Writing Edgy Characters: Cliches and Stereotypes to Avoid

“My character is a stereotypical dark-haired edgelord, please help!”

As a writer, it surprises me that no matter what genre you pick, whether it’s anime, a movie, or a book, there’s almost always an edgy character with a dark past. (If you haven’t found them yet, ask your local fangirl. The fangirls always end up falling for the edgy characters.)

And yet, so many writers are still churning out these carbon copy characters, without changing any of the cliches. They seem to think that all dark writing is good writing.

Is it fun to write edgy characters? Of course. But there are a lot of cliches that need to stop.

This is a cliches post, but we’re going to focus more on how to write these characters correctly. So an in-depth cliches post, if you will.

And of course, this is not an all-comprehensive guide, since every story is different. If you have any other tips for writers, or if you disagree with any of these points, make sure to leave it down in the comments.

Before we get started, I wanted to take a moment and define what I mean by edgy.

Define “Edgy”

Since there are a lot of different opinions about what edgy means, I figured it would be a good idea to sit down and explain some of the definitions that I’ve heard.

According to Thanet Writers, edgy fiction explores the darker themes in life. (Think The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, which talks about teen gangs, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, which deals with the issue of sexual assault.) An edgy character is someone who experiences these darker themes, and it changes them, for better or for worse.

• If you search online for edgy characters, some of the first results every time include Batman, Sasuke Uchiha, and Shadow the Hedgehog.

According to a writer on Reddit, an edgy character is someone who is “trying too hard to be evil,” but they aren’t naturally evil, they just want to act like it.

I would define an edgy character as someone who has seen some bad stuff, and it causes them to start edging towards the dark side, but deep down, they still have a good heart.

So how do you write an edgy character? Let’s get started by talking about the character’s physical appearance.

Physical Appearance

Does your character have:

• Dark hair, or hair that’s dyed an unnatural color?

So many “dark” and “edgy” characters have black hair and light skin. Having black hair does not make a character edgy. What if your character has light blond hair, and doesn’t want to dye it?

• Smudged eyeliner and/or black nail polish?
• Tattoos?
• Unusually colored eyes?
• A scar (preferably on their face)?

The scar probably has a backstory to it, and chances are, they got the scar from the protagonist.

Personally, I’ve decided that I want to start planning out my characters’ personalities before I think about their appearance. I want to assign appearances to my characters after I figure out their place in the story, because that way, their personality doesn’t come from what they look like.

Don’t get me wrong, black nail polish can look really cool, and there’s nothing wrong with scars or tattoos. But many writers choose the basic appearance and don’t go any further beyond the cliches.

Clothing

One of the biggest clichés about edgy characters is the clothes they wear. Most, if not all, edgy characters in fiction wear dark colors, especially black.

The most popular outfits for an edgy character are combat boots and a black cloak, or a black hoodie, depending on the genre.

Hoodies are comfortable. A lot of people who are outgoing and happy can still wear hoodies.

Now, I’m not saying that all of your characters should start wearing neon pink. If your characters want to wear hoodies once in a while, you can mention it (so long as it’s important to the plot– if they have to keep their hair hidden or it’s raining).

Just keep in mind that they will have multiple outfits, and they can wear other colors besides black.

No Sense of Humor

Typically, the brooding, edgy characters will only smile if they’re carrying out some evil plot to hurt their archnemesis.

Every character should have something that makes them smile.

(I talk about this in my blog post about characters with depression, which you can read HERE.)

Before you start making your character too serious, make sure that you come up with at least 3 things that make them smile, and one thing that makes them laugh out loud. It could be something as simple as puppies, or it could be a complicated inside joke.

This brings me to my next point…

The Lone Wolf

The edgy characters often have few, if any, friends. Sometimes other people shun them, and sometimes they push other people away on purpose.

When they do manage to make friends, it’s only a matter of time before they abandon their friends to join the dark side.

