In a previous life I used to be in a relationship with a woman whom I’d tell friends that she was ‘perfect’. This woman asked me not to describe her that way as it put too much pressure on her to try and live up to my description. She of course was right. Our own mothers told us so, ‘That no one is perfect. That we are all human’.
Yet many authors have a protagonist in their novels who seem to be superhuman. They want their central character to be the hero which the world has been waiting for to save us all. These are the kinds of books that only get read part way through before they are closed and put back on the shelf by bored readers.
Our protagonist needs to struggle, needs to fail time and time again as they try to resolve the central problem of the novel. Ellen Brock, YouTube presenter and novel editor does an excellent job of explaining the need for our protagonist to not be perfect. Below you will find my summary of her nine minute video on ‘How to Write a Character Flaw’. I have also provided a link at the end so that you can go directly to her video if you choose.
• There is a difference between a ‘flaw’ and a personality trait or quirk.
• A personality trait or quirk is something minor that the character does unconsciously such as a lisp with words that begin with ‘th’, or squinting their eyes when they are angry, or withdrawing when they are in a crowd.
• A character’s flaw in your novel will be something that has a strong connection to the main problem that the character is facing. The flaw will cause actual trouble in the life of the character. The flaw will inhibit the character from moving forward in productive manner.
• The flaw is connected to the character’s key moment in their backstory which creates a false believe by the character. (Ex: Character grows up poor. Now they believe that the only way to be happy is to have money.)
• At the beginning of the novel the character won’t be aware of their flaw. Or they won’t see the flaw as in issue. But eventually they will come to the conclusion that they need to change.
• The flaw should be getting the character into trouble.
• It’s the backstory which leads to the flaw which allows the reader to identify and empathize with the character – even if the flaw is very severe or negative.
• If you don’t give your character a flaw, the main effect it will have is that the character won’t have room for growth.
• For the character arc to feel natural, the flaw should be tied to something in the past. If it’s not connected to the past it will feel artificial or tacked on at the end, when this lesson is inserted without any connection to the past.
• Reveal the character’s flaw within the first three scenes.
• Later, through backstory, reveal why the character has this flaw and how it is manifesting itself in their life.
• The prominence of the flaw in the novel will depend on what genre you are writing in.
• To come up with a character flaw, think about the theme or idea that inspired you to write the book. Choose one that suits the plot or the overall goal you had in mind for the book.
I agree it is our flaws that make us more interesting – in life and on the page.
Tara
Thanks for the comment Tara. It’s a funny word isn’t it, ‘flaw’. It looks peculiar and sounds like a made up Nordic word.