: 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

What's important is that the character is comprehensible. A character who does horrible things is one thing; a character who does horrible things for no apparent reason is quite another. It's the former we typically see.
Maybe they think they're doing the right thing; maybe they feel slighted by a perceived injustice; maybe they have an inflated sense of their own importance, or a poor appreciation of what others are going through, allowing them to see themselves as the victim; maybe they've been through horrible things that warped what good was in them before; maybe they've tried to be good, but gave up on it because they were inept at it or it get blowing up in their face; maybe some prejudice in others leads to a presumption they'll be bad, so they just give in.
As an author, you should know what the reason is; put it in your literary iceberg. The deeper your own understanding of the character, the more organic their flaws will come across in the writing. You may even find the character becomes morally greyer as you continue. This is especially likely if a first-person narrative lets us see the thoughts behind vile actions. I remember writing a character I intended to come across as evil and dangerous and frightening, only for a beta reader who didn't know that to praise me for how sympathetic they were. That kind of happy accident is when you know you're on the right track.

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: How do I add technical exposition in my fiction novel? I have written a fiction novel about an adolescent who commits suicide. The story explores the childhood abuse from her father that pushed

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: Present tense in personal recounts I'm writing a travel memoir and have come across a dilemma of sorts. Yes, I know that a memoir is usually written in the past tense -- since it happened

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: How to balance an eloquent character/narrator with the need for readers to understand the story I'm writing a short story told in first person by a character who, an avid book lover, is much

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: Education, whether it be at the primary or post-secondary level, is always important. At your age, I would highly recommend relegating writing (especially writing a book) to a hobby, an extra-curricular

: 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

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: How do I add technical exposition in my fiction novel? I have written a fiction novel about an adolescent who commits suicide. The story explores the childhood abuse from her father that pushed

: Present tense in personal recounts I'm writing a travel memoir and have come across a dilemma of sorts. Yes, I know that a memoir is usually written in the past tense -- since it happened

: How to balance an eloquent character/narrator with the need for readers to understand the story I'm writing a short story told in first person by a character who, an avid book lover, is much

: Education, whether it be at the primary or post-secondary level, is always important. At your age, I would highly recommend relegating writing (especially writing a book) to a hobby, an extra-curricular

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