What does it take to write a good antihero?
Some of the most gripping stories feature an antihero. It's easier to write characters that are ultimately good or ultimately evil, but writing a more realistic, darker character is tricky. What are some of the necessities for creating an antihero that readers both love and hate in equal measure?
Answers ( 2 )
First we need to understand that an antihero is not the antithises to the heroic protoganist; the antihero is a specific kind of protagonist, the realistic kind of person like you and me who is neither all good nor all bad. These protagonists are called antiheroes because they do not meet the criteria readers and viewers expect of heroes, i.e. near superhuman strength or insight or perfection. See Britannica's articles on Hero and on Antihero.
Antihero Defined
Likewise, the Master Class Article "What is an Antihero?" states:
And from Literary Devices:
Writing the Antihero
As in writing any other character, to write the antihero one must get inside the character's head to know what the person hears, feels, sees, thinks, tastes, smells, i.e. what life is like for them. All the articles above provide examples of antiheroes to help you determine their role in the story. Show the world through their eyes, their point of view, their prejudices and biases.
In my personal opinion, nothing shows a person's character more clearly than the way they interact with others. Human interaction reveals an individual's values with regards to class, religion, race, sexual orientation, etc. Do thy speak with equal respect to everybody or do they show disdain and condescension to certain characters? If so, why? These are thing you want to show in your write, or "write into your character."
You won't say, "Tom had great respect for his teacher but disdained his poorly dressed neighbour." You want to show him doing these things. In depth instructions on character development are beyond the scope of this answer but a helpful Master Class Article is "How to Develop a Fictional Character: 6 Tips for Writing Great Characters."
Same, I think, as for any important character: get inside their head and see the world the way they do. Reserve judgement. Make the reader want them to succeed. Express their anxieties and tensions about the bad things they do. Resist the temptation to reveal them as "evil".