How you like me now?

Unlikable characters

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash

Last week or so, Vince Gilligan, the writer/creator of BREAKING BAD and BETTER CALL SAUL said that he wants to see more heroic characters on television. He also added that he’d rather be known for creating inspiring characters rather than anti-heroes like Walter White. I don’t necessarily agree. I enjoy writing, reading and watching unlikable characters.

I’ll never forget one of the comments I got from a writing group after reading an excerpt from a story of mine. “I don’t think I like this character,” said one of the members. I was taken aback at first. How dare someone not like my protagonist? In my story, the character was a self-centered lothario who only viewed women as conquests and had referred to them as “chicks.” This is what inspired the reader’s comment.

Keep in mind, this fictional character did not reflect my own attitudes towards women. This was a character in a story. But this reader seemed to think that my writing was an extension of my own views. My knee-jerk response to this feedback was to be offended.

Later that night after the writing group, I began to feel prouder of the reaction I got. At least the reader felt something, right? My goal was to make the character realistic, which doesn’t always result in a feel-good character vibe. To make every character likable in every story you write is doing yourself a disservice as a writer. So is writing about anything non-offensive or off-putting.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s room in this world for all kinds of writing. For example, writing that plays it safe and doesn’t ruffle any feathers. This is fine. But that’s not the kind of work I’m doing or want to do. Maybe if it’s a fairy tale I’m writing. But even then, I’d still manage to sneak in a little weirdness or horniness into the mix. It’s just my nature. And besides, to not add those prurient elements is just plain boring to me. Real life can be boring enough. To each his own, of course, but give folks something different, is what I say.

So when I say I like writing unlikable characters, I don’t mean they’re one-dimensional villains. At least I try not to write them that way. How many movies or TV shows have you seen where the villain does nothing but bad things and all you can do is hate them? Pretty boring. This might work for some viewers, but not me. A GREAT villain thinks they’re doing something right. In their mind, they’re the hero of their story.

The cast of BAD SISTERS

Take for example the Apple+ TV series BAD SISTERS, which my wife and I started watching and enjoy a lot. The villain of the show is John Paul, the husband of one of the Garvey sisters, a tight clan of Irish ladies who look out for one another. SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen Season 1:

The character of JP (John Paul) is written is such a way that you hate him from the first time you see him. He mistreats his wife. To him, everyone’s an enemy, and he fucks around with people. He can’t stand his wife’s sisters. And they can’t stand him. Unbeknownst to him, all of the sisters call him “the prick.” All of this is very dark comedy, and it’s done well.

And although JP seems like a one-note character at first, as the show progresses, you notice several things. JP always thinks he’s doing the right thing. He’s protecting his family. Although he gives his wife backhanded compliments all the time, he does seem to love her. But does he? He also only wants the best for their daughter. So he opposes her wearing sexy clothing, or attending a Lizzo concert. Any normal father would react the same way, right? But JP also messes with his sisters-in-law in nefarious ways, interfering in their personal lives with often dreadful results. He’s a bundle of contradictions.

To top all this off, JP is so mean, he’s funny. You end up laughing at him and his deviousness, because you can’t believe someone could be so cruel. Yes, it’s over the top at times, but it never strains credibility. He is a scarred individual, certainly. If JP were written as a one-note villain, we wouldn’t see any of the tender moments between him and his wife, or his love for his daughter. These elements are what make him more dimensional.

JP’s an unlikable character, for sure, but because we see the different facets of his personality, we start to empathize for him. He’s still a monster, but at times, we feel sorry for him. Same thing goes for Tony Soprano in THE SOPRANOS, or Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) in GOODFELLAS. These are truly despicable people who do nasty things. But they’re funny, they feel things, and we begin to identify with them.

The awesome Bryan Cranston as Walter White in BREAKING BAD

All of this is what I strive to do with the unlikable characters that I write. That tension between liking someone who does bad things is what keeps me coming back for more. A goody-two-shoes character is fine, but they won’t hold my attention for very long. You might say, what about Superman, he does nothing but good things, and I’m sticking with him. Yes, but even Superman falters from time to time. In the first Superman movie, he gets so upset at Lois Lane’s death that he spins the Earth backwards to reverse time and bring her back to life! If you watched Superman II, he wants to be with Lois Lane so much, he gives up his powers! He also breaks bad in Superman III temporarily, wreaking havoc across the world, doing things like straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa, among other things. He’s not perfect, even though he’s got superpowers and is bulletproof. Even though he’s an alien, he still wants to fit in and be more human.

This is why I like unlikable characters and enjoy writing them too. Of course, I enjoy likable characters as well. Either way, my goal is to always give my characters loves or hates or flaws. After all, isn’t that what keeps us interested? I could go on and on with this topic, but it’s time for me to go.

I’ll leave with a quote from Chuck Palahniuk (author of FIGHT CLUB):

“Don’t write to be likable, write to be remembered.”

How do you like your characters, likable or unlikable?

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ICYMI:

I’ve joined the staffs of two of the finest crime fiction magazines out there as a first reader! That’s right, I am now a part of the Gauntlet at Shotgun Honey (Thanks, Ron), and am also reading for Rock and A Hard Place magazine (Thanks, Roger). I look forward to reading your work if you submit to these great venues for crime fiction!

Recently, I was privileged to read my work as part of the Dark Waters Vol. 2 Crowdcast, along with some other talented writers that are in the ToC. The Crowdcast link is still up, and you can see it here:

My latest stories out in the wild:

* “Head Over Heels” is part of the Bloody Valentine call over at Punk Noir Magazine here (Big thanks to Stephen J. Golds)

* “Ahuizotl” is in the Dark Waters Vol. 2 anthology, get your copy here (Big thanks to Kirstyn Petras and N.E. Turner)

* “Frank is typing…” in Roi Faineant here (Big thanks to Melissa Flores Anderson)

* “Diamond Dust” in Yellow Mama here (Big thanks to Cindy Rosmus)

What I’m Reading:

Just finished POP. 1280 by Jim Thompson, check for my review on Goodreads soon. Next up: RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett, followed by I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson.

What I’m Writing:

Working on a new crime fiction story for an upcoming project.

What I’m Watching:

We watched COMPANION, co-starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, with Harvey Guillén. While the movie starts off with a bang, it gets more and more ludicrous as it goes. By the final act, things pick up again, but the movie doesn’t quite stick the landing. Entertaining, but not much to it. Sophie Thatcher shines in her role. She’s the best part of the movie.

That about does it for this week. If you liked this post, please restack it, give it a mention, or share it on social media. You can find all my links here.

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Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.