Main Characters at Their Worst

with Meredith Lyons

For today’s Halloween edition of Thriller Thursday, award-winning Ghost Tamer author Meredith R. Lyons explores the appeal of prickly main characters and how their growth through hardship can create a deeply emotional and rewarding experience for readers.

Main Characters at Their Worst

I’m a character-first reader—and writer—which means if I don’t like the main characters, I can’t enjoy the story, no matter how brilliantly plotted it may be. However, there is something delicious about a prickly main character. They’re naturally combative, provoke other characters, and cause problems, and we all know that conflict makes a better story. 

When I started writing Ghost Tamer, my debut paranormal suspense novel, I didn’t know where the story would go—I’m a pantser, through and through—but I did know I wanted a main character who was a little abrasive, with some bad habits to break and demons to vanquish. Enter Raely, who starts Ghost Tamer on the Chicago El train with her best friend, only to have the train fly off the rails, killing everyone except for her, and awakening an undesired ability to see ghosts. I wanted her to grieve messily, make bad choices, fall into bad habits, and, through it all, still manage to be funny, to be loved, and able to pick herself back up at the end. 

A character who claws her way to solid ground after battling tough circumstances—sometimes fighting against her own well-being—is often more entertaining than the characters who know what they want and continually climb, reaching goal after goal. Because we’ve all been that messy person at least once. The characters who plunge hard into their humanity are more relatable. Their falls sting harder, and their victories feel phenomenal, perhaps because we see ourselves in them more clearly.

But how do you get readers to connect with a character who is angry, bitter, and fighting against her own self-interest?

• Make her relatable. We’ve all experienced grief and loss. We’ve all made bad choices when we weren’t at our best, so as long as Raely’s pain was evident, readers could understand what she was going through, even while rooting for her to turn her life around.

• Make her funny. Readers are a lot more forgiving if a character entertains them. If your humor shines on the page, don’t waste the opportunity. I made Raely an aspiring comedian intentionally. Not only do I love stand-up, especially when I’m depressed, but I am fantastic at deflecting with humor. Since Ghost Tamer goes to some dark places, I wanted to add plenty of light and opportunities to laugh to give readers a break. 

• Have another character represent the “reader’s voice.” Prickly protagonists are fabulous for the writer because they naturally create friction, but they often create friction with the reader too. A foil helps to bring some of the thoughts the reader may be having onto the page. Casper, Raely’s ghostly sidekick, is right alongside her for most of the book, trying to be a voice of reason. He often says what the reader is thinking, sometimes incredibly bluntly. “Why are you being stupid about this?” His words give readers an outlet for their frustration.

• Give her someone else to care about. Genuine affection humanizes the character and shows a soft side beneath the rough edges. Perhaps your grumpy character checks in on an elderly neighbor, feeds a favorite squirrel in the park, or chats with a neighborhood kid. If you ever watched The Sopranos, Tony Soprano killed a lot of people and was basically a terrible human, but he loved his ducks. Raely’s cat, Blitz, is always a priority for her, no matter how bad things get. (Don’t worry, nothing bad happens to Blitz, he’s fine at the end of the story.) 

• Show her good sides through the eyes of other characters. This is especially important when a character is in the throes of low self esteem and is blind to their own positive attributes. If you have multiple POVs, use another character to make positive observations about your prickly main. For a single POV, use interactions with your side characters or even your background characters. Readers notice if your character is being polite to her waitress, holding the door for a lady with a baby, or just saying please and thank you. Ghost Tamer is written in a close first person, but we still get to see the softer sides of Raely through her interactions with her mom, her flashbacks with her best friend, Joe, and even with strangers. Raely always tips her Lyft drivers, she’s conscious of not talking during performances, and holds doors open (unnecessarily) for Casper. 

• Let her grow. Especially if your character starts at their worst, you need to let the reader see them make some positive growth. They don’t have to give up their snark or prickliness, but perhaps they resolve an inner struggle that allows them to move forward with their career or relationships. Or they put an end to a sabotaging behavior with some visible effort. After self-destructing and failing several times, Raely finally does face her demons—both literal and internal—she apologizes to Casper, starts listening to those who care about her, and works hard to master her current reality. She still struggles, but now she’s fighting for herself instead of avoiding reality and her grief.

Watching a broken character endure psychological or physical hell, hit wall after wall, and struggle to put herself back together can be a rough ride for readers. However, if you can guide them through this journey, and get them to stick with it, it can become one of the most rewarding emotional experiences a writer can give. I love tugging on heartstrings and making readers laugh, but if I can pull both laughter and tears? It feels truly transcendent. 

Congratulations to Bonnie who won the free signed copy of Jason Rekulak’s THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING by answering last week’s Question of the Week!