Into the Fire

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Monday Musings . . .

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Last week we discussed the use of music references in stories – pros and cons. This week I'd like to ask what happens when you start a novel and you realize after you're engaged in the story itself, you don't particularly like the hero and/or the heroine?

It's a rare author who can make a story work without the reader enjoying the main character(s). I've read a few stories where I didn't care for the heroine – and, frankly, I'm far more inclined to dislike the heroine than I am to dislike the hero. Something about some women can really irritate me. It's a credit to the author when I can finish a book without liking the primary character.

Sometimes it's a matter of not liking certain characteristics or the particular responses of a character that bothers me without actually disliking him or her. Other times I can't find a way to warm up to a specific character, and it does tend to detract from the enjoyment of the story even when the story is well-told. Characters are critically important to the "well-being" of a book so if a major character lacks likability (which is subjective of course), that story can definitely present a potential problem for this reader.

What do you think? 

 

Father, thank you for great characters and stories and those who write them. May each one of us who writes know and acknowledge that you are the source of any creativity that is good. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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3 responses to “Monday Musings . . .”

  1. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar
    Brenda S. Anderson

    I don’t have to like the character to begin with as long as I see change along the way. The negative traits should be part of the book’s conflict and tension.
    Now, there are traits that I see a lot–I whole lot!–in Christian fiction, that will annoy me so that I won’t pick up more books by that author. I hate it when heroines run into dangerous situations without thought to their safety or others’ safety. To me that shows a lack of intelligence and common sense.
    I read one book recently that EVERYONE loves, but the heroine kept running into dangerous situations. At the beginning, I let it slide because she was an impulsive person, and I hoped she’d learn from it. At the end when that behavior got her captured by the bad guy, I thought, “Serves you right.” It was a stupid move that ended up endangering others (at that point, I didn’t even care about her), although I think most readers thought it was heroic. Nope. Other than that trait, I thought the book was good, but because of it, I won’t pick up the remaining books in that series.
    So there, now I’ve just spewed about my pet peeve in Christian fiction. 🙂

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  2. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Fortunately, it’s only happened to me a few times and the story has otherwise bean great so I finished. But it definitely brings a 5* down to a 4*.
    It always surprises me when it’s an author I’ve read previously. Once it was a particular trait, and I think the author was rushed and didn’t have someone read it?? But twice it was clearly the author’s intent to portray the character in this way. I’ve seen it in otherwise good movies too. And in that case the character was male.

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  3. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    I agree on all counts of disappointing behaviors/traits. It does bring a story down to the next “star”. And sometimes it finishes an author or a series in my reading.
    What I have to see is at least one truly redeeming quality in the character I don’t like in order to stay the course. It can be buried under the effects of pain (emotional struggle), but IF the character displays arrogance or a total lack of humility, I’m probably out of there.
    The “saving grace” characteristic is why I love Mitch Rapp (Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills) and Cole Russell (Ronie Kendig) – and vacillate between liking and hating Scot Harvath (Brad Thor). Scot Harvath can be arrogant and “cold”. Mitch and Cole (“Tox”) definitely over the course of the stories show their vulnerable sides which make them more human and more appealing to me.
    “Spew” all you want here, Bren. 🙂

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