Random Unfinished Thought – On Whether Characters Need to be 'Liked'

Do my characters have to be ‘likeable’?

Having had a couple of short story rejections this week (which is a designated taking-time-off-work-and-writing-like-a-caffeinated-monkey week), this is something I’ve been pondering. One of the rejections said “We didn’t like the main character”. This started me thinking about the received wisdom of readers needing to like your characters. (Admittedly, it also caused me to make rude hand signals at the email in question – hey, I hate rejections same as the next person, I just happened to write a sensible post about dealing with them).

I mean, not everyone is going to like Elizabeth Bennett – some might see her as a whinging little pill – but a highly engaging whinging little pill.

So, do your characters need to be likeable?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say “No”.

I had a chat with the most excellent Karen Miller recently and the thing she said that stuck in my mind (well, there were many things, but this was the particular thing that had sequins and some ostrich feathers on it and I’m partial to both of those things) was that your characters need to be engaging. That’s not the same as likeable. A reader has to want to take the journey with your character – maybe because s/he likes them, sure. But maybe also just because said reader wants to see what happens, even if s/he doesn’t like the character.

I’m going to build on engaging and add that a reader needs to understand a character – also something you don’t need to like someone to do. I may not like a character, but if I can understand her/his actions and choices (even if I don’t agree with them) I will go on the journey with them. I want to know how things work out.

Characters who are engaging for me that I don’t necessarily like? Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin in Perdido Street Station – selfish, intellectually vain, arrogant sod. The narrator in Gaiman’s Bitter Grounds – again, selfish. Julia in Philippa Gregory’s Wideacre – not likeable at all, but engaging and understandable in a lot of ways. Lestat in the early Anne Rice books. Don Sebastian de Villanueva in Les Daniels’ Yellow Fog – selfish, monstrous but sympathetic.

Characters I have found engaging and liked but not necessarily agreed with their choices? John Connolly’s Charlie Parker – superbly drawn, conflicted character, someone whose actions you don’t always agree with, but man, you have empathy for the guy. Finn in Diana Norman’s Daughter of Lir – grumpy and bossy but you love her. Hekat in Karen Miller’s Empress of Mijak – scary but you understand her and suffer for her even if you don’t always like her. Fia in Nancy Kress’ The White Pipes – cowardly liar, but you understand why. Those are just the ones leaping to my tired mind because (a) they’re on the bedside table, and (b) they rock.

And if there’s no conflict for a reader about what a character does, then where’s your story? If a character doesn’t make questionable choices some time, then what’s the point? “Everyone was nice and made the right decisions and we all sat down for tea and toast” – doesn’t really work, does it?

So, I personally don’t need to like a character. I just need to understand and empathise with her/him. The likeability I can take or leave.

That’s just me.