In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Becca Puglisi offers seven tips for writing an antihero that stands out from the crowd. Antiheroes aren’t usually very…heroic, Puglisi notes. “As such, they really shouldn’t work, because why would we root for people who stand for things we don’t like?” she says. “But many readers do get sucked into their stories and end up on this unconventional protagonist’s side, wanting what’s best for them.”
Like any character, your antihero should be complicated and have a full backstory. They should have a strong moral code and struggle with an internal conflict. But how can you make your antihero more memorable?
- Make Them a Reluctant Antihero. Reverse the trope of the reluctant hero and create a reluctant antihero. “The reluctant antihero works because they don’t start off bad; they start as a protagonist people can relate to, ensuring that readers are fully drawn into the story as they see the hero being pulled to the dark side,” Puglisi writes.
- Show Their Full Tragic Arc. A slow descent into antiheroism will bring your reader into the entire journey. “Readers will often stick with the character because they’re already invested, and by the final page, they understand why the character is who they are,” Puglisi says.
- Make Them Sympathetic. Portraying the full character arc is a strong way to elicit reader empathy. However, even if you start with the antihero in action, you can still create empathy by showing their vulnerability or weakness.
- Make Them Unusual. It’s easier said than done, but make the effort to give your antihero a unique premise, such as Dexter Morgan’s targeting of serial killers or Wolverine’s claws and lost memories.
- Give Them Good Intentions. A strong motivation can help a reader overlook a lot of flaws. On one end of the antihero spectrum is the ambivalent character who does a good deed. At the other is the character with a strong moral case who does bad in the service of a worthy goal.
- Establish Limits. “Writing an antihero requires us to walk a fine line between remaining authentic to who the character is while still keeping them likable,” Puglisi says. “One way to maintain that balance is to set limits beyond which the character won’t go.”
- Keep Readers Guessing. “With the right circumstances, it’s possible to write a story that disguises your antihero as something else,” Puglisi writes. Characters may start out looking like heroes or allies, until you pull the rug out from under your readers.
