TRL Boyd: My Protagonist is a Jerk

Well, I took my own advice and contacted a beta reader to look over my manuscript. I eagerly awaited her response, checking my emails daily, nervously chewing on my finger nails, imagining the worst, until finally, finally I received that precious email.

What did it say you ask?

Well, it said that she liked the plot of my story (yay for me!), the general idea was great, but she couldn't manage to read more than 50 pages.

Image from Pixabay - WenPhoto’s

Why, you ask ?

Because my protagonist is a Jerk!

Yep. Unlikable, nasty, spiteful little thing she is. I'll be honest, I was ecstatic! My protagonist is a jerk. She can be a nasty little bitch, with a shocking temper and a massive chip on her shoulder.

But... that leaves me with a big problem. How do I make people want to read about her? No one wants to read about a jerk's journey. Sure, she gets a little more likable as the story goes on, but she's still jaded and self involved.

So how do I make an unlikable character likable?

Research tells me that I can use an inner dialogue, which I do through some bits of the manuscript, but even her inner dialogue is questionable. I mean really, if you said everything that came to your mind, would everybody like you? Raw, unfiltered you???

If you're honest with yourself, I'm guessing the answer is no, they wouldn't. You'd say things you shouldn't. Offend people left, right, and center.

Which leaves me with something called the cat theory. Basically, you take an asshole character, and make them kind towards animals, a softer side that readers can relate to. Makes sense I guess.

Image from Pixabay by Petkation

I've been watching the Soprano's series lately, and I realized they do exactly the same thing to manipulate you into liking Tony Soprano. The guy is a mob boss who flies off the handle regularly, cheats on his wife, and gets a little trigger happy, yet you still kind of root for him because you've seen his softer side, most notably for those damn ducks in the pool. It makes him likable.

When I analyze my character from every possible angle, I know I'm not going to be able to make her sweet, or kind, not for what she needs to do, but she does have one very redeemable quality. My protagonist is loyal. Apparently that can work too, with just a touch of softness.

Oh, sorry, I should have warned you. I don't have the answer to making my protagonist likable, or yours for that matter. I'm just sharing. My ultimate goal is to make readers fall in love with my irrational, spite filled character without having to change her too much.

Read a jerk's journey for a change! It might just be interesting. Make people love her, or make them love to hate her.