In an article for The Writer, N. West Moss says writers shouldn’t try to tell readers what to think of their characters, but instead create multi-dimensioned fictional persons that readers may or may not like. “Readers can feel when they’re being manipulated, and they don’t like it,” Moss writes. “Sophisticated readers know when an author is trying to force them to like or dislike a character, and they tend to push back.”
This is particularly true for memoir, where a writer may have an ax to grind against a particular real-life person. Even when writing fiction, trying to make a reader hate a character so that you feel better is not a good use of time. “I’ve attempted to make real people into villains in my writing, but when I do that, the writing tends to come out flat and needy,” Moss admits. “Neediness on the author’s part can be repellant.”
Instead, use your journal to inveigh against your enemies. You can even get away with this in rough drafts, provided you smooth it out in the revision process. “Writing is art, and allowing even our most flawed characters to seem believable to readers is the goal,” Moss says. “Tell a story. Make the key characters as three-dimensional as you’re able, and worry about being liked outside of the work.”
