Have you ever written a story where a main character is hard to like, perhaps even polarizing because they’ve done a horrible thing? In my new novel, the protagonist, who is a good person at heart, does something reprehensible prior to the start of the story. I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to jinx my writing process by revealing too much. But the thing that my protagonist does is criminal and hurts a lot of people. I want my readers to want to follow my character, but I’m worried that they’ll close my book once they learn about her horrible act. Below are some tactics I’m using to get readers to turn pages.

1. Get in the head of the polarizing character and explain why she did what she did and her feelings about it. If she was violent because she was terrified, felt helpless, trapped, or angry, let the reader know this so they’ll understand her motivation and logic. Native Son by Richard Wright does an excellent job of explaining his polarizing protagonist’s perspective.
2. Consider camping out in your polarizing character’s head more than you would with a normal, likable character so that readers will know if she’s remorseful and how the terrible act affects her mentally and emotionally. Just like in court, when a character feels remorse, we’re more likely to forgive them.
3. Show that the character has changed and grown by putting her in a situation similar to the one that caused her to act out initially and have her make a better decision the second time around. Think of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. At the start of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge turns away charity collects and treats his underpaid employee, Bob, poorly. But at the end of the book, he sends a turkey to Bob’s family, becomes a second father to Bob’s son, Tiny Tim, and gives Bob a raise.
4. Make your character entertaining, witty, charming, and intelligent, not basic. Take a cue from the Netflix Series Ginny and Georgia based on Aaron Bailey’s novel, A Ginny and Georgia Story. Though the character, Georgia, is on the run for murdering multiple ex-husbands, she’s charming and delightful. Her beauty and charismatic personality don’t just draw viewers to her story. Viewers flock to screens and stream. Ginny and Georgia was the most-watched Netflix title from January through June 2023.
5. Give your character other good qualities, not just superficial charm. If you watched the popular Netflix series, Ginny and Georgia, you know that Georgia isn’t just charming. She’s also a caring mother to her children. Take the time to really flesh out your polarizing character. Your efforts will pay off.
6. When they learn about your polarizing character’s terrible deed, have the other characters react in a believable manner, and don’t make things too easy for the protagonist. I once read a screenplay where it was revealed that the protagonist, a twenty-something woman, burned down a frat house when she was in college to avenge her rapist, and several people in the frat were burned. The way the story was written, all the other characters, except the antagonist, cuddled and supported the young woman despite her act, which destroyed people’s lives. As a reader, this unconditional show of support pulled me out of the story because it didn’t seem believable. I couldn’t get past the notion that two wrongs don’t make a right. I wanted the character to feel some pain. If readers believe the polarizing protagonist has suffered, they’ll be more likely to accept her jarring imperfections.
7. Hold back and avoid telling readers about the polarizing character’s big sin until they’ve grown to know and love them. Spoiler alert! It isn’t until after Kya’s death, at the end of the novel Delia Owens’ novel Where the Crawdads Sing, that Tate Walker learns that Kya really did kill her ex-boyfriend.

Writing a novel about a polarizing character has its challenges, but if orchestrated well, these novels can make for a fascinating reading experience. All of the polarizing characters noted above are complex and memorable. I still think about them and wonder about their choices. As writers, isn’t that what we want…for our characters to linger in our readers’ hearts and minds and challenge their thinking?

Thanks for reading my blog. Have you written a story about a polarizing character? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject!