Characters

[snow_yuki]

Hello, it's me again. :P I'm just a little confused, and worried, I think. Is it really, really absolutely necessary for a main character to be likable? I know, it seems that I'm thinking way ahead of things, but I'm rather worried. I'm afraid my character won't be likable or sorts. And of course I don't want him (and her) to be so nice that they tend to fall into the Gary Stu and Mary Sue category. Definitely not. But basically, it's all right if the character isn't likable, right? My novel's a are both plot and character driven, I guess, in any case that will be helpful.

Right. I think I'm going nowhere with this, but you do get the idea.

Sorry if my question sounds stupid or something. ><

[Optional Toaster]

I don't think the character has to be likable. For instance, I enjoyed the Hunger Games (somewhat) and found Katniss' character completely repulsive.

I do think, however, that your character needs to be relatable.

It's actually a really positive thing that your character isn't super nice, since everyone has flaws. Perfect characters shouldn't exist.

At some points, however, you should allow the readers to find something they would like in the character, like showing a more hidden side of their personality, by reacting a certain way, etc.

[Bowie20049]

Twilight, Death Note, the beginning of Gantz, etc etc. There's a lot of protagonists are are unlikeable, but made it in the real world

[Rurikredwolf]

Like what Toaster said, the character doesn't have to be likeable to everyone, but you should at least relate to the character. Your main character should be the focus, but you don't have to make them 100% likeable by having every quality. This is where side characters come in; you can make them different personalities so that if the reader DOESN'T like the main character, they have another to look forward to.

But yes, I agree with Toaster; show that the character would act like a real person would or how a creature would act in their world. Makes them at least feel real, even if they don't like them.

I think that's all I can say on this matter...

[Serieve]

I'm just a little confused, and worried, I think. Is it really, really absolutely necessary for a main character to be likable?... I'm afraid my character won't be likable or sorts. And of course I don't want him (and her) to be so nice that they tend to fall into the Gary Stu and Mary Sue category.

Your question doesn't sound stupid. I think the main issue is that you're worried, which I translate as being "afraid." You don't want to make a "bad" character or have him/her fall into some negative (or perhaps stigmatized) label--and that's totally normal and understandable.

But I would suggest that you not think of making characters as a... set of dos and don'ts. There are definitely character types that I would discourage using in most places--like Gary Stus and Mary Sues--but what's important is shaping a character that belongs in the story. A fairy tale, for example, might use a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu, and it would be totally appropriate. Just keep an open mind!

That said, some ideas (that you should treat accordingly):

If you're after a more realistic character, it might help to think of that character as just another person (who happens to live in your head). Not a person with a profile or who answers a list of questions like "What's your favorite color?" but a person you could interact with in the real world--only it so happens you know what drives this person. What things they're ashamed of, and what they're proud of. Maybe you don't get along, but that's okay--because you understand why.

If very much of the story is character-driven, it would also help if your character was flawed and made mistakes. Actually, it seems that characters one might dislike in person are more fascinating than "nice" characters. Just think of House and those terrible reality TV shows (Jersey Shore maybe?). Those people are awful--and they get a TV show because of it. And people watch it, because (for whatever reason) they're fascinated.

If you take away only one thing from this post, though, I would ask that you be aware of your fears (or whatever it is that drives your worries) and do your best to counteract them. Doing so should give you more control in writing your stories. And you'll have more of a feeling of ownership. : )

[Dabs]

Likability is subjective. :P The answer is no, as everyone else has said. It's more important to create a character with depth than a character who is likable.

[snow_yuki]

I don't think the character has to be likable. For instance, I enjoyed the Hunger Games (somewhat) and found Katniss' character completely repulsive.

I do think, however, that your character needs to be relatable.

It's actually a really positive thing that your character isn't super nice, since everyone has flaws. Perfect characters shouldn't exist.

At some points, however, you should allow the readers to find something they would like in the character, like showing a more hidden side of their personality, by reacting a certain way, etc.

Yeah, there are lots of instances wherein I don't like Katniss, but I still love the book. :P Okay, thanks a lot for the advice! It's very helpful.

Twilight, Death Note, the beginning of Gantz, etc etc. There's a lot of protagonists are are unlikeable, but made it in the real world

Yep, yep. Got to agree with Death Note. Thanks~ I get the idea.

Like what Toaster said, the character doesn't have to be likeable to everyone, but you should at least relate to the character. Your main character should be the focus, but you don't have to make them 100% likeable by having every quality. This is where side characters come in; you can make them different personalities so that if the reader DOESN'T like the main character, they have another to look forward to.

But yes, I agree with Toaster; show that the character would act like a real person would or how a creature would act in their world. Makes them at least feel real, even if they don't like them.

