Flawed, but Likeable

Creating memorable and well-rounded characters

Photo by Richa Sharma on Unsplash

Every single writer wants to create characters that grab readers by the heart and refuse to let go. The kind that linger on with readers and spawn fandoms and fanart and maybe even some fanfiction.

So how do you get there?

One of our fearless readers asked this on our recent Q&A post, and while we didn’t tackle it in the A part, I tagged it to turn into it’s own post since it’s such a good question. And after reading/assessing 20+ manuscripts from student writers or young/beginner writers, (and definitely having been there myself), there are a few easy things to look for!

We’ve probably all heard the advice, or inherently know, that when creating a character they need some or all of the following: a flaw, fault, or fear.

We know this inherently because we are flawed humans. And no one really wants to read about a perfect character because there’s not much room for conflict within the story.

So we give the character a flaw. But how do we make sure that flaw doesn’t overwhelm their likeability?

Tip #1: Don’t let the flaw become their whole personality.

This can be a common misstep. And trust me, I get it. It’s so easy to lean into the flaw to establish baseline and reactions and growth through what they need. But what often ends up happening is authors don’t leave room for anything else.

Is the flaw that they don’t really trust anyone? Make sure that doesn’t lead to them scowling at everything that moves, expecting to be shaken down for their lunch money at every interaction. Trust is a process. Instead, show how they can interact and engage with people with a smile or laugh, but they never share anything below surface level information until connections start forming.

Is the flaw that they’re easily scared? Make sure they’re not screaming and jumping at everything. Maybe it takes them a few extra seconds to step out the door but they cover for it by checking to make sure they have everything in the pack, or have to stop and tie a shoelace again to cover a few more deep breaths before stepping into the unknown. Maybe they do lock up and freeze in the face of a giant spider or slavering wolf (if it’s one of those adventures, I’m happy in my hobbit hole, thanks), but make sure they physically move in some way to start conquering that fear.

We all have flaws, but we all often work on them or work around them. We all have senses of humor, favorite colors and food, places we want to see, or jokes with friends. So don’t forget to expand the rest of the character’s personality around the flaw or fear.

Tip #2: Make sure they’re actively growing forward

We all might wish it was as easy as a several-day adventure to cure us of flaws/fears/faults, but alas, we’ll have to leave that for our characters and take the longer road ourselves.

Now that you’ve identified the flaw/fear and established a personality that either hides it, supports it, or exacerbates it, make sure the character doesn’t stay where they start.

The flaw/fear comes into play at the inciting incident, or the first act break. It’ll come back at the disaster in some way, and finally be conquered by the climax/end.

The key to remember with consistent character growth is to make sure they actively move forward at each plot beat. They need to learn from each plot beat and show growth away from that flaw/fear. This doesn’t mean that they’re perfect by the end and conquer the climax with no issue. No! Instead, you’re going to raise the stakes to make them keep growing.

They don’t trust anyone at the start? By the midpoint, they’ve come to realize that there’s strength in community and have embraced their companions. Now they’re fighting to save their found family instead of leaving them for the slavering wolves like they might not have at the beginning.

Tip #3: Give them a positive trait to counterbalance the “negative” flaw!

This leans back into Tip #1, but giving them something to counterbalance the flaw will give you something else to play with in expanding their personality and how they will end up growing through the story.

Are they impulsive? Does that lead to mistakes and errors and disasters? That’s the flaw, but counterbalance that with loyalty and intelligence and battle strategy, and once that character learns to temper the impulsivity and learn some patience, then they’ll be winning battles in no time.

Angsty heroes were all the rage a few years ago, but constant angst and brooding gets old really fast. This is a post all it’s own, but mixing angst with humor gives a more well-rounded character. Balance out whatever they’re angsty about with humor, unexpected character relationship (ex: sunshine x grumpy), interests/dreams, random acts of kindness (given or received).

Even if some of this doesn’t make it on the page, knowing how they’d respond to things or would express themselves in situations other than peril will help you round out the character better.

Remember: characters, like humans, are more than 1 personality trait (or flaw).

While it’s easiest to show growth by focusing on only 1 flaw/fault/fear through the story, we are collections of our pasts and present, hundreds of daily interactions, hopes and dreams and music and jokes, etc. So don’t be afraid to also let your characters be the same. Let them make mistakes, let them have positive and negative emotions and traits, and you’ll soon find that you have a well-rounded character who starts to feel like they could spring off the page at any moment.

What are some traits you love to see in characters?