Four types of unlikable characters and how to make them work in your writing. Sarah J Sover.
Writer'sDigest.com Mar/Aril 2024.
https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/love-to-hate-them
Different types of unlikable characters require different treatments. From the rough-around-the-edges with a heart of gold types to irredeemable villains, the amount of distaste for a character seems to fall along a spectrum. Stories involving each of these types can be successful given the right development, circumstances, and genre.
The Hidden Hero
This is your layered character with a rough exterior. Dr. Cox from “Scrubs,” Coach Hedge from Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus, Jessica Jones, etc. There are many approaches to letting the audience see the good in these characters from adding internality to offsetting a hard image with acts of compassion or giving the character a higher purpose.
The Jerk Next-door
These are the Colin Robinsons, Dorian Grays, and Holden Caulfields of fiction, the everyday joes navigating life in a way that doesn’t add value to the world around them, and in some cases, makes the world a little bit suckier. Whether they’re arrogant, narcissistic, or merely self-serving, they remind you of someone you know. They might not be truly evil, but they rarely make noble decisions.
The Morally Divergent
Those characters who have their own code that operates outside the norm. The honorable thief, the assassin who refuses to take contracts on children, and the chaotic, unpredictable types whose actions are driven by what seems right in the moment all fall into this category. Part of the appeal is wondering what is going to happen next.
The Irredeemable
Bigots, perpetrators of heinous crimes, and other characters who are too far gone for any well-adjusted reader to root for. The characters who fall into this group aren’t meant to be likable, but they are meant to be captivating in some way.
Make the Reader Feel Something
Where some may say that a character needs to be likable, I say that the sure way to kill a story is to make the reader indifferent. Even rude and vile characters need to be interesting, otherwise, there’s nothing to make the reader care.
The characters and their interactions with the world are the primary drivers of any believable plot. Focusing too much on the action rather than how events impact your characters, what their reactions are, and what makes them tick robs your story of the dimensions it needs to engage your readers.
Whether you’re writing Ted Lasso or Raskolnikov, focusing on character development is key to connecting with your readers and writing a plot that feels organic. Well-developed characters who make good on the promises of your genre while also amplifying the special parts of your story will forge an emotional connection with readers. And in the end, isn’t that the point? Your characters are the heart of your story, and if that is a cold, dark heart, then so be it! Instead of unrelatable, unlikable characters, you can create characters that live on in the dark depths of your reader’s minds long after they reach “the end.”
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BETTER STORY STRUCTURE THROUGH MUSICALS AND KUNG FU MOVIES
by Bob Hart.
Build emotion and conflict for your characters and readers by taking a note from the structure of two popular storytelling forms.
A group of people come together. They interact, their emotions grow until they boil over. At which point, there is either singing or fighting. The emotional peak is like the crest of the wave. Your pulse rises. Your senses are engaged.
The wave recede and the story diips into the trough. A good story has crests and troughs going bigger and you go along building into a climax: a soul-stirring song or fight to determine someone's fate.
On an emotional level, putting characters in a place of emotional or physical vulnerability makes it easier to identify with them-and to root for them
By recognising these things, you become a better story teller.
WORLD-BUILDING.
E.G. The Matrix. Humans enslaved by machines and stuck into a virtual reality to keep them docile. A group of rebels led by Morpheus recruit Neo (Keanu Reeves) to free them. Neo's training begins, via virtual downloads. After 10 hours of training, Neo proclaims, "I know kung fu.". Morpheus responds: "Show me".
We got some great world-building based on the rules of the virtual world. (Read the whole article).
CHARACTER
E.G. West side Story. two rival New York City gangs.
STRUCTURE
A good story telling line has little crests and troughs in them thoroughout. Some form of peril is imminent.
PACING
Most musicals have a big Opening Number establishing the world, the characters and the show you're about to see.
HEAD AND HEART.
We covered world-building, character and structure. Just as important is the way these stories make a promise by creating a heightened sense of reality, and through this, establishing authority.
Once you establish authority, the reader will trust you, believe you and you can do anything with the plot.
Two ways to do this.
1. The "heart" method through honesty and frankness.
2. The "head" method by demonstrating knowledge or proficiency.
Both kung fu movies and musicals establish a high level of technical prowness. We trust and accept the reality of the skills of the martial arts master or Broadway-caliber singer.
We learn what they want, who they love, what they'll fight or who they will die for.
It's the emotional or physical peril that we cheer for them.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
You should read and watch stories outside our chosen format so you can better see the invisible strands of storytelling common across all genres. Instead of kung fu, think about action movies in general, e.g. Mad Max: Fury Road.
Crests and troughs. They are everywhere.
Dancing in Saturday Night Fever.
Gunfights in John Wick
boxing in Rocky
Football in Friday Night Lights.
Troughs and crests - utilise in your own stories.
