I think that, as a writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about my protagonists’ strengths.
What are they good at? Where do they excel? How can I play to their strengths?
I’m sure that most writers do that. After all, our protagonist usually has to save the day. How else can our battle be won or our mystery solved, or our character’s love interest bewitched?
But most people have a major flaw: something that could bring us down if the wrong person knew about it.
Mine is my impatience. Since I’m frequently in a hurry, I’m more likely to make a mistake. Or get irritated when I’m stuck on hold waiting for customer service.
Character flaws can be really useful tools. Mostly because they create conflict for our character.
If our character has something that really, really bugs them? Then naturally we’re going to use it. Even a small thing could produce a little stress in a scene. So we can have our impatient character running a little late for something important—like a flight—then stick her in a long ATM line or in a traffic jam. We’ll make the reader just as anxious as the protagonist that they make it to the airport in time.
What if the flaw is something more than that? What if it’s in the category of fatal flaw or more of an Achilles’ heel? The kind of thing that falls in the Seven Deadly Sins category. So you could have a basically good protagonist, but their flaw is a pretty big one. This flaw could affect the way the character reacts to an event or how they approach a problem.
It gets a little sticky, because we don’t want our readers to lose respect for our protagonists. But what if we do have a protagonist who makes a (big) mistake—cheats on their wife or husband, becomes furious and says things that they shouldn’t have said that get them fired from a job or disowned or un-friended? What if their pride is their downfall? What if they’re so envious of a friend or a family member that they can’t have a normal relationship with them?
These types of flaws—lust, wrath, pride—can take our protagonists down and create conflict for our plot.
But how far can we go with it? (In my genre I can’t take it very far.) How bad can we make our characters before our readers aren’t cheering them on anymore?
How flawed is too flawed?
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Too flawed would be so flawed they are irritating the reader or so flawed they seem incapable of ever overcoming the problem (whatever it is). Though both of those statements are extremely subjective.
I like flawed characters because the noble hero just seems too fake.
This was a really great post to get us all thinking about character. Thanks for sharing.
Podium! Woot!
Erm… now I should say something interesting.
What about: my characters are mostly alcoholic and avoidant. (Don’t judge… they’re nothing like me. *cough*) Does either of those count as a deadly sin? I’m really curious about that, actually, for reasons I don’t feel like sharing….
Anyhow, I agree with you about the flawed characters. The greater the flow, the more epic the redemption at the end, yes? Yes. Good. Glad we agree.
:)
That is a great question. I think it’s a careful balance. I’ve read books where I think the author went to far and made the character unsympathetic. Then I’ve read books that were so bad I didn’t care if the author killed everyone off. How to strike that balance ourselves though? Perhaps by identifying it in other pieces of work it will help us see it in our own.
Love the post. The bigger the flaw the better, Dexter is a pretty popular TV shows, thriller series and his flaw is he likes to kill people. ;-j
There has to be at least some flaws for the protagonist to be likable. If they’re too perfect, a reader can’t relate to them. If they have flaws (completely different from the reader of course) the reader can still relate.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Elizabeth – If characters are going to be real – really real – they have to have flaws. Those flaws could be major flaws or minor flaws, but they have to be there. Perfect characters are not only unrealistic, but also boring. As I read your post, I was thinking of Ian Rankin’s John Rebus, who’s a fascinating character, but full of flaws. He drinks too much, smokes, and has real trouble with authority. There are other examples, too, of course. Those characters make for interesting reading.
It’s harder, of course, when it’s one’s own protag, because, well, we like our protags. We want them to be likable…
Simon– You know, in police procedural mysteries, alcoholism is a *very* prevalent storyline. I think what makes it work is the fact readers understand the horrible things a cop might see on a daily basis. But now, of course, it’s gotten cliche (in regards to law enforcement) and writers are staying away from it.
Long winded way for me to say that *I* think if you’ve shown *why* they’re alcoholics then that goes a long way in convincing the reader they’re victims of circumstance.
And you’re right…usually as long as they’re not an alcoholic by the end of the book then the reader has seen change and won’t be putting the book away.
Heather–Ha! I think we’ve read the same book. I remember thinking, “What if a meteor fell from the sky right now and hit all these characters? Or a plague of some kind?” Not a good thing when you’re a reader!
