-hey,anyone out there writing about prtagonists with questionable morals? most of my characters are kinda morally gray and one of the main protagonists is a little psychotic.any thoughts on a not so nice 'hero'?
Personally I don't like reading but they can be successful. (Macbeth being the exception), Perfume, Catcher in Rye etc all have characters I find repugnant.
Nothing wrong with them. As long as they're written well, I'll read the story. I mostly like the bad guys in books and TV so I'd have no problem with them.
Yes. Arguably all of the protagonists I have ever written about fall in this category. Morally grey is the key word here, I think. Few people will be able to relate to a truly evil character. A character, on the other hand, who believes in a mission and acknowledges that he may have to kill people to achieve it, perhaps even innocent people if it can't be avoided, is better. A thief could also work, as long as he has a brighter side which he reserves for his friends, family etc. I currently actually face a very big dilemma in one of my stories, because the characters are knowingly cooperating with evil and while there is a reason, to fully understand the reason would require a book of its own, so I can only hint at it.
If you wanna make him badass and moraly black,you should let him do something hardcore like kill swans or somethings . Evil need some kind of reason,why not make it that is the way he is....
Are you asking about just a protag who steps into morally gray territory or a real villian protagonist? I like both but a lot of people don't like reading from the pov of a complete monster (eg. A Clockwork Orange). I'd rather have readers hate my protag because he's completely evil rather than if they were a moral Mary Sue. I can't stand it when the main charater always makes the "right" decision.
Sorta sounds like you have a anti-hero character going on. But its hard to say with so little information. An Anti-hero is a protagonist who is in some ways unlike the typical hero archtype. Take Marvel's Punisher for example. While he is fighting crime and taking down the big bads, he doesn't have a problem with killing them. While say Superman or Batman wouldn't kill nor would most heroes. While your MC might not be fighting crime like these superhereos, if he is generally the good guy in the whole thing but with what you said, then yeah he is most likely a Anti-Hero. Now is this a bad thing? It's not everyones cup of tea. But there is definitely a market for this sort of thing. Not everyone loves the noble and heroic types and even those who do, some also love the bad ass who does what he needs to do. ... I would like to make a disclaimer though: I could be wrong on parts about the anti-hero bit. You may want to do the research into it.
Personally, I'm rarely interested in reading about 'good' or 'bad' guys, they bore me. That & morally polarized characters always seem like a way to simplify motivations & conflicts, as opposed to going to the trouble of developing a char with the complex, ambivalent & sometimes irrational essenses of the human condition. IMO, of course.
I agree with Anonym. Real people are not that two demensional. My advice would be USE CAUTION. Your reader must have a reason to identify with the protag (evil or otherwise). They must have some likeable quality. If the reader doesn't care about them, they won't keep reading, the story is pointless.
-okay,well he falls into the anti-hero category then. see ,he's a nice guy;he just came from an incest ridden,psychotic clan of vampire hunters obsessed with wealth and status and nobility in a classist,racist society .they've got skeletons in the closet and he's one of them....he happens to be indirectly part of the reason for them losing the wealth and prestige.when they go out into the world,they are the laughing stock of the upper class and nobility.so .when they come home,they take it out on him. as a result,he's kinda messed up.most people,however,have no idea just how bad off he really is.now the thing is,usually people will have a messed up character for everyone to feel sorry for and play victim...he's not so much like that.at this point he actually kept a kitchen knife in his room and gets therapy sometimes by holding it and imagining what he's gonna do with it,he's an artist (singer,he draws).really,he's trying to find release for his negative emotions and trying not to be destructive.however when he gets into confrontations,it gets ugly.
I never write the typical hero types; immoral characters are much more fun to write. However, it's more difficult to create a likeable protagonist when writing in this way. Quick wit and a back-story that attempts to justify their personality isn't enough sometimes.
Yagami Light....... Kira I know I'm going to get shot for offering up that example, but it's a relevant one.
