A Writer's Love

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My writer’s group is continuing our quest through The Art And Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. We are now on Chapter 11.

Creating a likeable character.

Jeff says in his book: The main character must be likable for the audience to want to read the story. The reader must empathize with him or feel sorry for him, root for him. If not, then the reader will toss away the book and move on.



Jeff uses Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Captain Jack is strange, devious, mean, yet there’s something about him in his actions and decisions that make the audience realize that maybe Jack’s not a bad guy afterall. Maybe he’s ok.


The author must give the reader an idea early on that the MC isn’t a jerk, but has redeemable qualities. Readers love a hero.


How to make a likeable hero.


Give a hint early on that the character is redeemable or likeable. That maybe he’s not a jerk afterall.


Look inside the character. What’s going on inside his head?
• What is his true desire? What does he want from his journey through the story?
Jack, a MC, says, I want to obtain the magic sword b/c I want adventure, love, excitement.
But his unspoken, unrealized desire is: If I get the magic sword, then I will be loved by my father. So now we have a guy who instead of getting the magic sword, he wants his dad’s affections. I once saw a show about John Denver. In a scene, he went up to his father and said, I won an award for a song. His dad said, big deal. Even after all of John’s hard work, his father still wouldn’t accept him. If we the readers find out that Jack’s main goal in life is to obtain the magic sword in order to get his father’s love and acceptance, then we can relate to that and will want him to succeed. If Jack wants the sword in order to take over the country, then we kinda frown on such greed. But if it is for a parent’s love/acceptance, then we are more willing to go on the journey with him.
• Always remember our subconscious will always drive our conscious. There’s a reason why we eat when we aren’t hungry and it lives in our subconscious. “Food is my best friend.” “I’m already fat, so who cares?” ect.
• The character doesn’t realize that he has this desire. He feels something is wrong, not right and feels he must do something. Did Frodo go on the quest with the LOTR b/c it was the right thing to do or b/c he wanted an adventure?
• Going back to MC Jack. Jack has an inner pain inside of him that he wants to get his father’s affection. He decided to go on a quest for the ‘magic sword,’ b/c he thinks it will bring excitement, but soon discovers he really wants his father’s affections. If I get it, Dad will love me. Now Jack has to deal with this inner desire that comes up during the quest. Does he continue to get his father’s love or does he abandon it and realize nothing he does will bring about daddy’s love? So if he realizes he will never get dad’s love by getting the sword, does he continue on b/c it is the right thing to do? What will he do with the sword when he gets it? Does he abandon those who are with him b/c he doesn’t need the sword anymore? The magic sword represents love and affection. But if Jack finds love within himself, then does he still need and want the sword?


Defining beliefs.
• What is Jack’s defining beliefs that has shaped his thoughts and choices?
• Does he see himself as inept and unable to reach his father’s warrior levels and believes if he has the magic sword he will not only have his father’s love, but also be what he thinks he should be.
• Is it authentic for Jack to believe he is nothing without the magic sword? Or is he something without the sword?
• Jack can come to the realization that the sword is just that, a sword. It can’t make his dad love him, it can’t make him feel better about himself. It is just a sword that may or may not be magic.
• Patty Hickman said: The MC is an incomplete package of yearning searching for completeness. This can make your character likeable b/c we have all been on this trek, trying to find affection from someone important by doing something that can’t complete us.


Using the MC’s emotions.
• Expose this longing for acceptance from page one. You do this through subtle details, bread crumbs so to speak. A dropping here and a dropping there. Use dialogue, narrative and behaviors. Jack and his dad arguing over stupid things, Jack wishing he was like his father, getting into internal dialogue. This shows underlying emotions, slip of tongues type of things. But don’t use the emotions to create the story, use the MC to create the story. Use emotions as an underlying subtext for the MC’s desire. Jack tries to get his father’s attention by getting into trouble. At least it is some attention and is better than being ignored. He also tries to please his father by doing good, but his father is not impressed. Now Jack decides to go with the ‘quest’ for the magic sword. Not for the glory, but for his father’s attention. It doesn’t matter if Jack is telling the reader the truth, but that he is following that ‘truth’. The character’s actions will begin to reveal what is true whether we believe him or not. Once we begin to believe the characters’ emotions, then we begin to believe him. Let the reader feel what she wants to feel about Jack, don’t force it onto her. Let her make her own decisions.


In the series, Falling Skies, there is a Captain Weaver who is leading the civilians to safety. He seems like a real jerk, not wanting to help the civilians, giving his soldiers the better homes, shelters, while having the civilians sleep in tents. The people begin to hate him. BUT there are things we the audience sees that they don’t see. The way at one time, he is in a house sitting on a chair staring at a painting of a family. There is a longing in his eyes. I got the feeling he was thinking about his family that is now gone. When a doctor came in and interrupted him, he brushed off the doc’s questions about the painting. Another time, a thirteen year old kid, who is now a soldier, messed up and almost destroyed the mission. It was Weaver who encouraged the boy when everyone else had turned away from him. It’s these small things that made me think, Weaver’s not that bad. He’s got a plan, I don’t know what it is, but I’m rooting for him now.