Here’s the thing: Readers can’t help rooting for anti-heroes. ❤️🔥
Anti-heroes are so interesting, because they are not pure good or evil, they live in the gray area between. 🌒
So here’s an easy explanation on what an anti-hero is and a checklist for you to create compelling anti-heroes! 📝
what’s an anti-hero? 🤔
A anti-hero is a character who lacks some typical hero qualities or breaks important rules. 🤯
For example:
- they are morally complex 🎭
- they make questionable choices 🙅♀️
- they are flawed, relatable, and dangerous ⚠️
- they might even hurt people to protect what they love ❤️🩹
anti-hero checklist ✅
To write anti-heroes you can use these points as inspiration or as checklist, but of course you don’t need to include every detail if you don’t want to! 📝
- the anti-hero has a personal moral code, that only makes sense to them. the stronger their personal code, the more dramatic it is when they break it! ⛓️
- they are willing to cross lines a hero never would 🦸🏽
- they are haunted by choices they can never undo 👻
- they have fierce loyalty to a chosen few 💞
- they are motivated by a mix of love and vengeance, good and evil 🔥
- they distrust certain people, authority, rules or systems 🧐
- they are capable of cruelty but hate pointless suffering 😢
- they always walk on the fine line between redemption and ruin 😨
tips to write anti-heroes:
Give them small moments of kindness and softness to keep your readers hooked and the tension up! ✅
I did post my own viral character sheet for creating compelling characters, so if you want to add even more depth and personality to your anti-hero, check it out for free here on my blog or on social media! 🌱
last words
I hope you like this little guide on how to write anti-heroes. if so, I would really appreciate you liking this post or visiting my social media accounts! also, don’t forget to save for your next writing session.
happy writing, your Katharina
Katharina Romes 