Charmaine–And people LOVE Dexter! Same with Patricia Highsmith’s books. They’ve humanized these serial killers for us.
Cassandra–Good point. It’s sort of hard to *relate* to a noble hero.
I struggle with this, too, since I have to really think of how flawed my protagonist needs to be. I start out thinking she’s perfect, so at first one tiny flaw seems a lot. I think [but don’t always do] that as long as she has more redeeming qualities than flaws and/or if her redeeming qualities outweigh her flaws, almost anything is game.
I walked a fine line with this one. In a couple scenes, I made one main character almost unlikable, so I had to ease back a bit.
I think flaws in characters are great! Flaws add depth too our characters – major characters and minor players.
Flaws can sometimes get our characters into trouble but, isn’t trouble and conflict what makes for a great story?
I like to give my characters flaws that sometimes are not revealed until further in the story, other times, a character flaw may be used to set up a story. Hey, sometimes a character’s flaw (fatal or otherwise) is what introduces the story.
One of my favorite writer’s of suspense/mystery/crime is Lee Child. The main character of his novels, Jack Reacher, is a huge strapping man, and always seems to find trouble wherever he goes. Trouble is (his fatal flaw) that the character just cannot let things go and walk away. His actions, flawed or not, is what makes the story.
I think that, if a character is flawed to the point that the writer cannot find a way for that character to move on or overcome, then that character is too flawed. Other than that, I believe great flaws make great characters as long as they have equally great redeeming characteristics.
I don’t think there is ‘too flawed’ depending on the writing. You can’t get more flawed than Tom Ripley from the book ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ by Highsmith. I just read another that was literary fiction where the protagonist killed someone and ended up in jail. He is thoroughly creepy in some ways but the writer does such an amazing job of getting into his head that I wanted to keep reading. Sorry my brain won’t remind me of who it is. Also in The Remains of the Day, the protag is deeply flawed and doesn’t wake up until it is way too late. But it is a beautiful heartbreaking book.
I glad you wrote this because in my current project, my MC has many flaws but I’m not sure they’re clear enough. I want to make sure as a writer, readers with the same issue can relate. Can’t wait until the books arrives at my Kindle.
Thank you.
CD
Thought- provoking post, for sure. How exciting that your next book is about to come out. Congrats!
I’m going to remember this, Elizabeth, as I begin writing my new WIP. By the way, you and I share the same flaw -impatience. Oh, I can get so cranky.
Karen
Including your characters’ flaws helps your work seem more realistic, I think. And you are less likely to take a skeptical reader out of the story if your mc isn’t perfect. Too often strong female protags are dismissed as Mary Sues etc. When the the writers have focused so much on presenting them in a good light, there’s nothing to humanize them and make them seem relatable/attainable. But there are genre conventions, and I think it’s hard to present a majorly flawed character as your mc until you have a few titles under your belt. (The whole ‘You can break the rules once you show you can play by the rules’) You, however, might be getting to that point with your next book:)
Alex–I’ve done a little of that, too, with my Myrtle books. It’s just the way the character *is*. She can’t help herself. :)
J.L. Stratton–Great points!
I like the idea of revealing the character’s flaws as we go. After all, not every flaw would be as evident as others. Impatience is easy to spot, but others aren’t as obvious.
So Reacher can’t leave well-enough alone–and chooses the fight. I can see where that could be considered an admirable trait in some ways…depending on whether the character is fighting an injustice, etc. But it sounds like it puts Reacher into a lot of hot water most of the time.
Good point–if the redemption isn’t *plausible* because the character has been portrayed with such negative characteristics that the reader thinks he’s a lost cause–that’s a problem, for sure.
Jan–Ripley is so *likable*, isn’t he? Highsmith’s books are genius. I think it definitely takes some skill to pull it off and have the reader rooting for the bad guy.
Mason–It’s a real balancing act, I think.
Margot–Trouble with authority! That’s right, I’d forgotten about Rebus. He can get combative–which can create conflict. Great example of someone who made it work for them.
