#jigsaws backstory. what drives him. the beliefs he holds

[glitchydyke]

take my hand i can show you the beautiful world of a guy getting dissolved from the inside by acid . and billy the puppet

[tell--your--world]

Character Flaws in Action

After my recent post about building characters, I was asked about what counts as a flaw. It's a good question; everyone says interesting characters are flawed, but no one ever explains what that means. As a result, many new writers - and some experienced ones - choose stereotypical “flaws” to give their characters some depth: addictions, a short temper, a history of abuse, a cruel streak. Sometimes it works, other times it feels wrong for the character, and every so often the flaw is used to excuse their behavior, if it has any impact at all. But most relevantly, not every flaw qualifies as one. Take another look at my earlier list. Can you tell which item doesn't belong?

When we talk about real people, we refer to flaws in their character as being traits present in the person, not their environment. A history of abuse can be a good piece of backstory if it’s right for the character, and it can certainly give rise to flaws, but it shouldn't be counted as one. Here are a few more things that aren't flaws: physical traits, personal opinions, moral choices, worldviews, and any event or situation outside of the character’s control.

My reasoning for why these things don't count is that they're either subjective - opinions, choices and beliefs accepted by one person are condemned by another - or they exist outside the character (it should be noted that erroneous beliefs can arise because of a deeper flaw, such as when a paranoid character convinces himself that no one can be trusted).

So what does count as a flaw? There isn't much left once you've cut away the likes, dislikes, desires and beliefs that make a character who they are. Not much, that is, except the core traits which drive the character to think and act the way they do to begin with. I think these traits are best defined by the well-known Seven Deadly Sins; if you take away the religious meaning ascribed to them, they form an accurate summary of the things that drive people to behave in self-defeating ways. To help illustrate what I mean, I've compiled the traits and a few (though by no means all) of their manifestations here:

Lust: Sexual desire. Healthy manifestations include the desire to reproduce or share pleasure with an intimate partner. As a flaw, it can lead to infidelity, obsession, or rape.

Gluttony: One of the few truly negative traits, loosely defined as overindulgence of food or drink. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and overeating are common manifestations.

Pride: A sense of pleasure derived from or satisfaction with one's own abilities and achievements, or those of others. Negative forms include arrogance and a tendency to take credit for others’ accomplishments.

Sloth: Laziness or apathy. It often appears as a lack of opinion on or concern about the wrongs of the world, or a reluctance to take action to improve things.

Greed: Desire for power or material things, especially - though not always - luxuries. This desire often leads to selfishness and hoarding.

Envy: A longing for things other people have. Similar to greed, but not limited to material possessions.

Wrath: Feelings of anger or resentment, typically surfacing in fits of rage, grudge holding, or a desire for revenge for real or perceived wrongs.

To these I would also add

Vanity: Generally considered an aspect of pride, vanity is a focus on one's appearance and reputation. It spawns such flaws as narcissism, a desire for attention, and obsession with physical appearance.

Jealousy: Similar to envy, but where envy wants what others have, jealousy seeks to keep what it already has. This can result in possessiveness and controlling or territorial behavior.

Fear: The desire to avoid harm. Fear is an important part of self-preservation, but can become a flaw if phobias, mistrust, or paranoia take root.

A number of positive traits, including determination, compassion, humility, loyalty and honor, can also be flaws when taken to extremes or utilized in the wrong situations. Similarly, not all negative traits count as flaws. Anger about a bad situation can lead to improvement, for example, and a certain amount of pride is needed to do a job well.

The key aspect of writing a flaw is the impact it has on the character’s life. On one hand, it's going to cause them no end of trouble - if it doesn't, it's not a flaw. On the other hand, unless the character is more self-aware than most of us tend to be, they're likely to ignore their flaws, find ways to justify them, or even see them as strengths. Foolhardy recklessness can be misconstrued as bravery, and the same character might equate caution with cowardice. A bad temper is often blamed on others, and we've all heard stories about alcoholics who insist they don't have a problem.

