: Re: Does the main character have to be likable? I am often hearing / reading that the main character of your story should be likable or even if flawed should be something about them to get the

@RJPawlick285

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"He's selfish, arrogant and grumpy, and tries to find blame in others for everything wrong with his life." Other than the blame, he sounds like Dr Gregory House and Dr House managed to engage people enough to survive 8 seasons on TV.
I would argue that the main character doesn't have to be "likeable" as much as "relatable". If people recognize their own traits or those of someone they know then they are interested in them, whether they like / approve of those traits or not. You say the character is selfish - we all have the impulse to be selfish at times, and can even secretly wish we were more inclined to say no when we end up helping a friend-of-a-friend move for the third time in 6 months.
You clearly find something interesting enough about this character to want to spend your time writing about them. Consider why you are interested and be sure that those aspects are the ones that come across. Adding somewhat more "likeable" characters like your secondary character and showing why they are interested / friendly with the main character will also help.

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