Unlikeable Narrators

Ok, so I'm a writer. And if you're not a writer or a reader, you probably won't get this. But it's something that just makes me angry.

The number one rule for writing fiction is...well, it's "Write about what you know," if you ask most people.

But the other most important rule is "Love your characters."

And the thing is, some authors don't.

I read a book this summer (young adult fiction, of course, because that's my thing), and I thought it'd be really fun, easy, beach reading. However, it wasn't fun. It was awful.

I guess I won't name the author or book title, because assuming my blog ever becomes a viral hit and this author comes across it, I don't want to hurt her feelings. But I'll say what it's about. It's about this girl who has gotten to college, and decides she doesn't want to go, and she packs up and moves back home. And then, throughout the entire book, she lays around the house and whines and complains, even though her dad is super nice, and doesn't even make her get a job until the middle of the book. Oh, and here's another really winning part: Her mother lives in Europe, and she whines and complains when her mother asks her if she wants to live in Europe with her! Are you kidding me? You get a free trip to Europe and you complain about it?

So I read through the whole book, thinking this girl was going to find her ultimate dream and go achieve it. But really, she gets a job, visits some friends, rekindles some relationships with her siblings, but continues to be a huge brat.

And then, I just read this historical fiction book for class. It's from the point of view of this slaver's wife, and so I understand why the character wouldn't exactly be likeable. I mean, she's got it in her mind that slavery is good, blah, blah, blah. So I can see that. But it's very clear that the author doesn't even love this character. In fact, on the back of the book, she calls this character "monstrously self-absorbed."

Monstrously self-absorbed?! That's not how you talk about your characters!

Go ahead and make the most awful character you want. I'm fine with it. Voldemort is pretty awful. But I'm not reading a book from his point of view!

But the second you write a narrator who's a miserable, monstrous person, then I don't want to read it! And if you do make a terrible character, at least have some qualities you like about them.

Please. Ugh.

Just love your characters!

Texting in Class

I'm not a professor. But I'm a senior, and sometimes, especially in classes with freshmen and sophomores, I feel like a professor. And I really get annoyed by these people sometimes, because they have no idea how to behave in class. Often, they text during the discussion.

I can't stand that clicking noise. It's so loud. At least try to be a little discrete.

Oh, but, wait. The thing is, they do try to be discrete. They hold their phones underneath their desks. Because it doesn't look suspicious when you're sitting there staring at your lap. A little weird? Yes. Suspicious? Also, yes.

So I hate it. It's not like I get very distracted over it. I just think it's very disrespectful. And kinda dumb, since you're paying tens of thousands of dollars to be in class.

But I guess that's why I'm a senior, and that's why I do well in my classes. Because I have a long enough attention span to sit through 2 hours without texting "lol" and "asap" and "c u l8er" to my friends.

Gosh, I feel kinda old...