Are Your Characters Annoying?

Don’t get me wrong.

Characters can be too annoying. The kind of annoying where you stop wishing them well. As a rule of thumb, I would say most of us read books because we either want to escape the world or enjoy the parts of the world that we care about the most. We don’t read to have our teeth set on edge by petty characters and their problems.

But here’s the thing. The best characters come across as real people.

And real people are annoying.

Sometimes, it is a trait that is actually wonderful in and of itself – but to someone else, it is extremely grating. For instance, an optimistic person who is always pointing out the bright side could come across as fake or unbearable to someone who’s been down on their luck and feeling fed up with suffering.

Often, it might be a habit – one quirky thing that a person does that is quite maddening to those around them.

Here are a few from my own experience:

·       Flicking one’s fingernails together

·       Chewing on one’s lips

·       Inserting the same word or phrase into your speech over and over again (I had a teacher that used to say “absolutely” all the time. That was thirteen years ago and it’s the first thing I remember when I think of her. Recently, I overheard someone say “With all due respect” on repeat in their conversation. It was very annoying because it didn’t come across as all that respectful.)

·       Sitting or standing so close that they are physically bumping you when there is plenty of room on their other side

·       Fake laughs

Notice that most of these things aren’t wrong in and of themselves. They are simply actions that can come across as annoying depending on who is present at the time.

Here are a few other ideas of annoying things your character might do. Please note that these things aren’t always annoying. The point is that other people – in certain moments – would find them to be so. Maybe your characters already do these things, and you haven’t considered the possibilities for conflict that they could create in your scenes:

·       They talk too much (and don’t listen enough)

·       They whistle, hum, or sing a lot

·       They jiggle their leg or rub their hands when they’re bored or stressed

·       They talk too loudly during moments that call for a softer voice

·       They won’t drop a subject that you’d rather not discuss

·       They ask questions all the time

Just remember, even if your character is utterly loveable, chances are there is something about them that will get on someone else’s nerves. What other characters might be annoyed by them? Does this lead to any interesting scenes?

Writing Challenges

·       Come up with your own list of things people do that you find annoying. Do you have any characters that would do these things?

·       Make a list: Who are some of your favorite characters in literature or films? What is annoying about them?

·       Brainstorm a brand new character starting with one annoying habit.

·       Write a scene where one character has no clue they are driving another character up the wall. Where are the opportunities for humor in this scene? (Tip: Consider short sentences and 1-2 sentence paragraphs when emphasizing the annoying behavior. This can be far more effective than writing out long descriptive sentences.)

·       Write a scene where a character is annoying someone in an unexpected way (something that wouldn’t usually seem annoying, but for some reason, it is triggering to the other character(s) in the scene).

Effective Characters that Have Annoying Traits:

·       My favourite character of all-time: Gen, in Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief

·       Eustace in C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

·       Dolores Umbridge in J. K. Rowling’s The Order of the Phoenix

·       Pippin in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

·       Buddy in Elf