This week: Flawed Characters Edited by: Jeff  
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You never know what you can do until you try,
and very few try unless they have to."
— C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of the regular editors of the official Noticing Newbies Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site in that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly or submit feedback in the comment box at the bottom of this newsletter. |
Flawed Characters
While it can be tempting to create characters that are perfect in every way, the best characters are often ones that have at least one major flaw or are lacking in some way. I know it can be tempting to create heroes that are tough, talented, smart, strong, and savvy... but let's face it; a character who can do no wrong isn't a whole lot of fun. Sure they have their amusements for a little while, but narrative conflict (drama) is about overcoming obstacles. So if your character can just walk through the conflict in a story with nary a scratch, bruise, or faltered step, that drama isn't going to be very compelling. That's why Superman has Kryptonite; narratively speaking, he needs something that threatens to prevent him from saving the day.
Certain genres more naturally lend themselves to flaws. Mystery narratives are naturally filled with a variety of obstacles that need to be overcome. Clues need to be uncovered, dots need to be connected, inconsistencies need to be investigated. You can have characters that have both strengths and weaknesses and are still able to solve your mystery. Perhaps your private investigator character has a brilliant, deductive mind, but horrible interpersonal communication skills. He can easily deduce where someone is hiding out based on a couple old receipts and a late-night phone call... but in order to get those tidbits of information, he has to convince the missing guy's wife to let him root through their house. Or maybe your con man is smart and savvy and can talk anybody into anything... but he's not athletic or physically intimidating in any way, so when the smooth talk doesn't work on somebody physically imposing, he's in a real predicament. By creating flaws in your characters, you also present yourself with opportunities to resolve those conflicts; maybe even to find more creative ways of approaching a problem.
One of the most beloved movie characters of all time is Indiana Jones. And why does everybody love the character so much? Because he endears himself to the audience by failing. He's about as imperfect as you can get, and makes every mistake in the book. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Nazis are after Marian in the market and he loses her. He threatens to blow up the Ark of the Covenant with a rocket launcher and the Nazis call his bluff and capture him. At the end, he doesn't even get to keep the Ark or see what's inside it... it ends up in a government warehouse somewhere. In The Last Crusade, he goes through all the trouble to recover the Holy Grail, then he loses it. Indiana Jones is - in terms of accomplishing his goals - someone who fails over and over again. He's about as far from perfect as someone can get... and as an audience, we love him for it.
Flaws mean that your characters are human. None of us are perfect. Despite all of our accomplishments, accolades and abilities, we're all flawed in some way or another. Perfection just isn't possible in the human experience. None of us can say the right thing at the right time every single time, or know just what to do and execute it perfectly in every circumstance. Sure some of us are more error prone than others (Indiana Jones and I have a lot in common!), but I don't know anyone who has gone their entire life mistake-free.
When you're creating your characters, take the time to give them flaws. Their shortcomings are what will humanize them. It's what will help your audience empathize with them. And, if you're clever enough, you never know... the flaws might just give you some creative ideas about how to overcome or circumvent them.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
You are also invited to check out these items from members of the community:
| |  | Too Much Blue (E)
a short story about eternity, cake and more. First draft, I plan to do some more tinkering
#2342329 by Jeff729  |
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Feedback from "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (May 28, 2025)" about survey responses:
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Noticing Newbies: June 25, 2025 Issue [#13211]
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