30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 28 – your characters are unlikeable
Sometimes I think it doesn’t matter if your characters are PERFECT. If they behave impeccably. If they are flawless models of perfection. I have learnt over the past five years that no matter what they are like - good, bad or downright ugly - someone out there will absolutely hate them.
And that person won’t hold back in telling you so, all over Goodreads and Netgalley, and maybe even, if you’re really lucky, on your Amazon page too!
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A fellow author and I once talked in great length about the concept of ‘book people’ and how people in books seem to have to adhere to a higher moral code than real people, otherwise they risk alienation by the readers.
The judgment of characters in novels is something I find ABSOLUTELY fascinating.
In every single book I have written, someone has found my main characters unlikeable, and said that this is the main reason they didn’t enjoy the book.
In response, I would say that my characters might be a little unlikeable, but that in all honesty, they are REAL.
I’m trying to be impartial here and I know it’s hard because they are my books, but I really believe that everyone in my books behaves in a way that real people routinely do in real life.
And yet the people in real life who behave this way aren’t horrendously vilified or ostracised or hated by everyone they know.
After all, don’t we all have ‘unlikeable’ traits? If we didn’t then we’d be… weird. We’d be unreal. And not in a good way.
Now, as the years have gone by and I’ve considered this more, I’ve come to the conclusion that this must just be a personal preference thing, because I actually enjoy reading about unlikeable people (provided they aren’t too despicable, and their behaviour makes sense).
I have a belief that most people are inherently good and are doing the best with whatever baggage they’re carrying from the shit that life has thrown at them.
Therefore I think bad behaviour pretty much always stems from whatever trauma they’ve experienced in their past.
But I know that when they sit down to read, some people just want a comforting story about well deserving characters who have to deal with external shit that wasn’t their fault and overcome it.
They want escapism. They want the unreal people.
Whereas when I pick up a book with those kinds of characters in, I find them a little too soft, almost, and not gritty enough. There’s often not enough tension or suspense to hold my interest.
It’s a different kind of writing, and a different kind of reader.
Over the years I have made my peace with the fact that many readers find my characters unlikeable. It’s been tough - and it has been very upsetting at times, especially when some characters have elements of my own personality in them. 🙈
Having said that, I do now think more carefully about my characters, and try my best to give them some likeable traits.
There’s a popular tool used in screenwriting to ensure people’s sympathies lie with the protagonist, so that they are prepared to go on a journey with them and want them to succeed.
It’s called the ‘save the cat’ method, and here’s a quick quote that explains it:
The save the cat method involves having the protagonist do something admirable toward the start of the story in order to establish them as a likable person and get the audience on their side.
Source: Studio Binder
I try to use this method but I find this doesn’t always work. I’m actually fascinated by what makes a character ‘likeable’.
Perhaps books are actually like people - we are all different and we don’t all like one another!
And that’s fine.
With a bit of luck, the right readers will find your book, and they’ll understand why your characters do the things they do, and when that happens, it’s magical ✨
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This is so great Ms. Duckworth. A very "worthy" topic : ) Reading Goodreads indeed shows a lot of people complaining. They mostly don't like novels where every character is bad, and I agree. This is emotionally exhausting.