Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/34848
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Apparently it will all depend on the kind of book you want to write. Literary fiction is full of difficult characters. I don't think Captain Ahab is very likeable, and yet the book's a classic.

But in genre fiction (romance, fantasy, thriller, etc.), readers usually expect a character that they want to identify with. The protagonist doesn't have to be friendly and optimistic all the time, but they need to have _something_ that makes readers live a story from their perspective – wit, tenacity, integrity, views on life that echo our own.

So if you want to write the next Faulkner or Ayn Rand, I wouldn't worry about what kind of character you have, only that your writing is good and meaningful. But if you want to write the next New York Times bestseller, you may want to think about what is **likeable** about your character, despite their sadness.

Maybe the person is sad because of something we understand and eventually gets over it, offering your readers a lesson in how to live a good life despite adverse circumstances. There must be something about this character that attracts you. Bring that to the front.

If your character is sad because it is the portrait of a real person, read [my answer to this related question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/34378/29032) and consider whether you have failed to "fictionalize" them.

Original score: 1