HelloOoOo everybody!
Today I'm continuing my series on character development by covering another heavily requested topic. You guys want to know all about morally grey characters, so we're gonna talk about feet! I'm just kidding. We're talking about morally grey characters, calm down. Morally grey characters have become increasingly popular in fiction. People eat ‘em up. Are they good? Are they bad? Who cares, we love ‘em!
The problem is there are different interpretations of what constitutes a morally grey character, which leaves a lot of writers confused. Thus, I'm going to try my best to demystify moral greyness so you can write yourself a bunch of shady-ass characters! We are breaking down the mystery that is the morally grey character in three, two, one, go!
This video is sponsored by Audible. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Number 1: What IS a Morally Grey Character?
A morally grey character is a character who is morally ambiguous. They've got good traits and bad traits. They do good things and bad things. One moment they may seem like the good guy, and the next moment they may seem kind of evil.
Why is this concept so confusing? While the definition of morally grey characters may seem straightforward, it kinda isn't. No one can seem to agree on how heavily we can read into the definition or what additives we can tack onto it. There are a few schools of thought involving morally grey characters, but the two I see most often are as follows.
First is the simplest option: morally grey characters do both good and bad things, and have both good and bad motivations. Looking at this interpretation of moral greyness, a hefty chunk of characters fit under this label. Whether they lean more toward being a good guy or a bad guy, a lot of characters do both good and bad things for a variety of impulses. For example, Robin Hood steals from the rich, which is bad. But he gives to the poor, which is good. So, he would be considered morally grey. Diving in deeper, we can look at Tobias from The Savior's Champion. His primary motivations are helping his family and protecting his girlfriend, which are good motivations. However he also murders and assists in the murder of several people, and while some of those situations are self-defense, most are revenge-fueled, which is a bad motivation. Thus, according to this interpretation, Tobias would be seen as morally grey.
Then there's the second interpretation, which is a bit more complicated. This school of thought believes that morally grey characters commit both good and bad actions. However, their motivations are hard to determine. In this situation, the lack of clarity is key. Their motivations are unclear or unknown. Looking at Tobias, while he does both good and bad things, his motivations are very clear. Thus, he wouldn't be considered morally grey. Similarly, Robin Hood's motivations are clear, so we wouldn't consider him morally grey, either.
Number 2: What’s My Interpretation of Moral Greyness?
Normally, when I do a video like this, I try to stay as objective as possible. However, I can't really continue on to the next points without picking a side. Thus, I'm going to focus on the interpretation that I believe makes the most sense, and that's the first one. Morally grey characters do good and bad things and have both good and bad motivations.
The reason I lean toward this interpretation is it's pretty common for a character's motivations to be revealed. If not initially, then as the book or series progresses. Thus, if we look at the second interpretation, very few characters would be categorized as morally grey. In fact, all the characters that I've seen listed alongside this interpretation have had their motivations revealed, which directly contradicts the definition. Even if the motivation isn't explicitly stated, it's often showcased through action, emotion, or dialogue. So it's kinda hard to keep the reader in the dark forever. If a character has both good and bad motivations, I personally believe they're morally grey.
Number 3: What Are the Benefits of Writing Morally Grey Characters?
The biggest benefit is that they're realistic. Most people, even if they're good or bad people, are not 100% pure or 100% evil. I consider myself a good person who is motivated by good, but I’ve fucked up before and I've made decisions that had some less-than-pure motivations. Readers tend to find morally grey characters believable because they're an accurate and often relatable look into the human experience. The next benefit of morally grey characters is that they are multi-dimensional, which makes them engaging to read. Sometimes characters who are just good or just bad can come off as flat because it feels like that's all there is to them. They're just a hero. They're just evil. Morally grey characters tend to come off a lot more layered because both their assets and flaws are on full display.
Number 4: What Are the Pitfalls of Writing Morally Grey Characters?
The first pitfall is also realism. While it's true that most people are not 100% pure or 100% evil, a lot of people lean heavily in one direction or the other. I'm sure you can think of a lot of people throughout history who have done a ton of horrible things. Maybe they had a redeeming quality or two, but in the midst of prejudice and genocide that doesn't amount to much. Additionally, there have been people who have devoted their lives to others or making the world a better place. Sometimes people are genuinely good-natured. There isn't anything inherently wrong with writing morally grey characters because they are prevalent, but sprinkling in some evildoers and good-doers is a smart idea, because they exist, too.
The second pitfall is the unlikeability factor. While not all morally grey characters are supposed to be likable, many are, especially if they're the protagonist. The problem is when you're juggling both good and bad acts, as well as good and bad motivations, it can be easy to tip the scales in one direction and turn the audience against the character. There are certain lines that once crossed, there's no going back. The character is now dirt. You have to heavily weigh the justifications of their actions and make sure the audience is on board.
Number 5: How Do I Write a Sympathetic Morally Grey Character?
A sympathetic morally grey character is basically a morally grey character that readers root for, and there are two components to nailing this. First, your character needs to wrestle with important decisions that could potentially be really bad. If they're perfectly fine with doing something evil, then they're gonna be seen as evil. Bottom line. The reader needs to see a struggle either before or after the decision is made. Maybe they feel guilty afterward, or maybe they're apprehensive to take the plunge.
That's not to say that every single less-than-pure act needs to require shame or a meltdown. If they’re remorseful about every little thing, they're just gonna look like a big ol’ wimp, and that's embarrassing. But they should give a shit about the big things and their actions should have consequences when relevant.
The second point is that certain lines cannot be crossed, because once you do so, you're gonna lose a big chunk of your audience. The lines in question are subjective, so my advice would be to take a look at your own personal lines. For example, if I'm reading about a morally grey character who turns out to be a bigot, then that's it. There's nothing you can do to make me like him at this point. Figure out where you draw the line and keep your character away from it. That's not to say they can't do terrible things. It's just that certain things are impossible to recover from, especially when there's absolutely zero justification.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Don't forget to check out Audible! You can get your first audiobook for free, as well as two Audible Originals when you check out Audible for 30 days! All you have to do is visit www.audible.com/jennamoreci or text JENNAMORECI to 500 500. The Savior's Champion is available on Audible, so if you want to check out some amazing morally grey characters and you want to check ’em out for free, give it a listen on Audible now!
*This post is sponsored by Audible. All opinions are my own.
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