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@chalice SAMEEEE. My POV character is an angry, bitter jerk who thinks only of himself and how to bring about the downfall of those who hurt him. He’s so obsessed about advancing his own agenda, he doesn’t really care who gets trampled along the way. (Well, except for like…five people.)

So, yeah, I sympathize with you. 😄

Everybody has been giving out excellent ideas, and I don’t have much to add, but I’ll share the things that have personally helped me deal with the horribleness of my POV character:

1. @elisha-starquill mentioned tragic backstories. Well, this guy got one for sure. Murder, betrayal, family dysfunction, false charges, having everything he’s loved and dreamed of ripped from his hands…with all the horrible things that happened to him, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

2. He was a real sweetheart before all these dreadful things came crashing down on top of him and catching glimpses of that throughout the story helps me love him.

3. He forms a very strong bond with another main character and this relationship brings out the good things in him like loyalty and trust. Yeah, he messes up a lot and the relationship hits rough spots, but I’m hoping that it will help me love him more.

4. There’s potential for healing and redemption. I’m still working on the first draft, but I’m hoping to drop little hints of hope here and there that point towards a redemptive ending for my character. In the moments when he shows a tiny bit of kindness, or he apologizes for something, I hope that readers will be able to catch glimpses of a character that has a chance to change for the better.

I think the biggest thing for me was trying to make my character has realistic as possible in the sense that while yes, he’s really messed up and his priorities have gotten all out of wack, he’s still human and has both his good and bad sides.

I hope that was helpful…but to be honest, I’m still trying to figure this out for myself. 😂 I’ve loved hearing everybody’s thoughts and it’s given me some new ideas for my POV character! So thanks for starting this thread, Chalice! It’s amazing.  😊