tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post8095268271724611218..comments2024-03-28T05:59:52.454-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Do characters really need to be likeable?Juliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-13746222335188352542011-04-14T09:08:23.478-07:002011-04-14T09:08:23.478-07:00Suzi, that makes perfect sense. I feel the same wa...Suzi, that makes perfect sense. I feel the same way about my antagonist.<br /><br />Interesting breakdown, Megan. I'm glad you liked the post. I think it's very interesting to have a villain who has a lot in common with a hero (barring a few key factors). Much more interesting than a purely evil person.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-91400713805580214532011-04-13T09:36:32.146-07:002011-04-13T09:36:32.146-07:00It seems if a character had all three of these cat...It seems if a character had all three of these categories, he'd be likeable. For example...<br /><br />Samwise Gamgee: Goal: help best friend save world. External conflict: Mordor and the forces that be. Characteristic: simple, uneducated gardener with a penchant for potatoes.<br /><br />But, by taking one of these out...<br /><br />Gollum: Goal: get the Ring even if it means slitting everyone's throat (erk!). Conflict: There's a piece of him that's fighting to be better (aren't we all trying to become better people?). Characteristic: Small little guy turned more than half-crazy by too many years with the ring (poor guy).<br /><br />I think Gollum is such a loved antagonist because he hits two of the three so well. I do love books peppered with these kinds of characters, but I personally like having a likeable hero at the center of it (at least for novels; I'll look at any fascinating for 4,000 words).<br /><br />Interesting post -- got me thinking.MKHutchinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07715686902529938959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-17738694537105632982011-04-12T12:09:22.557-07:002011-04-12T12:09:22.557-07:00One of the things I'm working really hard at i...One of the things I'm working really hard at it, is to make my monster if not "likeable" (let's face it, she's a killer of children) at least understandable. I'd like people to read her story and say, "I can understand why she's doing what she's doing", even if they don't agree with her actions.Touch of Inkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13551995840395409781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-5355973891412883712011-04-10T17:31:13.492-07:002011-04-10T17:31:13.492-07:00Good point, Eric, and I agree - there are lots of ...Good point, Eric, and I agree - there are lots of ways to make a character relatable. Fagin makes a very interesting example.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-8687764866109689962011-04-10T16:10:36.611-07:002011-04-10T16:10:36.611-07:00Relatability is certainly a major key for building...Relatability is certainly a major key for building an "unlikeable" character. But the route to that can have many starting points. I was considering Fagin from OLIVER TWIST recently, thinking how he is thought of as one of literature's greatest villains. I found myself sympathizing with him and the pack of pickpocketing children he'd gathered around himself amidst the dank underside of London. Fagin provided shelter, food, energetic fun (what would robbery be to a 10 year old boy but fun?), and even a kind of purpose. Certainly he was exploiting the children, but these castoffs would have received much worse treatment from "respectable" institutions. With Fagin, the kids could have a laugh, enjoy the rough camaraderie. And, after all, what the hell did they owe society at large? Why not be a thief? Really, a very legitimate story could have been told entirely from Fagin's viewpoint--and I believe the typical reader would have understood him, and even liked him.Eric Del Carlohttp://ericdelcarlo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-33775279457057870262011-04-08T13:44:08.556-07:002011-04-08T13:44:08.556-07:00Dorothy, thanks for your comment! You raise a very...Dorothy, thanks for your comment! You raise a very interesting point - I agree with you that there is no absolute standard of likeability (and it's clear that the Seinfeld characters were likeable to many, if not to me). Relatability as I've spoken of it is also complex, and what one person finds relatable might not be common to everyone, especially across cultures. However, I do think there are prototypical qualities out there that many people relate to. By prototypical I mean that a considerable cluster of people will find a particular characteristic "very relatable" and some will find it peripherally relatable if not centrally compelling. It's a good idea to take a look at the quality of characters in what we read, and see what makes those characters relatable to us. I find it important to consider these questions because if I make my characters too alien, people may not have any interest in reading my stories! Thanks again for your thoughtful comment.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-82565254606858753412011-04-08T12:16:32.626-07:002011-04-08T12:16:32.626-07:00It seems to me very difficult to discuss the quest...It seems to me very difficult to discuss the question of whether "characters should be likeable," since there is no absolute standard of what is and is not likeable. Some people like characters whom others dislike. The characters of Seinfeld, mentioned here, are an example. A great many people obviously liked them whereas this writer did not. Referring to my own recent novel,"A Place to Die," some readers have said they really disliked two of the main characters, others have said the interaction between these two is one of the best things in the novel, and they really liked one or the other of them. I think a writer cannot possibly create characters according to what people may or may not like or relate to -- a writer creates characters who, if they are any good, take on a life of their own, and the reader likes or dislikes them, not a controllable outcome.Dorothy Jameshttp://www.viennamysteries.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-61960246025609004602011-04-08T11:07:24.020-07:002011-04-08T11:07:24.020-07:00Sarah, good point. That's one of the reasons I...Sarah, good point. That's one of the reasons I don't usually think in terms of likeability (though at times, having likeable characters can work well).Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-32110377111730472162011-04-08T08:59:16.332-07:002011-04-08T08:59:16.332-07:00Sometimes it's the less likeable characters th...Sometimes it's the less likeable characters that are the most interesting. When done well they have a tendency to challenge the reader and raise a lot of questions. I have a fascination with mean people.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15981159884498574786noreply@blogger.com