Unliked MC?

Likability is secondary in fiction. Many memorable characters are not likable. But is the character interesting? That's the question you should ask.

In one of my revisions I softened up my MC a bit as some of the feedbak I received was she was too whiny and pessimistic.
It wasn't all that hard to do and I've kept her integrity, just made her less whiny and a bit more optimistic.

Gina (only 15 more to go!)

Some of my favorite characters are unlikable. However, I thought about the two most recent books I've read where I didn't like the main characters (by the same author, I guess that's a clue for me). When I came up with why I don't like them - whiny was the number one factor.

Obviously this is my opinion, but for me, I can stand pretty much anything in a character as long as they aren't whiny. Pessimism and selfishness, sure! But no whining.

My main character (who's not yet on paper) is a jerk at first. but he changes throughout the story - can your character change? that makes them even more real.

but likeable characters can still be jerks. take heathcliff, for example, in wuthering heights. you love him and hate him, and that's good.

did any of that make sense? it's late

Personally I can't stand depressing characters. Ones that just mope around, feeling sorry for themselves, and DO NOTHING about it.

To me, if you have a flawed character, there are bound to be people who don't like him/her for whatever reason. You need to be true to your story and characters. But make them interesting; make them do something for pete's sake.

Personally I feel that a MC should be how you feel works, also you should put a little of yourself in all you're MCs.

A good way to gain variety is to utilize personalities from people you personally know and mix them together and then add some of you to the mix.

Whiny does not work for anyone, the big secret... everyone does this too much in the real world =P

Give me a world that can sustain a villain, or a person I may dislike, and I am all for it. I love villains! But when the world they live in is about as deep as a Beyonce lyric -- count me out.

Whether a character is sympathetic is irrelevant. Compelling is important--think Humbert Humbert in Lolita. Hints of redeemable can help--think Alex in Clockwork Orange.

But if readers start using words like whiny, depressed, or annoying, you should be very worried, since those don't generally contribute to compelling.

Depressed, whiny characters in books don't get a fair shake. In real life, depression is an important problem that deserves our deep sympathy. But nobody, nobody, wants to spend time reading about depressed, whiny people.

Interesting fiction doesn't readily encompass the whole of human experience. There are few fascinating novels about, for example, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. (Though I seem to recall a great deal of flatulence in A Confederacy of Dunces...) But you'd have better luck with IBS as a central motif than with a main character readers would describe as "whiny."

While I think you're right that they're warning signs, David.... I was thinking, Holden Caulfield is pretty whiny and annoying.

He's just also compelling, at least if you're 14 years old.

I find a lot of negative traits can be ignored if the character is witty or good looking. The more annoying the MC, the more witty and/or good looking he must be.

megan_d said:

I find a lot of negative traits can be ignored if the character is witty or good looking. The more annoying the MC, the more witty and/or good looking he must be.

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I am just the opposite. I like the negative folks to have vile habits or at least be ugly. And not a hot ugly like Sarah Jessica Parker with key lighting, enough cigarette smoke to out fog London, and zippy bon mots at her disposal.

A great villain can do poison a room with their breath before they utter a word.

S.H.P. said:

I am just the opposite. I like the negative folks to have vile habits or at least be ugly. And not a hot ugly like Sarah Jessica Parker with key lighting, enough cigarette smoke to out fog London, and zippy bon mots at her disposal.

A great villain can do poison a room with their breath before they utter a word.

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I couldn't think of anything more boring. But hey, tastes differ.

Nakhlasmoke said:

I couldn't think of anything more boring. But hey, tastes differ.

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Yup, yup. I find physically and morally ugly characters entrancing. I think there is a very strong power behind it. When it's done correctly, it is like staring at the Devil's work without all the smoke and mirrors.

I'll add to the interesting chorus. I don't mind if someone if unlikeable if they're interesting.

As long as the reader cares about what happens to the MC, then it doesn't matter too much if they are likeable or unlikeable. It's okay to dislike the MC, but does the reader dislike him enough to care that he comes to a foul end, or is his dislikeability merely repellent, causing the reader to lose interest. If the latter, then you might have a problem, my friend.

