My daughter was a little bored yesterday afternoon, so I offered to play a game with her. I didn’t want to play a long game with her (like Monopoly), and it happened that there was a deck of Old Maid cards very handy.
She did not want to play that game.
When I finally persuaded her to play, she shrieked whenever she got the card and did everything in her power to give it back to me. She was a wreck.
Luck was on her side and she won 2 out of 3 games. The one she lost really upset her. And she doesn’t even know what an old maid is. She just didn’t want the card with the leering, goofily-unattractive woman on it. She seemed to associate some really sinister feeling to the card.
I need characters like this sometimes. I need characters that no one wants to be around, that throw monkey wrenches into my plot.
I’m not talking about flawed characters. Flawed characters are interesting and fun, well-rounded, and sympathetic to readers. I’m talking about characters that other characters run away from, screaming.
You know them—the Uriah Heeps of the world.
Ways to Conjure Up the Ick Feeling for the Reader
Other characters’ negative perceptions of the character. Do they cross to the other side of the street when they see them? Does a chill go up and down their spine when someone mentions their name?
Invade the reader’s personal space. Have the character stand too close to the protagonist in conversations. Bestow them with unpleasant smiles full of bad teeth and malodorous breath.
Grate on the reader’s nerves. Conjure up that fingernail on the chalkboard feeling with a whiny, discontented voice or the habit of arriving at houses uninvited and staying far too long.
It’s not too hard to do—we’re basically going to imbue the character with annoying habits, poor table manners, and anything else that personally bothers us. We just have to be careful not to overdo it—make it a character that goes onstage only for short periods of time or after long intervals offstage.
Have you delved into the world of unlikeable secondary characters?
Did you just say “Uriah Heep?” I’m officially amused. Humbly so, of course.
:)
Oh, and my unlikable characters tend to be jerks with their body language. It seems to help.
Yes, I have created both unlikeable secondary characters, and unlikeable moments in my children because of frustrating games. Unlikeable characters are fun to write! (Children, not so much.)
Speaking of Dickens. Did you know Poe (may have, most likely) based ‘The Raven’ on a raven Dickens actually owned; and that said raven actually resides (stuffed) in the rare books section of the Philadelphia Public Library?
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
I enjoy making the unlikeable characters – they’re so much fun to write :)
Unlikeable characters are so much fun. I love to “hate” some of those characters as I read about them.
Thanks so much for this information!
PS My daughter always wanted to play Monopoly every time. :) It is a standing joke with us.
Interesting question. I suppose I’ve created a few characters that SOME of my other characters don’t like, but I’m not sure I’d want someone that NOBODY likes. They can be quirky and annoying, but I’ve never delved into a totally unlikeable character. Something to think about. (Or maybe I skim over them in books because I don’t like them either, and that’s why I can’t remember them)
Whoops! Sorry – just realized I’d signed in with my “other” identity. That last comment was from me, Elizabeth : ).
Excellent tips (as usual!). I’ve had several unlikeable characters, and I know I’m not done creating them.
Even though they are unlikeable characters, they do seem to stick with our memory almost as well as the likeable ones. I think it’s because in our everyday life, we are sometimes around people that reminds of those unlikeable characters.
We associate that person with the unlikeable character (like Uriah Heep) and we don’t feel we’ve been disparaging to them.
I’ve created one of these characters before. I don’t have one in everything I write. Not sure why. Maybe I should think about that.
I’m trying. This is definitely an area I want to grow in!
I played Scrabble this weekend and shrieked when I had a “q” and an “x” at the same time. So I know where your daughter’s coming from! :0)
Elizabeth- did you just say POE must have thought that was odd? I don’t think Poe had the right to think anyone else was odd!!!!!
Oh — and I have a blog I think you’ll appreciate: http://americanliteraryblog.blogspot.com/
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
I haven’t created any who were just awful, just a bit abrassive.
Ironically, the most difficult of my secondary characters becomes the main character in Book V of my series. (And you should’ve seen me trying to make her likeable!!!)
Elizabeth – As always, you raise such an interesting point. Unlikable characters can add a lot of flavor to a story, and they can add a layer of suspense, too. One of my characters in my first novel is so cold and driven that she’s unlikable (well, she’s supposed to be), and I think that added to the story. There’s a character in my second book who’s unlikabale because he’s sort of creepy. Now it’s time for me to think about who’s going to be unlikable in my WIP.. : ).
I like your description to “Conjure up that fingernail on the chalkboard feeling.” I don’t think I’ve done that yet, but now I have something to work toward!
I’ve got one character who has turned incredibly unlikeable. I’d like to hit him with a shovel, but I can’t. He’s very useful, not to mention rather necessary to several plots! He doesn’t have awful habits or smell bad; he’s just a pain.
You’re certainly having Dickens-worthy weather where you are. Be on the lookout for shivering orphans with brave smiles.
Elspeth
I was pretty happy with some of the ‘bad guys’ I created in my mystery novel. I have one smoking a noxious cigar, I have one that my protagonist literally runs away from, and another is so brash and pushy and I show this in her physical movements.
It was fun writing these folks and even more fun writing my protagonist’s reactions to each of them.
While I say it was fun (indeed it was) it is also a bit of a challenge. If the characters are too dislikeable, you may turn off readers. Also, you need to find that balance between obnoxious habits/loathsome personaility traits and outright caricatures. Going too far may lead to a character that readers just don’t buy.
Cheers, Jill
http://www.jilledmondson.com
Simon–Oh, I’m all Dickensian today. I think it’s because it’s so darned cold here today. They always seemed cold in those books.
Body language is a good idea.
