Designing Character Flaws

When building a character, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the flaws. All characters have flaws. And it is that flaw, that imperfection, that makes us able to relate to them.

So what is a literary flaw? The classic one is hubris - it is central in Greek drama. But thousands of other flaws, from great to small, have been added in. And they all make characters interesting.

By "flaw," I mean an obstacle that's interior to the person. Pyromania is a flaw. Greed is a flaw. Loving people isn't, though it can become one in the wrong situation. But in this post, I'm only talking about clearly obvious ones. (Situational flaws I'll cover later).

So. A character needs flaws. There needs to be something imperfect about them, something to make them fall when they want nothing more than to climb. The flaw is the inner obstacle that stands between them and their goal. Sometimes overcoming that flaw is the entire story. Sometimes it's only a part of it. Sometimes it's an overriding facet of the character, and sometimes it's just a side note - but one that touches everything.

Writing Prompt: Write a character sketch. Be aware of the flaws of the person you're creating. Don't go overboard - one or two should be plenty. Make this a rounded person, good points and bad. A career, hobbies, whatever you need to understand the character.

Next week we're going to be working with that sketch.