Love to Hate Them

Four types of unlikable characters and how to make them work in your writing.

- SARAH J. SOVER

You just finished writing your book. You've sent it off to a handful of readers and are waiting with all the patience of a caffeinated squirrel for that coveted reader feedback. After what feels like eternity, it finally comes. And there you see it. The note that says they didn't connect to your unlikable main character. Intentionally unlikable or not, protagonists who cause the reader to disconnect from the story can doom a manuscript. Reader feedback is a tricky beast, and it's up to the writer to interpret it and decide how to move forward when that feedback isn't positive. Before you hurl your computer out a window, take a moment to breathe and answer a couple questions.

Do you understand the criticism?

Decoding reader feedback can be difficult. "I don't like your main character" can mean a number of things ranging from the character feeling unrelatable all the way to them being a straight-up monster. If the former is the case, you may have an issue of misaligned readership, especially if the feedback is only coming from one source or demographic. Always remember that your readers have their own backgrounds, experiences, and expectations. You want them to be honest, but that doesn't mean that every note requires a rewrite.

If your feedback comes from many sources, including your target readers, however, you might need to dig a little deeper to figure out where the disconnect is so that you can address it in order to increase their investment in the story.

Does your character need to be likable?