Nobody’s perfect – especially your characters

Nobody’s perfect – although I’m sure a few people will disagree. But at least when you’re writing fiction, you don’t want perfect characters. It’s often the flaws and the imperfections that make our characters unique and interesting. Also, perfect characters aren’t likely to get themselves into situations that are worth reading about. However, you’re trying to create characters who the reader will empathise with, and not find annoying or pathetic. It’s a fine balance.

There are so many personality flaws that our characters could suffer from, so spend time considering the complexities of their personalities. Obviously, there are some that certainly would never fit into your ‘hero’ category. For example: being cruel to animals, old folk and children; or being a bully. Save those traits for your villains.

By giving your character flaws and weaknesses – and you as the writer knowing how these have come about, you will create believable, interesting characters. It’s that knowing on your part that will make a difference. Spend time creating the back story of your characters, and make sure you don't just tell the reader that hard guy, Jim, is a real softy at heart; or Sarah is totally impatient. You need to write scenes where these traits are revealed.

While we need characters to ‘stay in character’, they can be contradictory in their behaviour if the right circumstances come about. Also, people behave differently depending on who they are with or talking to. If this is happening in your story you need to be consistent.

So, your protagonist has flaws and weaknesses. If you plan on bringing them to the fore at some major turning point in your story, it might just seem that they are acting out of character, which the reader won’t appreciate. It's odd, as people can behave out of character in real life and get away with it, but do this in a story, and it probably won't work. So, if you need a character to act 'out of character' at some point, then the solution would be to hint at any such flaws in their character before they appear. Be subtle in your handling of this as you don’t want to alienate the reader.

For example, showing your protagonist with a furious temper could turn some readers instantly off. Unless of course you show it when he or she is angry about someone being treated unjustly or unfairly. Jealousy isn’t an attractive trait, but your protagonist ‘beating themselves up’ about feeling ridiculously jealous, as they try not to be, reveals their flaw but could also be endearing to the reader.

Then, there’s the baddies and villains of your story, who you want the reader to feel strongly about.  Reveal their unpleasant traits in whatever way you find effective. No need to show them in a good light. Just be sure to show them in their true light. Let the reader see how they are behaving and make up their own mind.

When creating an unpleasant character, have them behaving in ways that will get some sort of emotional response from your reader.  The last thing you want is the reader shrugging their shoulders having no interest in them at all. Make the reader so irate that they must keep reading in the hope that the ‘baddie’ gets what’s coming to them. 

In my book Kill or Die, there are two ‘villains’ both are pretty repulsive, but my aim was to evoke two different emotional responses from readers. One character is utterly merciless, cold hearted and frightening. I didn't want the reader to have any sympathy with him. While the other does get the reader’s sympathy despite being pretty nasty. It was fun finding ways to do this.  

So, enjoy weaving flaws and weaknesses into your character's personalities. It all helps to ensure  your characters are complex and interesting enough to keep the reader right there – reading.

Today’s Exercise:

Spend some time creating a character who could potentially be in conflict with your first character. Give them different goals, ambitions and moral values. Make sure their background accounts for the flaws or negative values in their makeup. You might find it helps to write scenes from their past that made them the way they are today.

Tomorrow: Character motivation