(Music) LOGO.
Hellooo 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! First things first, I want to give a shout-out to Audible who has generously
sponsored today's video! You guys already know about Audible, I'm sure. But if you're not
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interested in checking out audiobooks featuring morally grey characters, might I suggest The
Savior's Champion? It's a dark fantasy novel with a massive cast, most of whom are morally grey. So
if you like violence and romance, give it a listen on Audible! I have it on good authority that it's
the tits. Even better, you can get your first audiobook for free, plus two Audible Originals
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JENNAMORECI to 500 500. And you know that free audiobook can be The Savior's Champion! It's got
a love story, it's got bloodshed, it's got morally grey characters. What more could you ask for? On
to the topic! We are breaking down the mystery that is the morally grey character in three,
two, one, go! 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, the next moment they may seem kinda 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 on to it. There are a few schools of thoughts 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 moreso 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. 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. 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. What are the pitfalls to 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. 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. 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 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 Audible.com/jennamoreci or text JENNAMORECI
to 500 500. I've got the information in the description below! 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 The Savior's Champion a listen on Audible now! Don't forget
to subscribe my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as
SOON as I upload, ring that bell! And be sure to follow me on social media! I'm on Instagram,
Tumblr, Facebook–and of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Male Voice) Hey! This is Nick. The voice of Tobias and the narrator for The Savior's Champion,
written by our Jenna! If you enjoy her writing advice, or if you want to find out about her
publications, then you know what to do! Click the subscribe button, ding the bell, and you’ll
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