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2026-08-16 11:24:06 UTC

Charlie Stross on Nostr: aug 16: how do you maintain the readers sympathy for your characters? If/when they ...

aug 16: how do you maintain the readers sympathy for your characters?

If/when they need to punch someone, have them punch up, not down.

My current WIP's protagonists are unapologetic thieves and con artists at best—one of them is also a low-key murderer—but their targets are at best wealthy deplorables and at worst they're depraved monsters.

(In other words, if you're going to write anti-heroes, don't show them strangling kittens: show them stabbing kitten-stranglers.)