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.