How to Make your Main Character Likeable
Your MC does’t need to be flawless, but readers need to like her enough to root for her and want to spend time with her. (I’m using the female pronoun for convenience; of course the same applies to male characters.)
To make readers root for your MC, put her in an ‘underdog’ position, i.e. someone who is unfairly disadvantaged because of her gender, ethnicity, social class, faith, appearance or disability. Let’s say you write a novel about a young woman who is passionate about becoming a doctor. Make it difficult for her: the professor does’t believe women should be doctors, so he doesn’t treat female students fairly. The other students bully her because she belongs to an ethic minority. In addition, she comes from a poor working class background, and her parent cannot finance her studies, so she has to work other people’s homes - including those of her classmates’ families. Because of these disadvantages, readers will be on her side and read eagerly to see her succeed.
There’s a Cat in my Kitchen - and it’s Not My Cat
On a cold winter day, I found this cat in my kitchen eagerly munching from my cats’ food bowls. Apparently, my cats Sulu and McCoy had invited her in. She purred a lot, was happy to be petted, and went to sleep on a chair like she had always been part of the family.
I knew her: she belonged to the house in my neighoburhood. It’s the country home of people who live in the city. They keep several cats here, whom they provide with basic shelter in a shed, water and occasional food. It’s not a luxurious life for the cats - they have to hunt mice for a living - but it’s not a bad life either. Here in rural Bulgaria, it’s safe for cats to be out of doors, and these cats have adequate shelter and are in good condition. This tabby girl had obviously seen how well my cats live - in a heated home, with all meals provided and plenty of cuddles - desired an upgrade and moved in.
Since she was a sweet gentle kitty I wondered how to best ask her owners if I could keep her. But after a week she suddenly disappeared.
I saw her in her old territory and called - but she didn’t deign to acknowledge me. Ha! She was ghosting me after using my home for a luxury holiday.
A week later she was back: eating, purring, smooching around my legs, declaring her love for me. After a few days, I started to think about a name for her and booked a vet appointment.
Then she left again. And returned again. And repeat. Today, I saw her in her ‘other’ place, and she pretended again not to know me. This lady is leading a double life. And I think she’s taking advantage of my good nature, and plans on owning two residences.
What should I do? I’d like to hear your opinions. Should I feed and pet her whens he’s here, without expecting her to be faithful? In this case, what if she’s pregnant and leaves me with a litter of kittens to care for? Or get her owners’ permission to adopt her formally, spend money on getting her vaccinated and neutered, and keep her locked up indoors? Or refuse to let her in again, blocking the whole under the roof through which she enters?
There are many hungry homeless cats in Bulgaria, desperate for warm shelter, veterinary treatment, food and love. Should I rescue one of them instead?
Leave a comment to tell me what you think.
13 Ways to Give Your Writing the Gothic Touch
Gothic fiction sells. I’ve written a guest post with tips how to enrich your fiction with Gothic elements: https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2023/02/how-to-give-your-writing-gothic-touch.html . It would be great if you could leave a comment, because the more comments a blog post gets, the better.
What Would You Like Me to Write About in my Next Newsletters?
Do you want writing tips, writing contests, news about my books, stories about my life in Bulgaria, stories about my cats and dogs, photos of the Bulgarian landscape, updates about my permaculture eco-project garden, or…. ? It’s good to hear what you prefer. I’m still new to SubStack and am not entirely sure how this works, but I believe you can simply leave a comment below or hit ‘reply’ to the email.
Best wishes
Rayne
Rayne, I enjoy your newsletter and like the mix that you put in them. What a dilemma. I have no idea how you should proceed with the little cat. Cats have minds of their own and the 'owners' are not in charge. This one is keeping her options open. What a character:) I look forward to the next chapter of this story.
I think this sweet girl has found the good life--frolic in the old hood till it's time to slip away for some good eats and a warm bed. I'd talk to her owners, ask if you can take her, get her the works at the spa/vet and let her become one of yours. Maybe keep her in the house until she knows she belongs there? But the old gang might beckon forever. Even if they don't want you to take the little rascal she'll probably keep slipping in. I always feel so bad for the lost furkids. We have 8, all foster failures, all insiders with their own catio. Maybe y'all should make one of those. Our kits approve!