on Writers Helping Writers:

When it comes to story heroes, there are many kinds, from reluctant to tortured to tragic. But the one that’s getting a lot of airtime these days is the antihero.

Heroes get the moniker because of the qualities they embody: they’re honorable, courageous, selfless, and good. They’re people of high integrity. These characters make good protagonists because readers value and admire those qualities. We’re eager to walk with them on their journey, and we naturally end up rooting for them.

Antiheroes, though, lack many of the traditionally heroic traits—or they embody the opposite. As such, they really shouldn’t work, because why would we root for people who stand for things we don’t like? But many readers do get sucked into their stories and end up on this unconventional protagonist’s side, wanting what’s best for them. Authors make this happen with a few tried-and-true techniques for writing these characters:

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