✨How to Write Messy, Complicated Characters That Readers Will Root for; & Win a Books With Hooks Critique✨
Plus, double the insights from authors Kirsten Miller and Marjan Kamali on this week's podcast episode!
Happy Friday, future podcast guests!
Have you been thinking that it might be easier to win the lottery than get chosen for 📕Books with Hooks 🪝? We feel you. With so much competition, the struggle is real! But don’t despair. You can stand a chance of winning a critique by helping us revamp our author Q&A feature. Comment on this post with suggestions of questions you’d love all your favorite authors to answer. Each suggestion gets you one ticket into the draw which will take place on the 31st of October!
Missed yesterday’s podcast episode? Then you missed out on twice the usual insights from two brilliant authors! Kirsten Miller, author of The Women of Wild Hill, discusses how fury can actually fuel your writing when it becomes super challenging to stare down the blank page. It’s advice that bodes well for us during times like these when there’s no shortage of rage to go around! Then, Marjan Kamali author of The Lion Women of Tehran advocates for throwing away the clock to stop putting pressure on yourself to publish by a certain age. We couldn’t agree more, Marjan! 📣
We also have a brilliant essay from Mark Waddell, author of Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World, in which he breaks down the four things he kept in mind while developing his main character Colin into an imperfect but relatable protagonist.
“With all due respect to the incredible Bonnie Tyler…no. We don’t need “good people” or “white knights.” We need messy, complicated characters whose morals are deliciously and unapologetically gray.”
Then, if you want to end 2025 with a bang, don’t miss out on the last Beta Reader Match Up of the year!
Finally, registration for CeCe’s fantastic course on Writing Tension (now better than ever with the addition of the Query Letter Studio) is still open for another 3 days! This four day workshop starts October 13th—for more details or to register click here!
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
P.S. Still not sure about upgrading to paid? Check out our Tuesday Teaser below to see what you’re missing!
This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨
Today’s author interview episode features two interviews! The first is with Kirsten Miller, bestselling author of The Women of Wild Hill, and the second is with Marjan Kamali, the NYT bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran. (Listen to it here or watch it on YouTube!).
First up, Bianca chats with Kirsten as they delve into how fury can fuel your writing and ensure you keep going when staring down the blank page becomes tough. They discuss the evolution of a novel, and how its structure changes as the author begins to understand their story better, as well as how prologues can serve as powerful tools to set the tone and context for the story. Kirsten shares insights on the intricate development of her characters, all while exploring the complexities of familial relationships and self-identity.
“Half of writing is keeping yourself entertained.”
— Kirsten Miller
More information about Kristen can be found on her website. She’s also on Instagram!
Then, CeCe interviews Marjan about her writing journey, the evolution of her novels, and the importance of patience and inner freedom in the creative process. Marjan shares insights on the role of social media, the significance of building a supportive team, and her unique writing techniques, including her approach to point of view and character development. The discussion also touches on cultural beliefs, the concept of success, and Marjan’s future projects, providing aspiring authors with valuable advice and inspiration.
“We’re often told that life is short and… we need to hurry it up. But I would say, please remember that life is long and you need to throw away the clock. Stop putting pressure on yourself. ‘I need to be published by 30. I need to be published by 40.’ None of that is true. You just have to tell the story you want to tell in the best way you possibly can. If that takes thirteen years, so be it.”
— Marjan Kamali
More information about Marjan can be found on her website. She’s also on Instagram!
How To Write Morally Gray Characters That Readers Will Root For
By Mark Waddell
Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?
Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the risin’ odds?
Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need…
I need a hero!
With all due respect to the incredible Bonnie Tyler…no. We don’t need “good people” or “white knights.” We need messy, complicated characters whose morals are deliciously and unapologetically gray.
Here’s my hot take: morally gray characters are more relatable than those who never make a questionable decision. They’re also more interesting, and that’s important, because flat, uninspiring characters are death to good storytelling.
