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akjeSo I'm thinking about character flaws since someone started a thread about it in my writing community. The answers reminded me of a Wattpad writer who argued that his mc wasn't a mary sue because she had a flaw ─ recurring nightmares. (⊙.⊙(-̶●̃ₒ●̶̃)⊙.⊙)
To me, a flaw means a sin. What does a character do or believe that makes him repugnant to his fellow man? He doesn't have to be a transgressive character like a serial killer or a rapist, but he ought to have some realistic, ordinary sins. At the very least, damn near everyone on Earth is lookist, ageist, ableist, and weightist. Is your character sexist? Racist? Homophobic? Anti-Semitic? Islamophobic? Xenophobic? Abusive? Insulting? Alcoholic? Adulterous? Arrogant? Stalkerish? Patriarchal? Greedy? Selfish? Narcissistic? Irresponsible? Ungrateful? Cowardly? Hypocritical? Argumentative? Dishonest? Malicious? Tyrannical? Destructive of the environment?
Funny how everyone in society is many of these things today, but your character is not. I suspect writers are terrified of creating an mc who's unlikable, so they make all his flaws external ─ he's traumatized, abused, autistic, plagued by nightmares. But those aren't flaws, in my opinion. Those are circumstances. A character arc consisting solely of a character overcoming circumstances is awfully dull. Give me a story where a character's life is going to hell because he's selfish, thoughtless and judgmental. He unintentionally drives away his loved ones, and unless he overcomes his proclivities he'll never find happiness. ( -.-)\(^◡^ )
To me, a flaw means a sin. What does a character do or believe that makes him repugnant to his fellow man? He doesn't have to be a transgressive character like a serial killer or a rapist, but he ought to have some realistic, ordinary sins. At the very least, damn near everyone on Earth is lookist, ageist, ableist, and weightist. Is your character sexist? Racist? Homophobic? Anti-Semitic? Islamophobic? Xenophobic? Abusive? Insulting? Alcoholic? Adulterous? Arrogant? Stalkerish? Patriarchal? Greedy? Selfish? Narcissistic? Irresponsible? Ungrateful? Cowardly? Hypocritical? Argumentative? Dishonest? Malicious? Tyrannical? Destructive of the environment?
Funny how everyone in society is many of these things today, but your character is not. I suspect writers are terrified of creating an mc who's unlikable, so they make all his flaws external ─ he's traumatized, abused, autistic, plagued by nightmares. But those aren't flaws, in my opinion. Those are circumstances. A character arc consisting solely of a character overcoming circumstances is awfully dull. Give me a story where a character's life is going to hell because he's selfish, thoughtless and judgmental. He unintentionally drives away his loved ones, and unless he overcomes his proclivities he'll never find happiness. ( -.-)\(^◡^ )
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