Let's talk about our characters being annoying

Kann 2021-07-26 15:34:51 UTC #1

Have you ever made a character that wasn't supposed to be annoying, but somehow turned out to be? Or maybe you intentionally wrote a character as a pain in the butt, but readers love them?

How do you deal with "fixing" their annoyingness? Or maybe you don't deal with it at all and just go with the flow?

Or maybe you have no such issues so far and readers hate or love the characters they were supposed to. Just as planned. [evil laughter]

Share your experiences here.

Kura 2021-07-26 15:40:37 UTC #2

So far, most of the characters that get hate for being annoying that I don't intend to get hate are just female =/ with there being very little I can do to fix that.

A lot of readers (mostly BL fans) seem to think that female character existing get in the way of their ships, so they are annoyed by them and just hate them regardless of how they are written, even when there no dialog or plot that would imply they would get in the way. The character could be the MC's little sister and obviously NOT a love interest and they would want her to die or threaten to stop reading if I give her any more lines.

A lot of times the only female characters they seem to be okay with are the 'fujoshi mom' trope =/

DiegoPalacios 2021-07-26 15:42:12 UTC #3

Some characters can get away with being annoying in-universe and not be hated by the audience as long as they are hillarious and/or useful.

For example, Donkey from Shrek annoyed the protagonist for most of the movie, but in the end, the character was a comedic goldmine and foil to the protagonist. Also,he helped Shrek figure out he liked Fiona and helped him open up to her AND his romance with the dragon saved them when the guards were too much for shrek and Fiona.

Another way one can deal with a character being annoying is with character development or limited screen time so their presence is more bearable.....

burgundy 2021-07-26 16:18:06 UTC #4

I wrote a character once who supposed to be sort of touch and prickly because she had a rough past but instead she ended up coming off as abrasive and irritating and insensitive. I pretty much threw the whole character out and started over. I deconstructed her backstory and rebuilt it in a way that I personally found relatable and considered what specific issues she might have instead of allowing her to just be a jerk about everything all the time. She's now one of my favorite characters that I've ever written because I can understand where she's coming from.

So I think the trick is to take the time to really get to know the character. If they're super annoying, odds are there's something about them that just isn't relatable.

Now if you want a character who is annoying in a kind of adorable way, the above example of Donkey is a great one.

Manyana 2021-07-26 16:31:18 UTC #5

In context, my novel begins when the MC is extremely young, as in her birth was included in the chapters - that young. She is also the only daughter of a king, which means she is a princess to begin with, so she is already privileged. She also holds the title of Hope of the Kingdom, so people look up to her more. Also, mentally, she is a grown woman (because she remembers her previous life) - this is just extra information.

So, with all of her riches and powers, as well as being treated as someone above others, she is spoiled not only by her parents. Because she is also royalty, everyone around her is a "yes man." Realistically, if a person of sound mind (mature thinking) is treated in a certain way for an extended period of time, they will be affected and have a high chance of "adopting" to that kind of treatment. In short, she - a mentally mature adult woman - accepted what was happening and gradually developed the mindset that she is indeed "above all else."

Many readers are irritated by her, and I, as an author, am equally annoyed. However, this is necessary for the character to show growth and development rather than remaining a character with no flaws or stuff. Keep in mind that this is the MC, so it's difficult for me as the author to create such "unwanted character personality" for my MC.

My point here is that "flawed" characters are required for a story to be more than just a "story." Flaws, whether intentional or unintentional, bring the characters to life and make them more realistic. No author would want to write a story with no dynamics or anything like that. What's wrong is when an annoying character doesn't grow and doesn't break out of her annoyingness - even without having their own arc.

I am not saying that it's good to be a (oof) as long as you have that "privileged kid" card, though.

My advice, create something about her that will make the audience like her. Tweak her personality or something. Or maybe, show the audience how she supports the couple, something like that, even if it's only subtle

Kann 2021-07-26 16:48:04 UTC #6

Hating a female character, because she "get's in the way" somehow by merely existing is especially grinding my gears, because I used to know such BL fans personally.

Kann 2021-07-26 16:51:28 UTC #7

Also Donkey's and Shrek's personalities create such a nice duo both for comedic and character development purposes.

MovieNut14 2021-07-26 18:08:28 UTC #8

My main character's deemed annoying by two supporting characters (not to her face, mind you) because she's very extroverted while they are decidedly...not.

Thankfully she figures it out on her own and tones it down when she's around them.

Also, big UGH to readers deeming female characters in BLs annoying for merely existing. Do you react the same to male characters in GLs then?

KUUPID 2021-07-26 18:22:44 UTC #9

So, I'm in the process of somewhat hating one of my characters xD

He wasn't supposed to be annoying but... one thing led to another, and now I'm starting to hate him as he's trying to ruin the main ship of the leads I'm still going with the flow though, since there's the whole traumatic past with him and one of the leads ;__;

I'm hoping that I can come up with a way for the character to redeem himself, but there's no guarantees at this point

Legendofgenii 2021-07-26 19:56:55 UTC #10

I’m aiming for ‘annoying but lovable’ with my MC. He’s full of energy, cheeky, naive and gets into trouble a lot. He’s fifteen and the other characters are adults so he does get on their nerves sometimes.

Hoping to portray this in my next few episodes actually, as it’s a travelling (annoy the adults) montage.