Broken, but Still Good: 3 Ways to Create Character Flaws

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Choose the right flaws and weaknesses to round out your characters.

There's an old saying: "I'm not looking for the perfect man, just one with faults I like." No clue where I heard this, but it always stuck with me, because it’s so true. Everyone has faults, and some are more palatable than others.

This is true for our characters, too. Their flaws and weaknesses make them three-dimensional people readers can relate to and root for. They also allow our characters to make the mistakes and bad choices that lead to compelling plots.

But picking any old flaw isn't going to cut it. Who cares if the protagonist can't cook if cooking never matters to the story? So what if they can’t commit if they’re never asked to? It's important to choose flaws and weaknesses that add to the overall novel.

5 Ways to Fix Too-Perfect Characters

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy 

We all dream about that “perfect person,” but in fiction, perfect people make for bad novels.

Writing has a certain level of wish-fulfillment to it. We envision characters with traits we admire, develop relationships we dream we could experience, and brutally dispose of people who picked on us in high school (maybe that’s me?). 

But sometimes in our strive for perfection, we go a tad overboard and create characters we’d probably hate if we met them in real life. 

Why?

Because they’re perfect. They have it all—looks, talent, life fulfillment, their friends all love them and they never have to struggle to get through the day. Even if that day requires facing off against a serial killer, a boardroom of CEOs, or a dark wizard with some serious family issues.

Sunday Writing Tip: Identify Your Protagonist’s Fatal Flaw

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Each week, I’ll offer a writing tip you can take and apply to your WIP to help improve it. They’ll be easy to do and shouldn’t take long, so they’ll be tips you can do without taking up your Sunday. Though I do reserve the right to offer a good tip now and then that will take longer—but only because it would apply to the entire manuscript.

This week, take a moment and identify your protagonist’s fatal flaw, and make sure that it plays a role in both the character arc, and the plot.

Unless you’re writing a series with a non-changing protagonist, such as a detective, spy, or “person with a specific job” type who doesn’t have a character arc, you’ll likely want a fatal flaw. This is the flaw at the center of the character arc, and the issue the protagonist needs to overcome or grow out of by the end of the book.

8 Ways to Create Character Flaws: Learn All Your Character’s F Words

By Bonnie Randall 

Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)

A double shot of Bonnie's wisdom this month--here's another peek at creating solid character flaws.

In my counseling practice, the following F Words are actually called Major Life Areas, but if I say MLAs I either sound jargon-y or like I’m using some sort of strange sports acronym. So let’s stick with F Words (which comes with the added bonus of appeasing the not-so-secret part of me that likes to swear).

When examining a person’s Major Life Areas, we determine their level of function, their level of dysfunction, what they value in life and why. A person’s “F Words” reveal their flaws and lay bare their strengths. In fiction, just like in real life, your character’s F Words will show you how he or she thrives in some areas while struggling in others. Some of his/her Major Life Areas will be over-developed compensators for others that are woefully impoverished and painful for him or her. Difficulty in Major Life Areas reflect both inner and outer conflict—which, in fiction, is gold.

Are You Making This Character Flaw Mistake?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

“Give your characters flaws” is one of the more common pieces of writing advice out there. It’s good advice, as flaws make characters more human and relatable, and the fatal flaw is a critical part of any character arc, but many writers make an easy mistake when creating them.

They think flaws have to be negative traits.

In many stories, the flaw is a negative trait that must be overcome, but it’s not always the case. And when it isn’t, the belief that all flaws are “bad” can cause a lot of frustration for a writer trying to find a plausible reason why the protagonist has a negative flaw that fits the plot, story, and character arc.

A good example here is the flaw in my current WIP—my protagonist cares about people too much.

Wait…what? Did you say she cares? How could that possibly be a flaw?

Do Your Characters Have the Right Flaws?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

“Characters must have flaws” is one of the cornerstones of fiction. Flaws create more interesting people, they give you the foundations for your character arcs, and they help you write more relatable stories. But just having flaws isn’t enough. You want the right flaws that will best serve your story.

So what are the “right” flaws?

Flaws that help illustrate aspects of the story you want to explore.

Are Your Characters Contradicting Themselves?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Back in June, I caught that nasty flu that was going around and spent a few miserable weeks napping and watching a lot of TV. One of my distractions of choice was the show, Bones. It had been a long time since I’d seen the first few seasons, and while it was fun to re-watch them, one thing did annoy me.

The character Temperance “Bones” Brennan is a world-class forensic anthropologist who is very literal-minded and repeatedly says she doesn’t like psychology and doesn’t do motive.

Yet…

She’s a bestselling author who writes mysteries.

The Dysfunctional Home Your Flawed Character Was Raised In

By Bonnie Randall 

Part of the How They Do It Series

Janice Hardy recently penned a post on crafting flaws and how the imperfections in our characters are what make them real, interesting and compelling enough to turn the page. Reflecting upon that, and drawing from my role as a counselor—where I employ a systems theory approach* within both my counseling room and my written work—I considered how to use the roles we often see in dysfunctional families to amplify the flaws we are crafting in our characters; to give those flaws a realistic impetus and an authentic genesis which in turn allows our readers to really embrace these folks as living, breathing beings.