Making a jerk who isn't overly jerkish

I'm trying to develop a Jerk with a Heart of Gold type. Sarcastic. Drinks, smokes, swears, etc. etc., has a nice side. How can I keep her from being too big a jerk? I don't want her to be villainous, Complete Monster, Jerk with a Heart of Jerk, what have you.

Well, the way I wrote my Jerk with a Heart of Gold was to show them generally be a dick most of the time, but when something big and important came up, they'd snap out of it and show a kinder side. A more tender, caring side.

Give them something to care about. A Morality Pet? Whatever. Then set up circumstances to prove it.

Looking back on the jerkish character I have, I'd say my main strategy was to counter his jerkish bluster with actually helpful actions. He insults the other characters, tries to steal their share of the rations, and regularly threatens to fly off and leave his companions to their fate. But if I were to make a list of his actions, (crossing off 'complain' first) he's actually one of the most active, helpful members of the group.

There's also the scale of their actions to consider. He'd steal candy from a kid but wouldn't even think about hurting the kid, for example.

If I can give any advice, which I don't think I can, I'd suggest to keep characterization consistent to an extent. Don't just pick random good deeds to balance out the jerk side of your character, you should understand them and what good or bad deeds they would do. As with anyone, the source of most of a character's actions are their personality.

What makes someone a jerk is not caring about most things people usually do, mannerisms for example. However, having few things they truly care about separates them from being an all out Jerkass. Focus on redeeming qualities not just redeeming actions.

I said nothing!

Make her show a little bit of regret if you must make her a good person. But don't let her angst too much. It's a thin line to walk, but subtlety usually works best. And definitely give her a positive goal that you show her actively working for. Maybe even show her as being embarrassed when someone finds out she's being nice, that's usually endearing.

Alternatively, if the goal is just to get the audience to like her despite her being a jerk, you could go in the other direction and make her completely over the top with her abrasive behavior, a role I think is usually more entertaining, if less complex. It's also probably easier to pull off since you don't have to portray two sides to her convincingly.