columns
NO CHARACTER IS OFF-LIMITS
by Sarah Noffke (TopShelf Columnist)
Twitter @RealSarahNoffke | SarahNoffke.com
www.TopShelfMagazine.net
I’ve often heard publishing experts encourage
writers to make their protagonist likable. We are
supposed to make these Katniss and Frodo types
who sacrifice everything for other people. Those
are wonderful characters, but there are other
realities, ones where the protagonist is a coward.
Where they make wrong decisions. Where they
are mean. Where they steal, cheat, lie, and leave
their loved ones to die with little emotion showed.
What about Sherlock Holmes? He was
considered cold and dispassionate.
Writing a protagonist that readers want to
follow and cheer on is no easy feat for authors.
Do you write your main character to be always
good-tempered? Or much like Holmes, should
they be rude? The answer is that like everything
in writing; there are no right answers. It’s purely
subjective. In this issue, we’re going to explore
the more Sherlock Holmes type characters. Join
us in the next issue when I turn the coin over and
detail how to write the likable protagonist.
Write about what you know. That’s common
advice to writers. More recently, agents and
editors have encouraged authors to write from
their gender and race. If you’re a white male, it’s
sometimes frowned upon to write a book from
the perspective of a minority woman. I had an
author friend tell me that his agent would turn
down my books. Sure I have books from the POV
of a blonde girl, which I happen to be. But I also
have a series written from the POV of a British,
male womanizer. And I’m none of those things.
But you know what I’d tell my friend’s agent?
“Go to bloody hell, you daft wanker.”
So since I love breaking rules, I decided to
break both of those when I created the legendary
Ren Lewis! He’s nothing like me, and he’s
completely unlikable. And you know what? I
have zero regrets.
from the POV of our gender and race. I’ve
heard male romance writers say they’ve
been criticized for having a female main
character. And God forbid a white author
write first person POV as a Native
American. It can be done. It can be done
right and well. What it takes is proper
education and diligence. For instance, I have
two beta readers from London who check
my vernacular.
And I don’t believe that protagonists
have to be likable. They need to be real.
Relatable. And more than anything, they
need to be interesting.
So was it a risk to write a series like Ren?
Absolutely. But the result is a man came
alive, one who insults the public while saving
their lives. One who has the decency to use
THE INSIDE SCOOP
I had a reader contact me the other day.
“What part of the UK are you from?” The
native Londoner asked me over email. He had
just read the first book in the Ren series, The
Man Behind the Monster.
“I’m not from the UK,” I informed him. “I’m
a born and raised Texan.”
“No way,” the reader responded.
Way.
Ren Lewis was raised in a small town in the
countryside of England. He abandoned the
“holy pits of hell” at age seventeen for the bright
lights and easy women in London. It is in this city
that a majority of the story takes place. And
although I’ve visited London, I’m by no means
an expert on the city. So how did I, a girl raised
in a rodeo town, write an entire series featuring a
snarky Brit? I think I owe a lot to BBC. While
most children were
watching Mickey
Mouse Clubhouse
and Disney movies, I
was watching British
comedies. To this day
I’ve never seen 101
Dalmatians or
Beauty and the
Beast. However, I
don’t feel deprived. I
was nourished by the
dry humor of shows
like Are You Being
Served, Keeping Up
Appearances, Red
Dwarf and of course
Doctor Who. And more recently I’ve been a
huge fan of Black Books, Thin Blue Line, IT
Crowd and Vicar of Dibley. When it comes to
American pop culture I’m completely clueless.
However, I know tons of different British terms
for private parts. Twigs and berries. Bollocks.
Fanny. Gentleman Sausage. Knob. Bell End.
Dobber. Meat and two veg. John Thomas. Just to
name a few. And when I curse, I can make it
sound slightly dignified.
The truth is that from a young age I was
obsessed with British culture. The first thing I
ever wrote was a play set in London called Just a
Cup of Tea. And I wrote that three-act play at
age eight from a treehouse in East Texas.
I obviously don’t agree with the snobby
publishing critics who think we have to write
COLUMNS
his powers for good and also won’t refrain from
telling people they’re bloody gits. Ren, to me, is
very much alive, and to my readers he’s real. So
my advice to writers is, take chances. Educate
yourself. And never allow someone to tell you
that a character is off limits or you need to make
them more likable. Hell, Ren’s personally tells his
readers to “F” off in one of his books. And you
know what? Readers love him.
So write the character who is in your head,
whether they are black, white, politically
incorrect or a solid jerk.
Join us in the next issue where we explore
what makes for the likable protagonist because
there is something to be said for the Katniss and
Frodos of the book world.
More Articles at: TopShelfMagazine.net
TOPShelf magazine
APRIL2018 11