E.L. Baker Writes

In a previous post, I stated that the term "unlikable character" is usually a misnomer, and I think it should be swapped out for more descriptive alternatives. Here are some examples. Last edited on June 11, 2026.

“doesn’t fit in” — abnormal, atypical, awkward, bizarre, different, odd, non-conforming, non-traditional, strange, unusual, weird

“doesn't know what's going on” — aloof, chaotic, confused, disorganized, obtuse, ignorant, messy, unaware, uninformed

“difficult to understand” — complex, complicated, confusing, convoluted, chaotic, enigmatic, illogical, multidimensional, multifaceted, mysterious, perplexing, senseless, unpredictable

“doesn’t care about others” — apathetic, careless, flippant, heartless, ill-mannered, inconsiderate, irreverent, thoughtless

“thinks they're better than others” — conceited, narcissistic, selfish, self-centered

"makes themself the victim" — advantageous, inconsolable, indignant, opportunistic, victim-minded

"it has to be their way" — convinced, senseless, single-minded, stubborn, unreasonable, unwavering

“gets on peoples’ nerves” — annoying, bothersome, difficult, exhausting, frustrating, irksome, irritating, obnoxious, offensive, tiresome, troublesome

“likes to pick fights” — abrasive, aggravating, argumentative, confrontational, contrarian, facetious, goading, inflammatory, irritating, offensive, overly-opinionated, provocative

“their actions and words don’t align” — contradictory, dichotomous, disconnected, questionable, unreliable

"doesn't tell the truth" — dishonest, disingenuous, lying, two-faced, unbelievable, untrustworthy

"pretends to be nice" — gilded, saccharine

“uses other people” — abusive, advantageous, calculating, coercive, cunning, exploitative, manipulative, opportunistic, strategic

“hurts other people” — abusive, bullying, harmful, hateful, hurtful, mean, nasty, negative, poisonous, torturous, toxic, unkind, unpleasant, vitriolic

"does illegal things" – criminal

Instead of trying to fill paragraphs describing everything, choose one or two things that breathe.

• The way the floorboards creak in one specific spot • A stain on the ceiling no one acknowledges • A flickering light that makes gives everyone a slight headache • The smell of something burnt and forgotten • A crooked family photo • Dust in the sunlight • A cracked mug someone refuses to throw away • The hum of an appliance in silence • A chair that wobbles • A window that should open, but doesn't • Shoes lined up too neatly • A plant flourishing, or showing signs of obvious neglect • The sound of neighbors arguing • A clock that’s slightly off

Stories stall when everyone behaves. Real tension appears when someone:

• asks the wrong question • says something they shouldn’t • notices something uncomfortable • refuses to drop the topic • misunderstands something important • interrupts at the worst moment

How to write emotional scenes

How to show emotions Part I

How to show emotions Part II

How to show emotions Part III

How to show emotions Part IV

How to show emotions Part V

How to show emotions Part VI

How to show emotions Part VII

How to show emotions Part VIII

How to show emotions Part IX

⟢ PICK THREE DETAILS MAXIMUM! your reader doesn't need to know every piece of furniture. Give them the broken clock on the mantle, the smell of cigarettes embedded in the couch, the water stain on the ceiling shaped like Italy. Their brain will fill in the rest. You're not writing an insurance inventory!!!

⟢ Use the senses people forget. Everyone does sight and sound, but what about: the metallic taste of fear, the way humidity makes your clothes stick, the phantom itch of being watched, that gross feeling when you touch something unexpectedly wet. GET WEIRD WITH IT

⟢ MOTION IN YOUR DESCRIPTIONS!! (Please?) don't just tell me the curtains are blue, tell me they're "shuddering in the AC blast" or "hanging limp like they've given up." Static description is a sleep aid. Make things MOVE

⟢ Your narrator's voice should COLOR everything! A depressed character won't describe the sunset as "beautiful mauve and amber streaking across the sky," they'll think "the sun's dying again, doing its whole performance art thing with the clouds"

⟢ Stop with the mirror descriptions! :( "She looked in the mirror and saw her auburn hair and green eyes" NO. Banned. Forbidden. Find literally any other way. Have another character notice. Show through action. Slip details in naturally. The mirror thing is lazy and we all know it

arching spine

brows knitting together / grimacing

clenching teeth together

cold sweats

collapsing to knees

covering the hurting area

crying out / screaming / yelping

disorientation / confusion

doubling over / curling in / stumbling

dropping objects

eyesight blurring / blacking out

flinching / jerking

flushing / going pale/ashy

gasping / hissing

going rigid / tensing up

goosebumps

holding breath and sharply exhaling after

inability to speak / babbling incoherently

lightheadedness

lips pulling back, baring teeth

nausea

nostrils flaring

protective posture

rapid blinking

reaching out for something to hold onto to avoid falling

ringing ears

squeezing eyes shut

tears welling / crying

voice cracking

vomiting

Then, suddenly and for reasons unknown to Caretaker, they were acting the exact opposite. Suddenly they were refusing to allow Caretaker to touch them, screaming, crying-- begging to be left alone, to not be harmed. They stopped cooperating, fighting Caretaker tooth and nail on every little thing.