My best advice for choosing a flaw for your character is not to do it. You might have noticed that when I talked about building characters, picking out key traits never came up. That's because people are more than just a jigsaw puzzle of behaviors, and building them like one is going to give you the same result the puzzle does: a picture visibly comprised of pieces. My approach to creating characters is to write them in various situations and make note of any prominent traits that arise, including flaws. One character I developed for a Sonic the Hedgehog story began life as little more than an intellectual with a morbid sense of humor, but within a few chapters he'd become verbally aggressive, jealous, and more intuitive than book smart. His humorous side, which no longer fit him, had disappeared.

This is an example of how characters can change if you let them, but more importantly, it's an example of how flaws come to the surface on their own. If you're having trouble writing the character or find that no flaws are surfacing, you might be putting them in the wrong situations. In these cases, try looking at their backstories for inspiration.

Like most behaviors, flaws are usually picked up through emulating other people and through lessons which encourage certain ways of thinking. Characters might blame addictions on their families or life circumstances, become arrogant when raised to believe their bloodline/social class is superior to others, or justify hoarding and selfishness as simply trying to survive (true survival situations don't count, unless the character places their own well-being before that of even loved ones). Some flaws originate as a means of self-defense which helped in a bad situation, but became problematic when things changed. A good example would be the paranoid character mentioned earlier, who learned to keep people at a distance to avoid being hurt, and now rejects those who truly want to help him.

Once you have an idea of what kinds of flaws a character might have as a result of their history, you can try writing them in situations where those flaws would be made apparent. Put your abused character in a situation where he needs to trust a stranger, or your spoiled brat on a deserted island with only one other character, and see what they do. If you find that the words now come more easily, or that the characters are starting to do or say things you don't expect, you're probably on the right track. And if an inability to trust gets the character hurt or selfish behavior drives the other person away, congratulations! You have a functioning flaw.

A few things to keep in mind when writing flaws: the flaw doesn't have to be a plot point, but it should still give the character trouble from time to time, even if you only use it for humor. And if it is a plot point, or a major part of their character arc, it should have serious consequences at least once. Maybe your protagonist suffers a setback in achieving their goals. Maybe they get themselves or someone else hurt or captured, or fail an important task. Maybe someone dies. Whatever it is, they should be motivated to overcome their flaw, and the story’s outcome should be in some way influenced by whether or not they succeed.

The last thing I want to mention here is the fatal flaw. This is the one trait which can - and sometimes does - lead to a character's undoing. Any flaw can have dire consequences, but the fatal flaw is the hardest to resist and usually the easiest to ignore or justify, at least to the character who has it. It crops up again and again, forcing characters to make hard choices or to make bad decisions in a heartbeat because they can't imagine doing anything else. In many cases, especially when the trait is positive, the flaw is seen as a strength. It's only when the drive to protect people gets a loved one hurt or unwavering loyalty gets someone killed that the flaw becomes apparent. Other times the flaw is immediately obvious: a desire for revenge leads a character to act without thought whenever their target is nearby, a hunger for power causes one hero to turn on the rest, and pride or fear can put characters in constant misery as they refuse to ever ask for or accept help.

When figuring out your characters’ fatal flaws, ask yourself, “what is the protagonist's greatest fear? What about the thing they want most? What's the one thing the villain can do to make this character turn on the others or give himself up?” Remember, despite its name, fatal flaws don't always literally kill the character. In fact, it can be the act of overcoming that flaw which brings their end, such as when the selfish character ultimately sacrifices himself for the rest of the team, or a blindly loyal villain turns on his master at the last minute. In most cases, however, overcoming the fatal flaw diverts tragedy rather than causing it.

It should also be mentioned that truly overcoming a flaw is rare, and usually won't lead to an overnight change in personality or values. A revenge-driven character might spare one target only to keep hunting another, a mistrustful character might overcome their fear of others just long enough to be removed from immediate danger, and a villain who survives turning on their leader might still be a villain, or at least unable to easily adopt a new perspective. In most cases a flaw has to be overcome several times before it's truly beaten. But if you intend to show a character overcoming their flaw repeatedly, you'll want to show their growth by making it a little easier each time, or else use the first few instances to prepare them for their true test at the climax of the character arc.

Character growth, however, is another post entirely.

If you're curious about my fanworks or want a better idea of my abilities as a writer, you can find my fics on the following sites: just remember that older stories and chapters don't reflect my current writing style, and are slated for editing.

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http://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDecepticon

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https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4428055/

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