The term “morally gray” is thrown around a lot by authors and readers alike. Sometimes they use it as shorthand for your typical anti-hero, the brooding, complicated protagonist with a dark past, or to describe a character whose defining feature is that they’re kind of a jerk. For me, a character embodies true moral grayness when they make choices that fall all along the moral spectrum between “good” and “evil.” Their actions are motivated not by a consistent desire to do good or to cause harm, but by factors that transcend morality—ensuring their own survival, for example, or achieving some specific goal.
There was a time when I appreciated stark moral lines separating the noble heroes from their evil adversaries. As a precocious bookworm obsessed with sword-and-sorcery fantasies, I had no problem with simplistic character development because, as a nine-year-old, simplistic was my jam. These were stories with a clear moral message (evil never triumphs) populated by relentless do-gooders who were about as interesting as a stale slice of Wonder Bread. Now, though, I have my own fantasy novel hitting shelves in October, featuring a protagonist whose scruples are super-duper gray. In Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World, the titular Colin veers all over the moral map in his quest to secure power, respect, and his own survival. Writing him was a blast, but also a challenge. I had to find a sweet spot somewhere between messiness and likeability, and that’s not always easy. So to help you craft your own morally gray characters, here are four things I kept in mind while developing Colin into an imperfect but relatable protagonist.
1. Flawed Characters Make Flawed Choices
It’s one of the first things we learn in Character-Building 101: give them flaws. Sally is a kleptomaniac and Jimmy has a secret gambling problem. Great! Now they have depth.
We can’t stop there, though. The next step is deciding how those flaws will affect the choices that character makes. Note that I’m talking about choices. A character forced by circumstance or bad luck into doing something morally questionable is one thing, but a character with options who chooses the questionable path…now that’s interesting! Maybe Sally’s kleptomania drives her to shoplift a cursed object from a spooky antiques store, and then she can’t stop herself from going back to steal more and more, hoping to find a solution but only making things worse. Maybe Jimmy’s gambling addiction gets his family kidnapped by Very Bad People, but rather than going to the police, he decides to win their freedom in a high-stakes poker tournament. As readers, we’re screaming at the page, “No! Don’t do it!”—and yet, we keep reading because we have to know what happens next.
2. Sympathy for the Devil
It’s hard to imagine Satan, ruler of Hell and ultimate bad boy, as a sympathetic character. And yet, all the way back in 1667, John Milton gave us exactly that. In Paradise Lost, Milton takes us inside Satan’s complicated worldview and helps us understand why he did what he did. Were his actions selfish, harmful, and deeply wrong? Absolutely. Do these glimpses of his interiority make him a more vibrant and interesting character? One hundred percent.
As you explore your own characters’ flaws and the actions they inspire, give us a reason to root for them. Help us understand and sympathize with the choices they make, especially when those choices might be hard to swallow. While we don’t have to agree with them, there should be a context in which those choices make sense.
3. Redemption Arcs Are Overrated
A complicated, messy person who learns a Very Special Lesson and “fixes” themself is…fine, I suppose. It’s certainly a common trope. Personally, I find it boring and—honestly?—kind of hackneyed. Why can’t someone stay complicated and messy and get their HEA? Why can’t we watch them drive off into the sunset knowing that they’re going to continue to make extremely questionable decisions?
There’s also the problem that redemption arcs can come across as heavy-handed moralizing on the part of the author, which doesn’t always sit well with readers. In early reviews for my book, a fair number of people seem to appreciate the fact that [spoiler alert!] Colin doesn’t become a radically different person by the end. Granted, I’m working with a small sample size here, but enough readers have called this out that it’s worth noting.
4. We All Go a Little Gray Sometimes
You might be reluctant to embrace moral grayness because you find it challenging to put yourself in the shoes of a character who does bad things. That can lead to writing that feels inauthentic or stilted. But you don’t have to be a brooding edgelord or a card-carrying anarchist to understand how to write characters with complicated morals. Just do some light introspection. Most of us try to be decent people, but occasionally we aren’t. It’s a universal part of the human condition, which is why moral grayness can be so relatable for readers.
