Muse & the Marketplace 2019

Female characters are often given the dreaded moniker “unlikable” compared to male counterparts with similar traits, many of whom are considered “compelling.” Writers might be tempted to force their characters into boxes they don’t fit. What's the difference between characters who are complicated vs. unlikable? When is it feedback to take to heart, and when is it reader preference? In this session, we’ll explore the origins and gender implications of the term and provide examples of writers who have "gotten away with it" and why they were able to do so. We’ll also dig into strategies to ensure character stakes and motivations are clear—and how to combat the voice in your head that tells you to make a character likable when they really just wanna be “bad.”