If you are trying to write an edgier character without falling prey to the cliches, make sure to give them some friends. At least give them some acquaintances that they can chat with once in a while.

• For even more of a unique plot, try giving the character some authority figures that they can look up to for the whole story. Way too many of these edgy characters end up as orphans.

Traumatic Backstories

Here’s where things get a little bit tricky.

A lot of times, the traumatic backstory is what caused the character to become so edgy in the first place. We can’t just dismiss it as a cliche and move on, since it seems to be such an important part of this character type.

Is it possible to have an edgy character without a horribly traumatic backstory? Yes it is.

Sometimes, it can be even more heartbreaking for a character to become dark and rebellious, in spite of the fact that they have a loving family. We see this kind of behavior all the time.

However, if you want to come up with a traumatic backstory for your character, here are some pointers.

• Not all abuse comes from the parents. Sometimes, a grandparent or even an older sibling can be the abuser.
• Learn the differences between PTSD and C-PTSD (complex PTSD). PTSD usually follows one highly traumatic event (such as a serious accident), and C-PTSD follows a long string of recurring events (such as ongoing abuse).
• Flashbacks are common, but there are a lot of other symptoms that writers should not ignore. For example, avoiding triggers, showing an exaggerated startle response, getting overwhelmed in crowds, etc.
• Pinterest is a great place to learn about how to write PTSD.
• Write about the small problems surrounding trauma and PTSD. The bigger the issue, the smaller the details that you show. Instead of intricate flashbacks that last for pages, try showing us a character who always turns down the radio because it’s “too loud.”

If your character must have a tragic backstory, make sure to do your research. These memories will be with your character forever, and recovery is not an overnight ordeal. In fact, your characters probably won’t have time to fully recover over the course of your novel, unless your novel covers a long period of time.

Powerful (or Power Seeking)

A lot of “edgy” characters are in the story for one reason: because they have power.

It might be magical powers, a claim to the throne, or just the fact that they can get whatever they want in life. Maybe their powers are connected to their traumatic backstory.

If your character wants power, or if they already have power, here are some tips for keeping it interesting:

• If the hero gains power, the villain should gain power too. Don’t make things any easier for the good guys.
• If the villain gains power, make sure it’s enough for them to do some serious damage, but not so much that they could completely destroy the good guys. (If your villain is too strong, the readers will wonder why the story’s still going– the villain could just wipe out the hero and get it over with.)

Also, a lot of these dark and edgy characters tend to have powers related to lightening, fire, prophecy, and death.

• What if your character has another kind of power? Maybe the power to give life instead of taking it?
• What powers could you give this character that they might be afraid to use, due to their past experiences?

And last but not least, let’s talk about what happens when these characters try to use their power to fix their backstories.

Revenge

When you get a traumatic backstory and some supernatural powers, it’s a recipe for a revenge story.

Think about it: this character has been wronged, either by their rival or by society. They feel like their pain was ignored, and now, it would make sense for them to seek revenge to some degree. It might be in the form of a simple competition (“I can do better than my rivals”), or it might be a full-blown plot to assassinate their enemies.

There are a lot of unsatisfying revenge stories out there, but most of them can be avoided if you learn how to write them well.

Here are some resources about writing revenge stories:

https://sterlingandstone.net/revenge-story/

https://thewritepractice.com/revenge-stories/

Or you could always come up with another plot idea that’s a little more original.

• What if the edgy character can’t seek revenge because the person who wronged them is already dead (after living a long and fulfilling life)?
• What if the edgy character has an entirely different goal that isn’t motivated by revenge, because they want to forget about the past?

In order to write this kind of character well, you don’t necessarily have to write a revenge story. However, if you’re going to do it, it’s important to do your research and avoid clichés as much as possible.

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There are a lot of different definitions of edgy characters, but in the end, they are just another person in your story. They deserve to be fleshed out beyond the normal stereotypes. All it takes is a little research and a willingness to make your characters human.

I hope this post is helpful to you. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back soon with a new blog post!