{"id":487846,"date":"2022-03-08T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=487846"},"modified":"2023-06-13T15:35:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T14:35:57","slug":"how-character-flaws-impact-your-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/how-character-flaws-impact-your-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How Character Flaws Impact Your Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you want people to like your character<\/a>, then they need to be a little unlikeable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know, I know, that sounds like a contradiction. But a lot of people think that creating a character<\/a> means making the perfect<\/em> person for readers to fall in love with. Except nobody falls in love with perfect. A person who has no flaws, no rough edges or bad habits, isn\u2019t only unrealistic but, let\u2019s face it, they\u2019re boring<\/em>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if there\u2019s one thing you don\u2019t want your readers to be, then it\u2019s bored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Readers are unlikely to eagerly follow the journey<\/a> of someone who already has everything all sorted, because the point of a story is that they want to be there<\/em> when your character figures things out. A reader will want to watch your character grow <\/a>and change with their mistakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you create someone who is flawed, but likeable? A character who has a lot of bad traits, and yet has readers caring about what happens to them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide is here to help! We\u2019re going to delve in to why a lack of character flaws will flaw your story, how to turn two-dimensional characters into well-rounded people<\/a> that readers will root for, and what the difference is between flawed and villainous<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It\u2019s Important To Add Depth To Your Characters <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Characters are the core component of any story. People are interested by a plot<\/a>, but they stick around for the characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories essentially have two sides: the conflict of the plot and the internal conflict of the character(s). And both are equally important. In fact, scratch that, the character side is probably more<\/em> important. ‘But my book is an action story about deadly space aliens<\/a>,’ I hear you say. Okay, but . . . who are these deadly space aliens? Or the people they\u2019re at war with? What do they want and why? What is stopping them from achieving it? Enter: character flaws! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Character flaws are the thing that prevents the plot from being resolved instantly, hindering a person\u2019s ability to defeat their bad guy (or whatever the central conflict is) outside of the forces they can\u2019t control. If you have a character who knows what to do in any given situation and always makes the right decision, your story is going to be over pretty quickly. You want to keep the reader guessing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A flaw is a way to add depth, not only to your characters but to your plot. These flaws create external and internal conflicts<\/a>, sending characters down different pathways and affecting their relationships with each other (and themselves). Really, plot and flawed characters work hand in hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I start a book, I always start with the people I want in it. Sure, I have a rough idea of the storyline I want, or the world I\u2019m thinking of creating<\/a>, but the first thing I ask myself is: who would live in this world? What would happen to them in it? And, most importantly, why do they do the things they do?<\/em> Their flaws, their past and present conflicts, help build this profile and impact how they\u2019re going to journey through the worlds we create. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A character simply cannot be stagnant; they must go through a journey. I don\u2019t mean a physical one, but an emotional one. Your characters have to end up somewhere different to where they started so readers feel a sense of accomplishment. Overcoming their flaws is the way to do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Constitues A Character Flaw?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what is a character flaw? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, a character flaw is some kind of fault. A fear, a weakness, maybe even a bias. It\u2019s a thing that affects the character and how they interact with the world around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the times flaws can be simple habits or quirks, sometimes they can even be physical (like scars). They can also be based on morals (or lack of!), and rigid personality traits that end up inhibiting them as they progress through the story and serve as hurdles on their way to happiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to look at examples of the three main kinds of character flaw a little further down, but a great way to think of what constitutes a flaw is to examine real life personalities. Think about the people you\u2019ve interreacted with \u2014 whether it\u2019s friends, family, or even a mortal enemy or two! \u2014 and what quirks and traits make them who they are.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are they rigidly stubborn? Do they have a nervous tic? What was the first thing you noticed that set them aside from everyone else? The best way to create a realistic character with flaws that shape who they are, is to become something of a Frankenstein and take pieces from a bunch of people to create someone new! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, as we\u2019ve discussed above, at least one of these flaws should impact the plot<\/a>, fuelling a conflict within the character and between them and others. Perhaps your character\u2019s flaw might be that they have a desire for vengeance that overrides everything else, including allowing them to be truly open with close friends.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever it is, you should make sure your reader knows why <\/em>a flaw exists, so they can build sympathy with your character<\/a> and understand their actions and what leads them to behave the way they do. This way they will be a lot more forgiving of any mistakes your character makes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though remember, characters don\u2019t have to be likeable to be relatable. Or relatable to be likeable. A lot of us love a good villain<\/a>, even if we can\u2019t relate to their murderous tendencies (at least . . . I hope not!). Your readers can love to hate someone because at least they understand<\/em> them and they feel authentic (in a sense. None of us can know what an authentic alien is if you\u2019re writing sci-fi, but writers are nothing if not good at imagining!).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if your character is a villain<\/a>, don\u2019t be afraid to lean into that. We just need to know why. They can\u2019t want to take over the world just because they feel like it. They need purpose, logic, and a fatal flaw (more on that below!) to have driven them to that point. Remember, nobody is the villain of their own story. So why is your character the villain of someone else\u2019s?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When crafting a character I always ask myself two questions: what is the flaw they see in themselves? And what is the flaw that other people see in them? These are two very <\/em>different things, both of which impact who a character has become and where they will go next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"character-flaws\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Character Flaws<\/strong>: Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now broadly speaking, there are three different types of character flaw. These are: minor flaws, major flaws and tragic flaws.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minor Character Flaws<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A minor flaw<\/strong> is usually pretty insignificant. It helps differentiate your character somewhat from other people within your story, but doesn\u2019t tend to impact the actual plot.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good examples of minor character flaws are:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n