Michele–I didn’t know that! Wow, who owns a raven? No wonder his wife divorced him. Poe must have thought that was so odd…
Diane–Abrasive is fun, too.
A difficult protagonist is tricky. I’ve been asked to soften mine a few times.
Jemi–Much more fun than the goody-goodies.
Teresa–Characters we love to hate! That would be a good blog post.
You know, everyone gets mad when they play Monopoly. At least, at our house!
Terry–Nasty characters can make good distractions for mystery writers…while they’re attracting attention to themselves, we can slip some clues in! :)
Margot–You DJ! :) MC Beaton always has some great unlikeable characters. Of course, they all end up dead…
Carolina–Thanks!
Jane–Those are the very nastiest of characters! Because I hate that fingernail on a blackboard sensation!
Jill–Smoking is VERY irritating to me…the entire habit. So that would be a good one. And pushy mamas? Perfect!
And you’re right…you have to be careful. I think limiting the time they make appearances in the story is helpful.
I have two of those in the MS I’m editing, but as you wrote there is a delicate balance to make sure the reader can somehow sympathize with them. It’s been tricky, but fun too.
~ Wendy
Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for your kind comment on my blog today about the photo! Love this post. What about unlikeable people, let alone characters? I have some of those in my sphere — where I want to cross the street when I see them. How do I handle that?
blessings,
karen
I created a character that smelled bad (lack of daily washing and drink) and when he had to sneeze, wiped his snot on his sleeve. My readers all hated him equally. Plus he stole from his tenants.
I actually like him and remember him because he’s so bad.
ann
Have you delved into the world of unlikeable secondary characters?
Weeell, I think so, but if not, I am sure Arnold and Mildred qualify as unlikeable primary characters. And they are fun to write about.
Twenty years ago, I loved reading about near-perfect protagonists, but one character that annoys me quite a bit nowadays is Louise Penny´s Armand Gamache. I like the environment and her plots, but Gamache himself is just too saintly for me.
Had to laugh when I saw the picture of the old maid card. No wonder your daughter shrieked. LOL
I think the killer in my first mystery, Doubletake, was probably the most unsavory character I ever developed. He was a real sicko who did real sicko things to dead bodies. Creeps me out just to think about him. I have not crated anyone so overtly nasty since then.
Wendy–Or that the reader doesn’t get sick of having them in a scene. There’s only so much togetherness we can stand with people like that!
Mason–I think you’re right. It’s unfortunate that there are REAL people that annoying, but they’re out there. I usually run away when I see them coming. :)
Ann–And you knew you’d nailed him! You’d made him real for your readers…which is always wonderful.
Carol–It’s a nice outlet, too. I know people that are that annoying, and I can get my irritation out on the character!
Kristen–It’s scary, isn’t it? She *couldn’t* keep quiet…I kept hushing her because my husband was taking a nap. But she kept on shrieking!
Michele–Ha! And after I typed that, I thought, “Wait. Poe would be too intoxicated to think anything was odd about anybody. Bless his heart!”
Thanks for the link!
I’ve got a few sarcastic jerks in my book, too.
I have a character named Bennie Knowles based on Jack Black and Seth Rogan. Annoying but a bit loveable.
Stephen Tremp
Interesting. We tend to create likable characters and really bad characters, but sometimes forget to put in unlikable, but not the bad guy characters.
Wonderful post.
Helen
Straight From Hel
I’m writing my first really bad guys from their own POV and finding it great fun. I use appearance, body language, and dialogue — which comes easier if I don the character’s persona as I write. I think I might have multiple personalities. :)
Elspeth–I’ve got one of those, too–Erma Sherman. I’d like to kill her, but she’s very useful–like your character is.
I’m expecting a charming lad to ask me if he “can have some more” at any time! I’m a wimp with cold weather…just not used to it. You’re nice not to laugh at me. :) It’s not like it’s exactly balmy in Canada…
Alex–Sarcasm is always good for unlikeables.
Karen–It’s wonderful! I love that picture and I’m glad you posted it. You look like you’re having the time of your life!
I know some people like that too…and they’re in volunteer organizations with me. Ack! It seems like I’m biting my tongue a whole lot…But it helps that I write about them (or amalgams of them and other people I don’t like.)
Stephen–Bennie sounds like he could be fun. :)
Helen–Because there are lots of gray areas when it comes to personality, aren’t there?
Dorte–I like Arnold and Mildred. :)
And..you too? I really want to like Armand better than I do…but I think I might like the profane Ruth better. But then, I tend to write crusty, rude protagonists. :)
Maryann–Did you have nightmares about Doubletake? I bet once you got into his head to write him that it was hard to get him out of there.
Oh the Ick factor! Excellent point. There are plenty of real life characters that bring the Ick factor into my life, my characters should have the same. Ha!
Thanks Elizabeth! You’ve inspired me to search for my Old Maid cards!
Now I’m remembering those card games I made up with the kids to create superheroes. Not the same as characters, but fun all the same.
I’ve never thought about unlikeable characters. I have the flawed characters, the ones that people hate because they’re mean or abusive, but not the ones that sends the others running.
I think I made my sinister character a little too unlikable. My agent read MS and said, make him a little better looking or something, because he is too gross!
What a great perspective of secondary characters! They are fun to write because they can be exaggerated – like cartoon villains to really sinister and evil. People seem to enjoy those characters you love to hate!
~Nancy, from Realms of Thought
Well, I have been told my manuscript is “unlikeable.” Is that a good start? ;)
I’m writing a child abuser and wife beater, but I’m trying to do it in such a way his horrendous true personality sneaks up on the reader.
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