Used to the easiness from before, it doesn't take long for Caretaker to become exasperated-- and finally, they snap, shouting at Whumpee for being so difficult.

Whumpee freezes on themselves instantly-- instantly lowers their head, instantly apologizes in a feeble, pliant voice, instantly reverts back to the way they were before.

Caretaker soon realizes that Whumpee wasn't fighting to be difficult, but fighting because they could. In those first months, Caretaker had become the first person Whumpee trusted to listen to them-- to actually care if they didn't want something.

Ways to Show a Character is Falling in Love and Doesn’t Want To ...

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They notice the sound of their name in that person’s mouth and hate that it sounds better. Like their name was meant to be said that way.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They start to dress better when they might see them, subconsciously at first. “Oh, this old thing?” Sure. The old thing you ironed twice.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Their laugh becomes a trigger. Not in the trauma sense, in the “I suddenly forgot how to breathe and now I want to die” sense.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Every conversation feels like walking a tightrope between wanting to tease and wanting to touch.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They say they don’t care, but they’re paying way too much attention. Who they’re talking to. How they’re smiling. Who made them smile.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They avoid them, dramatically, stupidly and it physically hurts. Like withdrawal. They’ll literally hide behind shelves, peek around corners, act like a spy in their own life.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They start saying their name too often. “Oh, yeah, Alex said that too.” “Alex likes that band.” “Alex once...” Shut up, my dude. Please.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They mock them to their friends, but there’s a softness in the way they do it. A little too much affection in the “ugh, they’re so annoying.”

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Their stomach does that thing, you know the one, when they catch their scent on something, and it’s not even strong, just a hint, and suddenly they’re useless for the next ten minutes.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They overthink texts. “Okay, no emojis looks cold. Too many looks desperate. Maybe one. No, zero. Period. Wait, does the period look aggressive?”

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They dream about them, not even romantically, just constantly. Their brain won’t let them rest.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Their jealousy doesn’t make sense. “Why are you talking to them?” “Because they’re a person.” “Oh, right, cool, yeah, totally fine, no reason, haha.” (proceeds to spiral internally).

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They act colder, on purpose. But it’s performative. The kind of detachment that’s practically begging to be noticed.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They start arguments for no reason. Because fighting feels easier than confessing.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They imagine kissing them during fights. Yes, during. It’s sick. They hate it.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They think about what they’d say if they ever got drunk enough to tell the truth. Then immediately pray that moment never comes.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Their pulse spikes when their phone buzzes. It’s embarrassing how fast they grab it. And when it’s not them? Oh, the rage.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They watch their every expression. Like a scientist studying a dangerous animal. “What does that smile mean? Are they flirting or just friendly?” They never know. It’s torture.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They make jokes about being heartless. “Me? Love? Gross.” Meanwhile, they’re literally halfway in love already.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They defend them when no one asked. “They’re not that bad.” Bro. No one said they were. Chill.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They keep trying to rationalize it, listing all the reasons it can’t work, all the flaws they can find, like that’ll stop the feeling. It won’t.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They flinch when someone else flirts with them, then pretend they didn’t notice.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ They convince themselves the other person doesn’t feel the same, because that’s safer than hoping.

⋆.𐙚 ̊ Their denial becomes its own obsession. “It’s not like that.” “It’s nothing.” “I don’t even like them.” Said for the fiftieth time this week.

◈ “You made me a coffee?”        “I heard you coming home late last night. figured you'd need it.” “And you were right. Thanks.”

◈ “You should probably get out of here. I'm sick, I don't want to get you sick as well.”        “What? No way. We're in this together, literally. Sit down, I'll make you some tea.”

◈ “Hey, have you seen my sweater– Ah. You're wearing it.”        “I'm sorry, I got cold and all of mine are in the wash. But you can have it back...” “No, it's okay. Suits you.”

◈ ‘you keep having people over for one night and i'm not trying to slutshame you but it makes me uncomfortable and i'm not sure why... oh, wait...’ vs.   ‘you never have people over and i know it bothers you but it secretly makes me very happy and i don't understand why... oh, wait...’

◈ “You look tired. Rough shift, I assume? Want me to make you dinner too?”        “You're an actual angel.”

◈ “What are you– Whoa, what–!”        “Ssh!!! The landlord is outside the window, I'm hiding so we don't have to open the door and talk to him!”

◈ “I heard you stayed up late last night. You okay?”        “What? Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry. Why were you up?” “Oh, just... Couldn't sleep, I guess.”

◈ “You look good. What's the occassion?”        “A date.” “You don't look very happy about it. Wait, did they stand you up again?” “Oh, I'm sure they're just late...” “Oh, hell no. C'mon, get up. I'm taking you out.”

◈ “You're stress cleaning. Want to talk about it?”        “Not really.” “Do it anyway, before our floors get bleached a shade lighter.”

◈ “So, about last night...”        “Can we please... Not? It was a mistake, okay? Let's just forget about it.” “Oh. Um, yeah. That's what I was thinking too.”