: Re: Is it ok for a tough character to be "petty"? My female protagonist wears Prada, and after receiving a big promotion at work, she plots to take over the CEO-ship of her company. One (female)

It's hard to give a completely accurate answer without the complete context of the character (her dialogue, her descriptions, how she views the world, and how specifically this situation unfolds) but the assumption of pettiness might not be wholly a symptom of likability, and more to do with how round, or fleshed out your character is.

Ask yourself is this action seems justified for your character to do? While Chris' comments are absolutely important to consider (the importance of likability is a huge conversation within the literary world that there simply is no real answer to) what's equally important is making sure your characters always have a motive or a clear reason for the actions they are doing.

Consider whether or not the actions she take are counter to her original design. Do the readers have any reason to believe that she wouldn't do something like this? Have you previously presented her as open-minded, tolerant, and fair, and perhaps her sudden hatred of people from "the wrong side of the tracks" (a phrase which is has its racist connotations) might be throwing readers off.

Pettiness largely stems from being narrow minded, after all. Do you consider your character as someone who would be largely narrow minded? If so, it's perfectly fine for her to be petty, in fact, even if you don't consider her to be narrow minded, it's perfectly reasonable for anyone to make a petty comment once in a while.

What's critical however is making sure your character is not just one thing. Make sure she is not just "tough" or not just "petty" but a combination of things. Let the audience know why she's doing things, what is causing these emotions (perhaps she's jealous or had a bad experience), and so on, and you'll be fine. That is, after all, what makes for strong likable and non-likable protagonists!

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: Re: Is it ok for a tough character to be "petty"? My female protagonist wears Prada, and after receiving a big promotion at work, she plots to take over the CEO-ship of her company. One (female)

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: Essay Writing Introduction Paragraph How do I write an introduction paragraph when it comes to writing a simple essay for those who have no idea what to write about and I don't have a creative

: I agree with much of what is said above and would add that you have to read. You have to read a lot. You will not be able to write unless you read huge amounts, both in and our of

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