It occurred to me this morning that I have been thinking about character flaws in the wrong way. I thought it had to be some kind of negative trait. Drinks too much. Can’t trust. Plagued by demons. Bad breath.
But here’s the realization: The character “flaw” is the imperfection or external obstacle that keeps her from achieving her goals. It’s the reason there’s a story to begin with. The flaw is the barrier between the character and achieving their need.
Earthshattering. For me, at least.
Yes, it would by ideal if there was an external obstacle that is also linked to a character weakness so that she has to overcome both to achieve her need (not necessarily her want), but it’s not only an internal weakness or flaw. That way lies the plotless crap they call literary fiction. No, any weakness in the character has to be tied to the plot/conflict.
So, the flaw doesn’t need to make them less than what they are. It could be something like a lack of necessary social standing to achieve their goal (internal correlation: inferiority complex). A lack of skills, resources, or equipment necessary to overcome an opponent, etc.
I’ve got to say, that takes a huge weight off my back. I definitely prefer plot-driven books and I was struggling with the endless stream of advice that characters must overcome “flaws” to have an arc. But now, I think I can look at it in a different way. And yeah, I’ll still try to develop an internal emotional mirror to the external obstacle. But it’s a relief to think that I don’t have to give all of my characters serious hangups. Just something preventing them from getting what they want.
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