Re: Do I need to change the male characters?
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 1:35 pm
One way that you can make devious characters more sympathetic is by having them use their powers for good. You describe the characters as a "bunch of jerks" for resorting to insults, lying, blackmail, and violence, but these are tools that could also be used to defend the weak (for example, they could use them to defend MC against other bullies). If they stop targeting the weak and instead begin targeting other bullies, you can make their behavior much more morally defensible without significantly changing the tactics they use. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," as the expression goes.
Omar Little is one of the most beloved characters from HBO's The Wire, despite the fact that he is a violent criminal. Omar is a "stick-up boy:" he carries a big gun, and makes his money by stealing money and drugs using violence (or threat of violence). Why do audiences love Omar so much? Because he steals from the bad guys!
On a similar note, one of the themes I'm exploring in a story that I'm writing is "sometimes it takes a criminal to catch a criminal:" in this story, the main character is forced to collude with thieves, drug dealers, and a variety of unsavory characters, but it's justified by the fact that these deeds are done in the pursuit of a murderer.
Omar Little is one of the most beloved characters from HBO's The Wire, despite the fact that he is a violent criminal. Omar is a "stick-up boy:" he carries a big gun, and makes his money by stealing money and drugs using violence (or threat of violence). Why do audiences love Omar so much? Because he steals from the bad guys!
On a similar note, one of the themes I'm exploring in a story that I'm writing is "sometimes it takes a criminal to catch a criminal:" in this story, the main character is forced to collude with thieves, drug dealers, and a variety of unsavory characters, but it's justified by the fact that these deeds are done in the pursuit of a murderer.