HOW TO WRITE UNLIKEABLE CHARACTERS YOUR READERS WILL LOVE

HOW TO WRITE UNLIKEABLE CHARACTERS YOUR READERS WILL LOVE

When I wrote my first novel at the age of twenty-three, I really thought I had the whole writing thing nailed. Oh the naivety! You can imagine the shock I felt then, when an editorial company told me in no uncertain terms that my book was unpublishable. My protagonist – my main character and the focus of my novel – unlikeable. She was too prickly and too mean. And this was a big problem. No one would want to read a book with an unlikeable main character. 

I should say, that I’m not twenty-three anymore. This feedback came a whole six years before the world met Amy from Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn) and nine years before we all read about Rachel in The Girl On The Train (Paula Hawkins). These two novels are often considered to be the ones that kicked off the psychological thriller boom. But more than that, they also nailed the unlikeable protagonist – something we’re seeing another boom of in the current market. 

So was my first book a work of unrecognized genius? If I submitted that 2006 novel now, would prickly and mean be snapped up by a publisher? Luckily, I’m not as naive as I was back then. The answer is a firm no. And this is because for unlikeable protagonists to work, they need to have a lot more going for them, something I’ve learned a lot about in the last decade and then some. 

Here are four tips for creating unlikeable characters your readers will love to read.

Create interesting flaws

What is it about your character that makes them unlikeable? How can you make their flaws interesting? 

One of the fun things about unlikeable characters can be when they behave in a way that we’d never do in real life, but perhaps we’d sometimes want to. We might never tell the village busy body what we really think of them, but the main character in our novel could. We might not slash the tyres of the idiot who always drives too fast down the busy high street, but that doesn’t mean our character couldn’t. Interesting flaws that break the social conventions we often feel bound by can be really interesting for the reader. 

Build backstory and add complexity 

The important thing to remember about our characters is that likeable is not the deal breaker. But understanding the characters is. Developing complexity and adding backstory helps the reader to understand the protagonist’s actions. Someone walking around slashing tyres isn’t generally going to be likeable. But if we were to learn that the slasher’s entire family was murdered in a hit and run, we would understand their motivations and even have sympathy for their appalling behavior. 

When creating unlikeable characters, remember to keep asking yourself why are they behaving the way they are? 

Take Oliver, one of the main characters in my recent novel, The Teacher’s Secret. Oliver’s wife and son disappeared on the walk home from school and he’s shown himself to be not a nice person. 

Cate always wanted things to be tidy, and for a long time, her ‘everything has a place’ mentality worked. Until Oliver began to feel like it wasn’t just the bread knife or the coffee pot that had a place they had to be kept in; that he did too.

Small insights into your character’s past and their feelings when sprinkled throughout the novel can build understanding and sympathy. The backstory also adds complexity to your character and helps the reader understand their motivations. 

Show some vulnerability 

It’s very rare to meet someone who is wholly good or wholly evil. If these two points sit either end of a line, then imagine us standing somewhere on that line. Then imagine, we step to the left or right depending on how our day is going and the mood we’re in. 

Most of us have been in situations where we’ve been cut up by another driver. Sometimes, we can rage and fume and honk our horn. Other times, we can give a wave and shrug it off. It’s the same for our characters. Showing the occasional softer side to your protagonist adds to their complexity and the reader’s understanding of them. 

Make them relatable 

This final one is a culmination of all the points I’ve mentioned so far but it’s a really important one. Relatable means we as the reader connect with the character, and from that connection we root for them.  We might not like them, but we can relate to their struggles. We may even feel a certain amount of sympathy for their decisions. And most importantly, we keep turning the pages to find out what will happen to them.  

By building backstory that shows your protagonist’s motivations for their behavior, by sharing their flaws and vulnerabilities, you’re creating a three-dimensional character – a complex human. Your reader might not agree with their actions, but they can understand them, and from this, they will follow them through the story.  

If you’re looking for some great unlikeable characters to read, I can recommend Camille in Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn), and Millicent and her husband in My Lovely Wife (Samantha Downing). And of course, I’d love you to check out The Teacher’s Secret too!

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Lauren writes psychological suspense and thriller novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books.

Lauren writes book club thrillers as LC North and psychological thrillers as Lauren North.

Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside.

THE TEACHER’S SECRET

On a sunny Friday afternoon, beloved teacher Mrs. Walker and her eight-year-old son wave goodbye to their friends in the school playground. But they never make it home…

It’s only been a week, but the bright little faces at the picture-perfect school I’ve stepped into have captured my heart. Their big doe eyes, their paint-covered fingers and clinging hugs. They’ve been through so much, with their favourite teacher and classmate still missing…

I’m doing all I can to help them adjust, but I can’t avoid the swirling rumours that say Cate Walker’s charismatic husband, Oliver – our headteacher – is involved in her disappearance. The thought makes me shudder. But the more I find out about Cate, the more I wonder if she was also hiding a terrible secret…

I’m determined to uncover the truth about what really happened. I have to protect these other innocent children from the same fate – it’s my duty as their teacher.

That is, until an anonymous note turns up threatening me if I don’t stop looking. Until my home is broken into while I sleep.

I know the longer I stay here, the more danger I’m in.

But whoever’s trying to scare me doesn’t know who I am – or why I’m really here.

Or just how far I’ll go to protect the people I love…

BUY HERE

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips, On Writing