How to deal with unlikable characters

Published: Wed, 11/26/14



Happy almost-Thanksgiving, everybody,


It’s easy to root for characters who are decent and good-hearted, but it’s a special feat to absorb your readers in the trials and travails of a character who is deeply flawed and who, in real life, no one ought to like or care for.


So how do we manage unlikable characters in ways that move readers and evoke meaning?


In Short Fiction Workshop instructor Cecily Sailer has a few ideas.


Click the play button below to listen to Cecily's informative talk about unsavory but engrossing characters through the lens of Sherman Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" and "The Fun House."


Perfect listening for your Thanksgiving travels:




The In Short Fiction Workshop is a three-hour boot camp for writers of short fiction, offered in partnership with the O. Henry Museum in Austin, Texas.


The last workshop of the year is only two weeks away. The registration deadline is this Monday!





Gobble, gobble,
Justine


Justine Tal Goldberg
Owner, WriteByNight






P.S. If you know someone who might benefit from today's message, please feel free to forward this email along to them. Go on, help a writer out.


P.P.S. There's still time to take advantage of our Any Friend of a WriteByNighter offer: get one free coaching session for every writer you refer who then becomes a client. And your writer friend gets a free session, too . . . how's that for holiday cheer?

So don't be shy about sharing this offer page with all the writers you know. They'll thank you for it.




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