Flawed-Characters

Pam is an alcoholic. She lost her job. She’s often rude. She embarrasses her daughter. Her trailer is a mess. And somehow, you root for her. You want the bus route restored so she has purpose again. You gift her a pale ale and hope she’s doing okay. You understand why Penny stays despite the frustration. This is the alchemy of character writing: making flawed people feel worthy of empathy, not despite their flaws but through them. ...

Walter White cooks meth and poisons a child. Amy Dunne frames her husband for murder with sociopathic precision. Jordan Belfort defrauds thousands and revels in his own depravity. And we can’t stop watching. This is the paradox of the unsympathetic protagonist: characters who violate our moral codes yet remain narratively compelling. They shouldn’t work-but in the right hands, they become cultural phenomena. The question isn’t whether you should write unlikeable protagonists. It’s how to make them watchable without sacrificing moral complexity. ...