I think that's all I can say on this matter...

Thank you very much! So I've got to make them really realistic, thank you!

Your question doesn't sound stupid. I think the main issue is that you're worried, which I translate as being "afraid." You don't want to make a "bad" character or have him/her fall into some negative (or perhaps stigmatized) label--and that's totally normal and understandable.

But I would suggest that you not think of making characters as a... set of dos and don'ts. There are definitely character types that I would discourage using in most places--like Gary Stus and Mary Sues--but what's important is shaping a character that belongs in the story. A fairy tale, for example, might use a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu, and it would be totally appropriate. Just keep an open mind!

That said, some ideas (that you should treat accordingly):

If you're after a more realistic character, it might help to think of that character as just another person (who happens to live in your head). Not a person with a profile or who answers a list of questions like "What's your favorite color?" but a person you could interact with in the real world--only it so happens you know what drives this person. What things they're ashamed of, and what they're proud of. Maybe you don't get along, but that's okay--because you understand why.

If very much of the story is character-driven, it would also help if your character was flawed and made mistakes. Actually, it seems that characters one might dislike in person are more fascinating than "nice" characters. Just think of House and those terrible reality TV shows (Jersey Shore maybe?). Those people are awful--and they get a TV show because of it. And people watch it, because (for whatever reason) they're fascinated.

If you take away only one thing from this post, though, I would ask that you be aware of your fears (or whatever it is that drives your worries) and do your best to counteract them. Doing so should give you more control in writing your stories. And you'll have more of a feeling of ownership. : )

Wow, thank you for the advice! Yeah, I guess I'm rather afraid. But you enlightened me, thank you very much!

Likability is subjective. :P The answer is no, as everyone else has said. It's more important to create a character with depth than a character who is likable.

Yes, thank you!

Thanks everyone! :D

[SapphireSeaBird]

Yeah, like everyone else has said, it's more important for a character to be relateable than likeable. I you want your protagonist to be a bit of a bitch or whatever, go for it, but make sure readers can understand why she's like that. I mean in real life, unpleasant people generally aren't just nasty for the sake of it, something has happened to cause them to be like that, or they feel the need to be that way to fit in or something.

[snow_yuki]

Yeah, like everyone else has said, it's more important for a character to be relateable than likeable. I you want your protagonist to be a bit of a bitch or whatever, go for it, but make sure readers can understand why she's like that. I mean in real life, unpleasant people generally aren't just nasty for the sake of it, something has happened to cause them to be like that, or they feel the need to be that way to fit in or something.

Thank you, thank you very much!

[Syn]

Just a small thing to say I have, and even that is a quote from Simon Haynes, a published author. I figured he knows better than I do so thus the quote xD
He sez:
"As a general rule your protagonist should be sympathetic - someone the reader can identify with. I realise that's difficult if you're writing about a serial killer, but in those cases the 'less is best' rule applies. As in, the less we see inside this monster's head, the more we fear them. If your killer is familiar and the reader starts to identify with them, you've destroyed all the tension. That's why whodunits are called whodunits and not weknowwhodunnits."

[snow_yuki]

Just a small thing to say I have, and even that is a quote from Simon Haynes, a published author. I figured he knows better than I do so thus the quote xD
He sez:
"As a general rule your protagonist should be sympathetic - someone the reader can identify with. I realise that's difficult if you're writing about a serial killer, but in those cases the 'less is best' rule applies. As in, the less we see inside this monster's head, the more we fear them. If your killer is familiar and the reader starts to identify with them, you've destroyed all the tension. That's why whodunits are called whodunits and not weknowwhodunnits."

Thanks a lot Syn. :D

[skittles]

Hello, it's me again. :P I'm just a little confused, and worried, I think. Is it really, really absolutely necessary for a main character to be likable? I know, it seems that I'm thinking way ahead of things, but I'm rather worried. I'm afraid my character won't be likable or sorts. And of course I don't want him (and her) to be so nice that they tend to fall into the Gary Stu and Mary Sue category. Definitely not. But basically, it's all right if the character isn't likable, right? My novel's a are both plot and character driven, I guess, in any case that will be helpful.

Right. I think I'm going nowhere with this, but you do get the idea.

Sorry if my question sounds stupid or something. ><
Doesn't sound stupid at all.
Like everyone else has said, it's more important for your character to be relatable.
And, likability is a total matter of opinion. There's people in my class I love but some of my best friends hate, ya know? I mean there's stereotypes everyone loves and hates, but hopefully your characters aren't to stereotypical.
Awesome quote on the subject: "They don't have to like what your character is doing. They just have to know why" (or something along those lines) :)