Do check with other readers to see what they think, since only two readers isn't quite enough. But it can be a flag there might be a problem if you get more of the same because people are reacting so strongly. That might be a sign that something needs to be changed. I had a main character in one project that no one liked (multiple people), and in hindsight, I realize that there was one trait that particularly contributed to that image: the character was whiny. So I'd suggest if you have to work on making him more likable, remove whiny aspect. Whiny people in real life are annoying, so chances are, it may be coming across as annoying to the readers.

All my characters are flawed. Some deathly flawed. That's actually the reason I write...to make flawed characters a little tiny bit less flawed by taking them on a journey. I don't give a rabbit's ass if they are likeable...I want them to be memorable and interesting. I want them to show me that they can shine inspite of their flaws. Is your MC shining? I can like an unlikeable character if they are on a journey of discovery...if they are promising to come to an epiphany of some sort. Change is what I like in an unlikeable character.

One of my MCs has been called an "opportunist" by one agent and "always on the right side of things" by another as reasons for passing. Go figure.

www.donaldmichaelplatt.com

Oddsocks said:

100% of readers so far (two people; my mum and a friend) dislike my MC.

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Two peoples' comments don't necessarily mean you have a problem. However, if they say the exact same thing, you may want to listen. Still, you need a much higher beta count to be sure. These are only opinions, so the smaller the number of opinions, the higher their unreliability.

But..since these two betas happen to be your mum and your friend, two demographics notorious for sugar-coating and givng you nothing but ataboys; since these particular people found the material objectionable enough to merit negative comments, you may have a real problem.

Oddsocks said:

It's not a huge, moral dislike - he isn't a murderer or anything - but he's been called whiny, selfish, and a bitch (he does have good qualities too...).

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Generalities from just two people wouldn't bother me. But very specific and not-too-too-common comments like "whiny, selfish, bitch" would trouble me. And these particular comments aren't traits that are easy to get over as a reader.

Oddsocks said:

I recognise that he's a difficult person, and like him anyway - but I also recognise that this might be because I'm writing him.

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This is the toughest part. We're too attached to our own creations. It's like someone saying our child is a bad person and we take offense even if it's true. We don't want to believe it.

I think you really need at least a good six betas if you can muster them up. Strangers are best cuz they have no vested interest in you. Take the common complaints to heart. And even post a few thousand words in AW's SYW thread for some quickie feedback. Normally I'd say that by doing these things, the comments will balance themselves out and you might see that some people love the very things that your current two betas are bitching about. But since your two betas are your mum and friend, I would think there is a problem worth looking into.

Is the character really a whiny, selfish bitch, albeit with good qualities? If he is, then as a reader I'd have problems with him, especially if the rest of the writing indicated the author thought the MC was sympathetic. Nabokov placed Humbert Humbert for us, which is one of the reasons we can stomach him.

I agree MCs should be flawed, but the nature of the flaw makes a big difference in how willing I am to invest in reading about him.

My character is likeable person. He's just evil.

Shweta said:

He's just also compelling, at least if you're 14 years old.

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Maybe that's why I don't read YA? I was just complaining about the new TV series Terminator: Chronicle of Sarah Connor. I found John Connor's character whiny, dumb, selfish and annoying. I know teenagers are like that and I know he's going to grow up doing great things, but I just can't help feeling angry and annoyed at his character, almost to a point of not caring or saying "let him get killed by the cyborgs already."

I think characters like this are fine if they eventually change or do something to try to change. But if the character stays that way throughout the whole story, I think it would definitely dampen my enjoyment.

ETA: 2 people is still a small sample size. Find a few more betas and see what they think.

My first novel was rejected all around because everyone said the MC was whiny and unsympathetic, and, what made matters worse was that I considered her autobiographical. But then I realized that I had been trying so hard to be honest and portray all my flaws that I hadn't stopped to put in any virtues. So I made some up. Unfortunately, I never did sell that novel, but i think I learned something.