Writer's Fallout Shelter

I know that there are some characters we hate to love. Often the antagonist plays on some rather dispicable traits but we enjoy the story all the more if there is a little to love about him. If it's a protagonist the same can be true. It's one of the things they play on with the TV series "House". Dr. House isn't particularly a likeable fellow. He's gruff, very black and white, and he works best when his patients are just a disease to him. He's particularly unlikeable in that sense but he's brilliant, and he's almost always right despite all this so some of his redeemable traits endear him to viewers.

I think it's important to have both.

Readers can sympathize with any personified character in some way or another. Sometimes it's their utter horridness that is appealing to us. Traces, however scarce, of humanity and even a strong sense of inhumanity can create compelling characters. Hannable for example.

I think the important thing is to have traits that are both likeable and dislikeable. Flawless characters are harder to associate with then flawed or despicable.

Have fun and keep writing,
Yours truly,
Rebecca Laffar-Smith