Creating an Unlikable Protagonist

Protagonists are easy - they are your main character. The good one. What else is there to say?

A lot actually. 

In my most recent novel, I’ve worked hard at creating a realistic Protagonist. Someone who tries hard to reach mediocrity. 

Mediocrity is hard. We can’t all be mediocre. 

In my upcoming novel, my beloved protagonist (by me), received some feedback and I was informed that she was actually quite unlikeable. This, of course, hurt my ego at first - who could dislike one of my babies? 

But after a little thought, I realised what I had done. I’d created an Antihero. And I love antiheroes. They are my favourite types of protagonists - I love the ambiguity and realism that an antihero provides. No one is perfect, no one only has good in them, we can try to be good and have good intentions, but sometimes you’re a little selfish and sometimes that’s okay.

My favourite book - Gone With The Wind features Scarlott O'Hara who is nothing but selfish. And I love her. She’s protective of her family, her home and those she loves. She works hard to survive and help everyone around her get through the most difficult times in their lives. Without her, they might not have lived. But she was incredibly self-centred. She wanted all the finer things in life, she wanted to steal the lover of the woman she lived with, she used people's attraction for her to her advantage. She always came first in her world and somehow that led to the lives of her loved ones thriving throughout the civil war.

An unlikeable protagonist can really add to your story. Not everyone is an angel, that’s life and that’s okay. The frustrations the readers feel towards the protagonist will need to be reflected in the reactions the other characters have towards them. Readers don’t want an unlikeable person to be loved within your world - that’s unrealistic and the reader will feel alienated. 

Have your characters react to your unlikeable protagonist is a real way; in the way someone might react to them in the street. This is relatable, realistic and something the reader will keep turning pages for.

Now onto the creation of one:

1. Looks. Readers want to know what your protagonist looks like - and you’ll need to visualise them for your story also. Are they long and lanky, short and stout, wide and flat?

Do they have a mole on their nose? A crooked smile? Does their hair spike up in the mornings? No one is perfect, everyone has flaws. Make your character real and relatable - make them imperfect.

2. Personality. Think about yourself and everyone you know. We all have different likes, dislikes, traits, stress triggers etc. Think about your character and how they react to different situations. What makes them happy, what makes them angry, what confuses them, what inspires them? Do they have mood swings? Do they get brain fog? How big is their ego? How does your character act when at work vs with their friends, how do they treat people they don’t like? Are they Type A, Type B or something in between?

3. Motivations. What do they want in their life? What would they kill for? If their family was at risk, what would they do? What about their home? Would they kill to save their home? Maybe they care about status in society. Maybe they care about their career. Maybe all they want is to put food on their table. But what if it goes deeper? Do they need validation or approval? Are they fighting for self respect? Are they their own worst enemy? 

Creating an unlikable protagonist is no different to writing a likeable protagonist. They both need strong motivations, strong drives and a need for something. As well as a well-rounded personality that is relatable to the people reading your novel.