Writing Antisocial Characters
In real life and in fiction, 'good' and 'nice' do not necessarily overlap. So it's perfectly acceptable-- sometimes even beneficial to your storyline-- to write a character who doesn't play nicely with others (or at the very least spends a good deal of time giving society the finger). The big risk, of course, is creating a 'Jerk Sue'-- in other words, a character who is beloved and indulged by those around them in spite of their objectively unpleasant behaviour.
How can one write an antisocial character who intrigues the reader instead of annoying them? There are many, many examples, but some common threads exist:
The character allows vicarious rebellion. Sure, they're a rulebreaker, but the rules they are breaking are stupid or oppressive, or they're breaking them for a good cause. We cheer for this character because they're our vehicle to experience the thrill of rebellious acts-- telling off our obnoxious coworker, sneaking out of class, etc.
The character has some redeeming emotional traits. Maybe the character loves animals, or cares deeply for their parents, or does a job which centres around helping others. Another layer could be that their prickly exterior is a defense mechanism, and not their 'true' personality. However this is developed, the character has kindness, a strong moral centre, or some other appealing trait to make up for their less endearing ones. There are some exceptions, such as sociopathic characters who hold our fascination out of curiosity and horror (think Hannibal Lecter), or characters whose outrageously horrible behaviour is played for dark comedy (think Seinfeld, or Southpark's Eric Cartman), but these characters work because we are expected not to sympathise with them.
They face consequences for jerkass behaviour. Like most 'higher' mammals, Homo sapians have an acute sense of fairness. Furthermore, even if we sympathise with the character (and maybe even their questionable actions), having them get away with everything strains suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Even if the character is protected from certain punishments due to some special circumstances-- critical job skills, diplomatic immunity, wads of cash-- there need to be consequences, such as resentment from others.
How can one write an antisocial character who intrigues the reader instead of annoying them? There are many, many examples, but some common threads exist:
The character allows vicarious rebellion. Sure, they're a rulebreaker, but the rules they are breaking are stupid or oppressive, or they're breaking them for a good cause. We cheer for this character because they're our vehicle to experience the thrill of rebellious acts-- telling off our obnoxious coworker, sneaking out of class, etc.
The character has some redeeming emotional traits. Maybe the character loves animals, or cares deeply for their parents, or does a job which centres around helping others. Another layer could be that their prickly exterior is a defense mechanism, and not their 'true' personality. However this is developed, the character has kindness, a strong moral centre, or some other appealing trait to make up for their less endearing ones. There are some exceptions, such as sociopathic characters who hold our fascination out of curiosity and horror (think Hannibal Lecter), or characters whose outrageously horrible behaviour is played for dark comedy (think Seinfeld, or Southpark's Eric Cartman), but these characters work because we are expected not to sympathise with them.
They face consequences for jerkass behaviour. Like most 'higher' mammals, Homo sapians have an acute sense of fairness. Furthermore, even if we sympathise with the character (and maybe even their questionable actions), having them get away with everything strains suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Even if the character is protected from certain punishments due to some special circumstances-- critical job skills, diplomatic immunity, wads of cash-- there need to be consequences, such as resentment from others.
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