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Q&A How can I write an annoying character without annoying the reader?

You need to get inside her head. Everyone makes sense to themselves. She has reasons for doing things and, you might disagree, but they're valid to her. She has goals and dreams and desires. Sh...

posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-20T00:40:39Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42767
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:04:35Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42767
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T11:04:35Z (almost 5 years ago)
You need to get inside her head. Everyone makes sense to themselves. She has reasons for doing things and, you might disagree, but they're valid to her. She has goals and dreams and desires. She has conflicting emotions and strengths and weaknesses.

If you show her like you described her here, she is a shadow of a character. A stereotype. I find reading about a stereotypical character far more annoying than any character can be in the first place.

**The most annoying character in the world, however, can be a joy to read in the hands of an author who understands her.**

Of course, even the great characters can be too much if you overuse them. And too much dialogue is wearing for a reader. So balance things. And if you don't want this character to be a main character, that's fine. Don't use her very often. But treat her like a human being (or alien or whatever) with the same worth as everyone else. Your other characters can be annoyed as all get out by her, but your reader should enjoy reading about all your characters.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-02-28T20:47:57Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 1