Clarissa–I think it’s nice to know where flawed characters are coming from…provide some motivation for their issues. And–thanks! Hope you’ll enjoy the book. :)
Helen–Thanks! Yes, I’m starting to really get excited about it. Sort of getting that nesting feeling. :)
Bluestocking–I love flaws, but I tend to play them fairly conservatively with my own protagonists. But my *murderers* can be completely depraved! :)
I liked flawed characters – the more the merrier – or at least to the point that the character is still likeable. If the flaws make the lead character constantly mean, I’ll probable lose interest and not care what happens to them.
Flaws are fabulous. They are the characteristics that we can relate to as readers. Without them, I don’t care about the protag. After all, why would I want to read about Miz Perfect? It’s not something I understand, and therefore, don’t care about.
Great post.
Fine theme for a blog post!
My protagonist´s flaw: she is too tolerant. She is so busy thinking that every life style is ´normal´ that she does not realize when something around her is going really wrong.
NB: it was such a pleasure not only to have your blog post but also so many nice American visitors yesterday!
Listing strengths and weaknesses is one of the first things I do when creating a character. I usually aim for flawed but likeable – although in the case of Book V’s Heather, I really pushed it to the edge!
I think it depends on the story how bad the flaw can be–I think… say, chick lit–they can start pretty bad, if DEALING with them is part of the point.
I’m having a lot of fun with my cozy MC though and her flaw… she has sort of a fast and loose relationship with the truth… it’s not that she LIES, but sometimes SPIN is easier, and SOMETIMES it is easier to just be quiet about it… might get her into a little trouble…
It doesn’t seem to matter as much the flaw or even to what extent it is as long as we still have sympathies for the character and connect with him/her. In my drama, the MC is an abused woman. I worry that she seems too weak.
You know, that is a good question. One I’m not sure I can answer. Another good question is how good is too good? In real life we all have flaws, but what happens when a character doesn’t have enough? Definately something for me to think about before I decide to write a book.
Carol–I think the characters are really like our kids–we want people to like them, even if they’re not always behaving. I think if a reader thinks a character is fundamentally good, then they’ll excuse some bad behavior. I hope!
Jane–Mean is bad. I’m with you–that’s the one trait that I just can’t stand. I can read and follow protagonists who lie, cheat, steal…even kill…but if they’re *mean*, then it’s a deal-breaker for me.
Karen–Yesterday was an all-time cranky day for me. Not sure what was going on! But everybody was rubbing me the wrong way…they didn’t seem to understand that we needed to hurry through the day!
Diane–So the likable traits hook the reader, and the unlikable ones help us relate to her!
Catwoods–Definitely! Because if I feel like I’m a much more horrible person than my protagonist? It’s just not fun.
Hart–That makes sense–if redemption is part of the storyline then have them start out really rotten but with some lovable traits to make sure the readers stick with the story.
Knowing the business that your protagonist is in, I think it’s completely understandable that she’s a little relaxed about little white lies. :)
Mary–That’s a tough one…what if the flaw is that she’s *too* compliant? In that case, I think I’d justify her position just as strongly as I would the deeply flawed, alcoholic character that Simon came up with earlier. She’s compliant because…XYZ. If the reader can understand her motivation, I think it goes a long way toward acceptance.
Dorte–I like your protagonist’s flaw. The reader can emphasize with her–she wants to think the best of people. But sometimes reality is harsher than she realizes!
I loved visiting your blog yesterday! Thanks so much for hosting me, Dorte. :)
Marjorie–I think that if a character is so *good* that they remind me how awful *I* am…that’s not a good thing. :)
I’m coming at this with the perspective of a reader and wannabee-writer, but to me, it depends on the genre.
Take romance, for example. You are usually given two heroes: A male and a female (or male and male, female and female, depending) and the goal of the genre is complete love and a happy ending. So giving a hero a big flaw like cheating is a bad thing. It ruins the escapist feel of the genre, and it won’t gel well with readers.
Then we have a genre like young adult fiction, where we basically want to give a character major flaws. The YA world is becoming increasingly focused on realism today, and realistic people have many, many flaws – some of them very big. And the readers root for those protagonists, because the genre is about the protagonist overcoming those flaws and accepting their true self, though not necessarily fixing those flaws.
Everyone has flaws so i think it is important that characters do too.
I never really thought about it but reading this made me think of my story. I love the flaws of my characters. Thewy make them feel a great deal more real to me.