Ultimately, don’t feel that all of your characters have to be morally gray all the time. There are lots of ways to make a character both interesting and relatable, and morality is merely one of them. If you really don’t want that kind of energy in your story, it’s absolutely okay to write characters who always strive to do the right thing.
On the other hand, don’t be shy about exploring a few, uh, shades of gray in your writing. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.) You might be surprised by how fun these characters can be and how easily they unfurl onto the page.
The Last Beta Reader Match Up of the Year 💞
Have you been sitting on the fence about signing up for the Beta Reader Match Up? Or you have signed up before but haven’t yet found your writing soul mates? The next match up is the last one of the year so don’t snooze on it!
Get matched up with those writing in a similar genre and/or time zone, so they can critique your work as you critique theirs.
Your manuscript doesn’t have to be complete to sign up for this 3000-word evaluation.
This particular match up will be open to registrations from now until the 2nd of November, with the match up emails going out on the 3rd of November.
Please spread the word even if you aren’t signing up this time! The more writers we have registered, the better the matches will be, which means you’ll be paying it forward to your fellow authors.
Tuesday Teaser 😉
In next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members, Kate Belli, author of The Gallery Assistant, shares how revising a novel that died on submission helped her get her yes! You want to hear her insights on how shifting genres was the key to her success.
USA TODAY and #1 Amazon bestselling author Trilina Pucci, author of One Killer Night, drops a ton of truth bombs in her author Q&A as she advocates for giving up and laying down the sword when your mind needs reprieve. You also don’t want to miss what she has to say about literary foreplay! 🔥
Chrystal Schleyer, author of A Most Peculiar Poisoning shares an author video in which she discusses her advice for creating the kind of atmosphere that does more than just bring setting to life.
Mark Waddell, author of Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World, expands on today’s excellent essay with a bonus tip about How To Write Morally Gray Characters That Readers Will Root For.
Not yet a member? For just $8USD a month or $80USD a year you get:
an exclusive newsletter on Tuesdays featuring bonus author Q&As and other exclusive content from industry experts
access to Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra’s written notes on queries from the podcast’s Books With Hooks feature
monthly bonus podcast episodes, AND
regular Ask Me Anythings / Q&As with Carly, CeCe, and Bianca Marais.
If that doesn’t kickstart your writing journey, we don’t know what will!
CeCe’s Writing Tension Course 🤩
CeCe’s popular Writing Tension: Creating Tension, Conflict, and Stakes in a Story course is back and better than ever with fun new features! In addition to the course fundamentals, participants will now have the option of submitting their query letters for a chance to have them critiqued in writing by CeCe (she plans to review at least 50)! And the more students who register, the more she’ll review!
In addition to the new Query Letter Studio, where you’ll learn how to perfect the plot paragraph in your query letter (using examples from selected attendees’ query letters!), this 4-day workshop will cover:
sources of tension and conflict;
how to establish tension and conflict that translates into stakes;
formulas for tension, conflict, and stakes
curiosity seeds
how to escalate conflict through a story’s plot points;
the most common mistakes;
how to tell if you have enough tension, conflict, and stakes (including for quiet novels); and
the role of conflict in various genres
Course Timing:
Three sessions on October 13, 16, and 20, 2025 at 7pm EST
There will be a live, cozy Q&A session on October 27 at 7pm EST (link will be emailed to you by Oct 21st).
For just $199 USD this is a LOT of bang for your buck—sign up today!
That’s all for this week’s news! If you enjoyed it, why not share the love? 🥰
Tune in again next week for more invaluable wisdom from our wonderful hosts! Until then, happy writing! 😍
❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
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Cece Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.
Thank you for the tips, definitely grey characters are the best!
Q&A: What's something everyone gets wrong when they talk about writing?