on hatred of characters and how this impedes the story
I don't believe that a writer should hate any of the characters that they write. This goes for fan fiction and regular fiction, mind you. It seeps into their writing and pollutes the image of the character until it's as though the narrative is smacking us repeatedly over the head, saying: "I, the author, find this character to be a useless waste of space/ a wretched piece of scum/ a sniveling tool."
I read and it's almost as though I can see the author's hand up a hacked-out hole in the character's back, making scripted responses and becoming odd chimeras of irrational fictional character hate and real life-based anger. If you decide to write a character, you shouldn't hate them. If you're going to write a character, attempt to see them in a sympathetic or at least empathetic light- get into their head, see their motivations, feel something for the character. I feel like you have failed as a writer if you can't do at least this. Even if you're writing the most despicable bastard to glide across the plains, they should fascinate you, engage you, and make you think a different way. You can still dislike them, don't get me wrong. Disagree with their opinions, feel contempt for their actions if you will, but this petty character bashing is obnoxious.
Examples of reasons for this bashing:
The character reminds you of those mean girls from high school/people you have met that you dislike.
You are writing from an emotionally-biased point of view. Get a little space between you and the character.
It's always good to remember to keep a healthy distance between your real life and the story you are supposed to be enjoying. Character A MAY be a neat freak and a girl scout like your obnoxious little sister, but that character does not share a personality with her because of this. Do not psychoanalyze the character as that mean girl from high school without acknowledging that the character has their own personality. You are allowed to disagree with political and religious opinions, but if you make out the sweetheart with the cross out to be a homophobic zealot, I will be tossing you fic out the window faster than light speed.
This is double fail if you neglect to factor in gender, class, and other social circumstances into this so-called character critique, and we get a male fighter character in a warrior caste who acts like your bratty baby sister. Seriously. Not cool.
This is triple fail if the above factors are included in the critique and in fact ARE the critique.
You dislike the way the author used this character.
Which is fine, but has nothing to do with the character themselves. I may find it obnoxious that Character A has won every fight she has ever fought, or that Character D somehow always finds the right thing to say at exactly the right time, but that does not affect the character as a person. It doesn't automatically make Character A a smug, obnoxious prick, or Character D an arrogant, condescending, wannabe saint. I think you should try to think of the character in the context of the story, and not through the lens of meta.
This is not to say that Character A is NOT a smug, obnoxious prick. It's just than their constant winning streak doesn't automatically make them so. I personally despised Sailor Moon for being the epitome of idiot blonde cheesecake, but I acknowledge that she's a sweet person despite her eye-twitchingly unbearable place in the story.
You're a misogynistic fuckpole.
Die in a fire.
Okay, let's try this again. You hate female character A because she does not represent your ideal figure of womanhood.
Die in a fire.
Sorry. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Much like the tendency of fans to vilify female characters for their relationships with male characters, the fact that they are not as strong as the male characters due to sexist storytelling or different career choices, and any aspect of their personality that could possibly be considered disagreeable. I'm not sure if there's a cure for this one. Fandom misogynists (observe, I have made a partner term for fandom feminists,) tend to cling to their ways, and woe betide those who don't bow before their superior knowledge of the female gender and the one true feminist path. Which means female characters only stay safe if they are tertiary, silent, obedient, cute, and stay out of the male characters' way. And never, ever, ever get involved with them romantically.
I still have no idea why fans exhibit signs of jealousy over fictional characters. It's not like a relationship is possible. Why hate on the women these guys hook up with and befriend?
This is inverted with Shinji from Evangelion and other male characters who are not typically masculine. They are hated, jeered at, and receive comments about how they need to 'be men', 'grow a pair,' and other similarly macho tripe. If a guy is soft, sensitive, kind, affectionate, shy, quiet, or emotional, it does not mean you should write a story in which they become loud, verbally abusive frat boys. Seriously. Spare me. I would like to shove your gender roles down your throat.
You think this character is not physically attractive and therefore you either fix them, or write a godforsaken makeover fic.
Look in the mirror and note your own physical imperfection. Take a long time to accept it and eventually understand that physical attributes do not equal individual worth and do not reflect on the personality of a character.
And for crissakes, stop making the plain guys rape the women so the pretty boy can swoop in and be Prince Charming.
You dislike the character for completely legitimate reasons, such as the fact that he is a crazy psychotic bastard and she is a greedy, dangerously amoral child molester.
