How to Make a Bad Boy Feel Real, Not Just a Trope

A leather jacket and a cocky smirk aren’t enough. If your bad boy is all attitude and no depth, he’s forgettable—and that’s the last thing readers want.

The key? Layers.

A real bad boy isn’t just rude—he’s guarded. He’s been through something. He pushes people away to protect himself. But he feels more than he lets on, and when he lets his guard down? It wrecks us.

Give him flaws. Give him fire. But also give him something to lose—and someone worth losing it for.

That’s what makes readers fall for him. Not the bad attitude, but the hidden heart.