Just last week, I watched as Superman saved the world again. Superman is . . . well, he’s not human, he’s nearly perfect physically, and yet . . . he’s not perfect. He’s flawed. Not as a character, mind you, but as an individual. For a character, he’s exactly what one wants and needs. Someone strong, good looking, a good person trying to right the world’s wrongs. But he is flawed.
Around Lois, he’s a complete dork, at least in the persona of Clark Kent. He acts utterly human and makes the same mistakes that people have made for centuries when dealing with members of the opposite sex. And then there’s that whole kryptonite thing. A little stone can debilitate a super-human power and kill a super man.
I’m coming to see that it is the flaws and not necessarily the strengths that make a character, well, strong in a story. Take, for instance, Luke Skywalker. He is a headstrong kid who wants to save the world. And yet for all his youthful idealism, he has the same weakness as his father—hate. It is what nearly undoes him, and yet that tension, that internal conflict is what makes the story interesting and relatable.
People want to see weakness in their favorite characters because it makes them human and makes them like us. It’s an unconscious liking, but it has an effect on the way we tell stories.
It makes me wonder if my characters are weak enough to be strong. How about yours? Are you making them too perfect and therefore unrelatable?
![[del.icio.us]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[MySpace]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Email]](http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
6 Comments so far
Leave a comment
Hmmm…this is a great topic. I hadn’t even really thought about things this way. I’m going to make sure my characters have flaws too!
Thanks Michelle!
[Reply]
By Liz on 07.07.09 9:41 am | Permalink
My character definitely has flaws, as I tried to make her as real as possible, but I hadn’t yet thought about making those flaws into her strengths.
Thanks for bringing this up. Maybe now it’ll be easier to figure out how she’s going to do what she has to towards the end as I’m not quite there yet. Interesting!!! =)
[Reply]
By Eden Tyler on 07.07.09 10:49 am | Permalink
What a great topic for discussion! My characters have flaws, I base them after people I love and know well. I haven’t ever thought about making them their strengths, it’s just fun to have them do the stupid human things we all do. Thanks Michelle
[Reply]
By Brenna on 07.07.09 10:54 am | Permalink
I think of it like an interview question where you are asked what your greatest weakness is…you don’t want it to be so horrible they won’t hire you, but so obviously not a flaw that they don’t think you are realistic or honest.
Finding that happy medium is tough.
[Reply]
By Joyce on 07.07.09 8:01 pm | Permalink
Definitely try to make sure my characters have flaws… it’s hard to do when you want them to stay likable though! But I think, as a general rule, no character should be good at everything.
My sister sent me a great article on creating characters with a fun list of character flaws. Lots of great ideas if you’re trying ot find the perfect annoying quirk
http://www.elfwood.com/farp/thewriting/mfocharacter/mfocharacter.html
[Reply]
By Jen on 07.07.09 9:17 pm | Permalink
This is something I try hard to institute. I think that perfect character are boring. Flaws make them oh so much better!
[Reply]
By Sarah on 07.08.09 10:35 pm | Permalink
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>