“I hate Luce. She’s so annoying to read about.”
“Luce is like … super annoying. I kinda wanna hit her.”
“Man, Luce gets on my tits. She makes me want to put the book down.”
Emerson sprinkles some magic dust on the manuscript
“Luce is hilarious!”
“Luce is probably my favourite character to read in the book.”
“What do you mean people don’t like her? I love her!”
😍 How Important is ‘Likeability’ in your Main Characters?
For the first few drafts, I received the feedback every author in their right mind fears.
“Your main character is unlikable.”
Ouch.
If your reader doesn’t like one of your leading characters, they struggle to connect with them, which means they struggle to feel empathy for them, which means they struggle to feel anything while reading your book.
That result is the exact opposite of what we’re trying to achieve as writers.
Once I received this feedback more than three times in various ways, I decided I needed to drill down and find what was wrong with the character in question.
It didn’t take me too long to figure it out. The lead character in the Seen in Silverbridge series is Lucinda Sharp, or ‘Luce’. She’s rich, thin, blonde, white, and acts like an entitled bitch. In short, an arsehole. And arseholes are very easy to dislike.
But I couldn’t accept that. I didn’t see the annoying traits about Luce when I was writing her. I feel for her. I want her to be better. I want her to have a good life. How can I help my readers see her the way I see her?
After trying a few different things and reading about authors who’d struggled with similar issues, I finally cracked it. And now, people dig Luce and are excited to go along with her and Huds in their adventure of A Rockstar Has Exploded.
Here are some actionable steps you can take if you’ve found yourself in a similar boat. I recommend experimenting with each of the following ideas by writing a short scene about your unlikeable main character and seeing if it feels right.
👸🏼 5 Ways to Help Your Reader Like Reading About Your Arsehole Main Character
- Give your Arsehole Character some relatable flaws
Characters who are flawless and have no room for growth or change can be boring and unrelatable, whereas characters with relatable flaws are more interesting and easier to empathise with. Harry Potter struggles with self-doubt and a need for validation, Katniss Everdeen struggles to connect with others due to her traumatic past, and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice has an excess of … pride. Give your characters some flaws and see what happens.
- Show vulnerability in your Arsehole Character
Vulnerability is a powerful tool for creating empathy. When a character shows vulnerability, we see them in a more authentic and human light. Vulnerability can be physical, emotional, or mental. For example, in the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, the titular character starts as unlikeable and difficult to connect with. But as the story progresses, we see that she’s majorly messed up. It’s impossible not to feel for someone once you’ve seen their wound. The more of an arsehole the character is, the deeper the wound needs to be for us to care about them.
- Give your Arsehole Character more agency
Readers want to see characters who take action and make choices, even if those choices lead to mistakes and consequences. Actually, especially when their choice lead to mistakes and consequences. Jay Gatsby is not particularly likable, but he’s rich and charismatic, so at least he’s interesting to read about. Same with Mr Grey. We don’t particularly like these people, but we like reading about them because they have the ability to push the plot forward in interesting ways.
- Show other characters giving a shit about your Arsehole Character
This is a trick I learned from Ken Follett. He says that all you need to do to make your reader care about someone is to show that other characters care about them. The more you show how much a mother loves their kid, the more we instinctively care about them. The more a boy loves a girl, the more we love her too. It’s a bit like meeting someone new in real life - if that person is friendly and well-liked by others, we are more likely to feel positively about them ourselves.
- When all else fails … embrace their unlikeability
If none of the above work, and your Arsehole Character is still unlikeable and gross, then consider upping the ante. Unlikable characters can still be compelling and interesting to read about, especially when they cross over from being merely annoying to incessantly infuriating. Think about:
- Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
- Amy Dunne in Gone Girl
- Tyler Durden in Fight Club
- Artemis Fowl in Artemis Fowl
- Richard Papen in The Secret History
Go forth, experiment! Make your Arsehole Character more likable, or at least more readable. If you have any ideas or examples you’d like to share, reply to this email and let me know.
📣 A shout-out to something I’m digging
I finally picked up a Brandon Sanderson book. I’m starting with the Mistborn series, which seems to be the most popular, and so far I’m finding it emotionally absorbing.
The world is richly built, the characters are charming, and the pace of the prose is tight. The books in the Mistborn series are on the longer side (500+ pages each), which is typical for sci-fi, but I’m sure I’ll rip through it.
I find myself picking up my Kobo first thing in the morning and also right before sleeping at night, which is the sign of a good read.
