Nice People Suck

There is a character in my ms that is sweet, thoughtful, naive, and gets taken advantage of a LOT. I know real people like her. When I started writing, I intended to write someone normal, someone we could all relate too. Yet everyone who reads my ms says, “I LOVE character X. He’s awesome. Character Y is nice, but I don’t love her.”

Sadly, I don’t disagree with them. She is really nice. I like her. She’d make a great friend. But I LOVE the b*&%^y side character who is trying to steal her boyfriend.

Why do characters who are cruel, sarcastic, slutty, rude (continue string of negative synonyms) resonate better with readers? Why don’t we root for the nice guy?

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