Unlikable Protagonist?

[introvert_girl]

So I’ve been struggling with this through multiple projects, in that my protagonist doesn’t seem very likable when they’re introduced. In the case I’m dealing with now, the MC has a temper, and says some unkind things about someone she’s irritated with in the opening scene. Do you have advice for dealing with difficult protagonists? Would showing her feel regret over what she said help? Or that she is aware of her weak points and wants to do better in the future? (Which she does grow, as it’s part of her arc.)

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

[Skredder]

@introvert_girl It really depends on the individual character for me. I’ve read some stories where I didn’t like the protagonist in the beginning, but they did grow and felt true remorse over what they did and tried to fix it. Those I liked. There were other books where I didn’t like the protagonist in the beginning and I never finished the book because of the protagonist. While they were a protagonist, their choices didn’t make sense and their arc was almost non-existent. So, for me, as long as the behavior makes sense and changes close to reality I’d probably be find reading it.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

[Sam Kowal]

@introvert_girl
Character likability runs along a few different lines, and three of them are:
Proactivity
and
Likability in the story
and
Disability

If a character’s proactive, and strives to accomplish his or her’s goals, they’re going to be mor elikable. If other characters in the story like them (which it sounds like might be part of your problem), they’ll be likable. And if they have a disability (Not an actual physical disability, although it can be), which is basically something they struggle with or cannot do, they’ll be more likeable, because they’ll be relatable. For example, if they can’t tell a lie, that’s a disability in the story (even though technically, it might be a moral strong point), because it puts them into situations where they might be tested. Similarly, if they’re afriad of the dark, that’s a story disability.
Also, you don’t always want to follow these three for maximum likability, especially the other people liking the character part. That can ruin all of your tension. You can use that better for a cheery side character, probably.
That’s a bit general, but more specifically, yeah, I think if your character showed remorse over getting angry, that would make her more likable. That also could be a disability or flaw, getting irritable, that she needs to work though.

*Giarstanornarak tries to melt chair*
Also, Daeus has 22 turtles in his signature.

[Daeus]

@introvert_girl Sam really said it already, but you can also add a backstory to show why the character acts the way they do. The overall tone of the story will help too. I think though that the most important thing is proactivity, like Sam said.

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

[valtmy]

@introvert_girl

I think it’s all right since you are planning for your protagonist to have character development and a character arc. That your protagonist may not be very likable at the start may in fact be a good thing (because it’s terribly boring to read about impossibly perfect human beings who can do no wrong).

I think most readers can deal with an unlikable protagonist so long as there is some foreshadowing and an underlying awareness in the story that the character will sooner or later be “punished” and forced to deal with the negative consequences of their actions and be spurned to grow.

I am writing a difficult protagonist myself (because the MC of my WIP is really, really not a hero) so perhaps I can give you some tips:

#1: Give some context to your protagonist’s meanness. Maybe she is just stressed and tired from a very trying and demanding day at work and is looking for someone to blame and take it out on. Maybe she had a past bad experience with someone similar to the person she is currently dealing with so she presumes that this situation is similar and her mean response is justified. Maybe she is rude to other people because her caregivers were neglectful so she was never taught better. Whatever your character’s flaw is, it has to make sense in context and it might be able to even inspire a little sympathy from the readers if done well.

#2: Let the other characters react appropriately to your character’s meanness (i.e. negatively, and depending on the person, not always quickly forgetting and forgiving). This shouldn’t be a problem for you since you are aware of your character’s flaw and are planning for her to learn and grow.

#3: Show moments of vulnerability even before your protagonist realises her need to change. If she is facing some genuinely tough problems that she has trouble coping with, readers will sympathise with her even if she is not likable 100% of the time.

#4: Have your protagonist’s flaws present themselves in different ways to drive the story. Her temper might make her say mean things about someone in the opening scene but please do not have her do that over and over again in the story. In real life, people do repeat the same mistakes but in fiction, it only makes for a very frustrating and dull read. Think of other interesting ways her temper can get her into trouble. Maybe she does something rash and impulsive in her fury or unintentionally causes an accident.

#5: Delve deep into your protagonist’s POV and write the story from there. If you can ease readers into your character’s way of thinking in the beginning, they might understand (and even briefly support) your protagonist’s reasons for saying those unkind things. Maybe your protagonist has good reason (in her mind) to be irritated. Maybe the character she is speaking against is even more detestable than her and seeing all that being said gives the reader some satisfaction. Of course, later in the story, you will have to be careful to highlight the flaws in your protagonist’s way of thinking and the terrible consequences of the mistakes she made because of it. Your readers would then also have a chance to think about how they got swayed into accepting your protagonist’s unkindness and how easy it is for themselves to fall into this sinful mindset.

#6: Have your protagonist be an intriguing and active character. As mentioned by the others, if your protagonist is an interesting person and if your protagonist’s actions (and mistakes) are what drive the plot, readers would go along for the ride even if they do not initially like her.

#7: Show some hints and potential for goodness in your protagonist even before she truly realises her mistakes and grow. This will give your readers hope and make them want to see her redeemed so they will continue reading your story.

#8: Have likable supporting and side characters. Of course, not everyone may end up liking your protagonist even if she changes and grows into a better person in the end. So you should make sure your other characters are also interesting and well-developed so that your readers will read finish your story for them even if they never come to love your protagonist.

Hope this helps 🙂

[introvert_girl]

@skredder That’s been one of my fears, that people wouldn’t stick around long enough to see her growth. But I’m glad to hear that seeing the character change helps to make them likable.

@sam-kowal That’s so interesting! I’ve heard about Likability, Proactivity and Competence before, but not Disability. I find that more compelling, actually. It then becomes not “what are they good at?” but “what do they have to overcome?” Thanks!

@daeus Yes, though I always hesitate to reveal backstory to explain a character’s flaws. I don’t want to approach it in a way that seems what they went through justifies their current actions. Thanks for the tips!

@valtmy Thanks for all the super helpful thoughts! I love #1. Context is so important! #4 and #5 are especially helpful because they’re very relevant to the situation I’m dealing with right now. (And #8 just happens to be one of my favorite tricks, haha.)

I’ve been wrestling with this problem for quite some time, and you’ve given me a lot to think about. *Bookmarks entire page for future reference* Thanks for coming to the rescue, everyone!

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

[Bella B.]

@introvert_girl          I haven’t read all of the answers, so I’m sorry if this has already been said.  My advice is that you may want to add more of the characters emotions in there.  I used to just go right into the story without much emotion added in, but I know that girls at least, connect with characters nearly immediately whenever there’s emotion added in.  Even if you just put her thoughts in italics (unless it’s in the first person) in around 20-30 words, or explain what she feels like or what she’s doing in about 40 words (if you don’t like recording her thoughts.)

I don’t suggest adding too much emotion because boys may take it as ‘cheesy’ or something and they may not what to read it.

Also, I find it’s great to add a Prologue of the character as a child, or maybe the main character that will come in later in the book.

I hope this was what you were looking for, and I hope it helps.

*insert awesome signature because I'm a bit too lazy to come up with one*

[introvert_girl]

@ashlyvye Thanks for the tips! 🙂

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

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