Please don't write a story for the express purpose of bashing that character, putting them in a pointless humiliating situation, or killing them off multiple ways in a stunningly psychotic display of fan anger. Just write the ones you like. No one will judge you for it, I swear.
I read and it's almost as though I can see the author's hand up a hacked-out hole in the character's back, making scripted responses and becoming odd chimeras of irrational fictional character hate and real life-based anger. If you decide to write a character, you shouldn't hate them. If you're going to write a character, attempt to see them in a sympathetic or at least empathetic light- get into their head, see their motivations, feel something for the character. I feel like you have failed as a writer if you can't do at least this. Even if you're writing the most despicable bastard to glide across the plains, they should fascinate you, engage you, and make you think a different way. You can still dislike them, don't get me wrong. Disagree with their opinions, feel contempt for their actions if you will, but this petty character bashing is obnoxious.
Examples of reasons for this bashing:
The character reminds you of those mean girls from high school/people you have met that you dislike.
You are writing from an emotionally-biased point of view. Get a little space between you and the character.
It's always good to remember to keep a healthy distance between your real life and the story you are supposed to be enjoying. Character A MAY be a neat freak and a girl scout like your obnoxious little sister, but that character does not share a personality with her because of this. Do not psychoanalyze the character as that mean girl from high school without acknowledging that the character has their own personality. You are allowed to disagree with political and religious opinions, but if you make out the sweetheart with the cross out to be a homophobic zealot, I will be tossing you fic out the window faster than light speed.
This is double fail if you neglect to factor in gender, class, and other social circumstances into this so-called character critique, and we get a male fighter character in a warrior caste who acts like your bratty baby sister. Seriously. Not cool.
This is triple fail if the above factors are included in the critique and in fact ARE the critique.
You dislike the way the author used this character.
Which is fine, but has nothing to do with the character themselves. I may find it obnoxious that Character A has won every fight she has ever fought, or that Character D somehow always finds the right thing to say at exactly the right time, but that does not affect the character as a person. It doesn't automatically make Character A a smug, obnoxious prick, or Character D an arrogant, condescending, wannabe saint. I think you should try to think of the character in the context of the story, and not through the lens of meta.
This is not to say that Character A is NOT a smug, obnoxious prick. It's just than their constant winning streak doesn't automatically make them so. I personally despised Sailor Moon for being the epitome of idiot blonde cheesecake, but I acknowledge that she's a sweet person despite her eye-twitchingly unbearable place in the story.
You're a misogynistic fuckpole.
Die in a fire.
Okay, let's try this again. You hate female character A because she does not represent your ideal figure of womanhood.
Die in a fire.
Sorry. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Much like the tendency of fans to vilify female characters for their relationships with male characters, the fact that they are not as strong as the male characters due to sexist storytelling or different career choices, and any aspect of their personality that could possibly be considered disagreeable. I'm not sure if there's a cure for this one. Fandom misogynists (observe, I have made a partner term for fandom feminists,) tend to cling to their ways, and woe betide those who don't bow before their superior knowledge of the female gender and the one true feminist path. Which means female characters only stay safe if they are tertiary, silent, obedient, cute, and stay out of the male characters' way. And never, ever, ever get involved with them romantically.
I still have no idea why fans exhibit signs of jealousy over fictional characters. It's not like a relationship is possible. Why hate on the women these guys hook up with and befriend?
This is inverted with Shinji from Evangelion and other male characters who are not typically masculine. They are hated, jeered at, and receive comments about how they need to 'be men', 'grow a pair,' and other similarly macho tripe. If a guy is soft, sensitive, kind, affectionate, shy, quiet, or emotional, it does not mean you should write a story in which they become loud, verbally abusive frat boys. Seriously. Spare me. I would like to shove your gender roles down your throat.
You think this character is not physically attractive and therefore you either fix them, or write a godforsaken makeover fic.
Look in the mirror and note your own physical imperfection. Take a long time to accept it and eventually understand that physical attributes do not equal individual worth and do not reflect on the personality of a character.
And for crissakes, stop making the plain guys rape the women so the pretty boy can swoop in and be Prince Charming.
You dislike the character for completely legitimate reasons, such as the fact that he is a crazy psychotic bastard and she is a greedy, dangerously amoral child molester.
Please don't write a story for the express purpose of bashing that character, putting them in a pointless humiliating situation, or killing them off multiple ways in a stunningly psychotic display of fan anger. Just write the ones you like. No one will judge you for it, I swear.