One of my characters has had me pulling my hair, worrying if I’ve given her enough good qualities to compensate for some things readers may find hard to swallow. And I’m not alone. Cam is the QUEEN of creating unlikeable characters that captivate, but even she has spent time wondering if she’d crossed the line. Anyone else out there have this issue?
You can create a well-rounded character, a quirky one, one with depth and fascination. Yet readers may still not connect.
So what is it that makes a character likeable?
There are some things that are commonly thrown around. Your character will be more likeable if:
- She has something she loves.
- She has something she fights for.
- She is willing to sacrifice for something.
- She has some special skill or ability.
- She has some handicap or hardship that makes her an underdog.
- She has a flaw that readers can relate to and forgive.
- She operates from motivation the readers can see and understand.
- She has wit, spunk, or a sense of humor.
Those are easy fixes, so often recommended that they’ve led to a whole class of character called a Mary Sue, a figure so romanticized or perfect she doesn’t come across as believable.
Want to see if you have a Mary Sue character (or plot) in your WIP? Here’s THE definitive quiz. Seriously.
http://www.onlyfiction.net/marysue.html
But okay, say your character isn’t a Mary Sue, and your character has one or more of the traits that should make her likeable. She’s flawed and complex, and better yet, her flaws and strengths directly drive the plot and make the outcome of your story unpredictable. But still the UN-word rears it’s ugly head.
Time for tougher questions.
Especially when it comes to the strong female protagonist that so many of us are trying to do justice to lately, how tough is too tough? How much vulnerability do we need to show? How much emotion does she need to express, and how often? How many hard, confusing, or unlikeable decisions can she make?
As a point of discussion, let’s take Katniss Everdeen. There is no question that the whole HUNGER GAMES trilogy is beyond successful, and Katniss is an unforgetable character. But she is one of the recent characters I’ve seen most often described as “unlikeable.” Do you agree? Disagree?
THE HUNGER GAMES is dark and the books get progressively darker. It’s tough to be inside that world, and even tougher to be inside Katniss’s head. I know for me, I fell in love with Katniss when I saw her willingness to sacrifice for Prim, and she had me hooked with her tenderness to Rue. Her concern for Rue’s family, too, made me love her, as did her self-doubt, her willingness to acknowledge and dislike her own questionable motives. I believed in Katniss, hook, line and bow string. In CATCHING FIRE, Katniss was just as real. But Prim was stronger. There was no Rue character. Her situation was much harder, more ambiguous. She was tougher. Did that make her less likeable? I’ve certainly read that people believe that was the case. What about her depression in MOCKINGJAY? Was that too much?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Where did you start to like Katniss? Love her? Dislike her? Was there some point where you read one of the books and said to yourself, wow, Suzanne Collins NAILED it here–I am so glad I have Katniss’s thoughts or motives here? Or conversely, you thought, allright, shut up already and get on with the story?
As always on Tuesdays, give us your input and you’ll get a chance to win a great YA book. This week, it’s a hardcover of Lesley Livingston’s DARKLIGHT.
We’ll announce the winner next week.
Haven’t read THE HUNGER GAMES but still want a chance to win? Just comment about your take on likeable characters. Or share a brief passage that sets up your character and makes her (or him) instantly likeable. Go on. I dare you!
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Martina
