicely done, Julie. I do love the way you slipped Mr. Darcy in. I think if we can latch on to something relatable in an unlikeable character, we are willing to go on the journey with them, even if we want to smack them.
ReplyDeleteI love the hard-shelled, crusty characters with marshmellowy centers. Writers can create all kinds of reasons these character became Scrooges, so with some thought, they can be fresh and not stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! And I love making my villains not quite so villainous, which I suppose is the opposite problem - not making them too likeable! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat about The Great Gilly Hopkins? She's extremely unlikable at the beginning, but you love her at the end. (That's a MG book by K.Paterson)
ReplyDeleteExcellent examples!
There is a fine line between the two! The first draft of my first book portrayed the main character as too far on the unlikeable side, even though I'd demonstrated why he was that way. It took adjusting his dialogue and actions, toning him down a couple notches.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post and examples, Julie. Creating fully-rounded characters is so challenging and you give some great examples. I'd like to offer up one more fully-flawed by highly sympathetic character, and that's Severus Snape from Harry Potter. And you're so right, it's the "why" JK Rowling showed behind his veneer that made fans latch onto him so strongly.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big advocate of utilizing fully developed psychological profiles for the individuals in the story. So long as that psychology can be perceived, then there will be balance.
ReplyDeleteAh, I had to read that post on Mr Darcy first. Julie, I love the Colin Firth version best, too and I'd rather re-watch it than have a wild party, as well. I never connected that it was Katniss' negative qualities that ended up "saving" her but you are totally right! And I love other books that like A Wrinkle in Time where the negative things or the things a character hates about herself end up being her strengths.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie! Well, I haven't read The Hunger Games, but I agree with your assessment of Mr. Darby and Nick Levil. I hope one ounce of the talent to pull that kind of thing off!
ReplyDeleteAnd Lisa...HI! I'm a new follower via Julie Musil!
Love this. One of the best bits of advice I picked up on characters is from Save the Cat--they need to do something in the first few pages that softens then to the reader in some way. Julie was the perfect gal to answer this one!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Thanks, everyone! I loved reading your thoughts on this tricky subject.
ReplyDeleteSoooo helpful! Thanks, Julie and Lisa!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Julie. I like the bit about showing the reader WHY the character is the way they are. That goes a long way toward empathizing (is that a word?) the audience. Thanks for hosting, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteBecca @ The Bookshelf Muse
What great points, Julie! And wonderful examples. In life as well as in fiction, knowing the backstory behind a character can make all the difference in our opinion of that person. I just need a reason to be sympathetic.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice. I think this a lesson that the reader can then apply to real life--behind every story where someone is hated, there are relationships and experiences that shaped that person. Something we all should be aware of before casting judgment.
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