How to make characters imperfect?

[Adder4321]

I've been writing for a few years, but I've noticed that I have a problem with making my characters too perfect. They never seem to have any personal problems and they always end up being really boring. Does anyone else experience this, and if you do, do you have any ways to solve it?

 

[sr71plt]

Every story you write starts with a central element. As a writing exercise, pick a character flaw as that central element and build the rest of the story around it. The more you work with it the more it will naturally be there in your stories.

I have a series of vice detective continuing central characters that are established around the central element that, although they solve their cases, as a side issue they are trapped in the same vice they are fighting in the specific case they are working. Those continuing characters are now established with their flaws and I can build stories stressing other elements around them.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

The first line of my latest effort:

Harriet had a mouth full of me when the bedroom door opened and her husband flipped ON the light switch. “I’m home,” he announced.

 

[Adder4321]

Thinking about this more, I think that my problem is that I fear making my characters so imperfect that they're unlikable.

 

[Areala-chan]

I've been writing for a few years, but I've noticed that I have a problem with making my characters too perfect. They never seem to have any personal problems and they always end up being really boring. Does anyone else experience this, and if you do, do you have any ways to solve it?

Think about people you know in real life, especially your friends. Nobody is perfect, not even your best friend, spouse, significant other, parent(s), sibling(s), not even you.

Each of the people in your life have traits specific to them that make them who they are. Your best friend, for example, might be the funniest guy on the planet, but lousy at managing money. A 'flaw' doesn't always need to be a flaw either: being generous with one's time and/or money, or having a people pleaser personality, is fine up to a point. It's when that point is crossed you get a chance for making that character a little more well-rounded. Businesses love having workaholics on staff, especially in salaried positions where they don't make overtime, but this drive to succeed at work which can result in promotions and increased power within the company can lead to strained relationships, conflicts, and missed opportunities at home.

Using myself as an example, I'm a very patient person. I understand that things can't always happen at the time and place I want them to, so I shrug it off and deal with it. This is fine for handling a long check-out line at the grocery store, but it's terrible when time is of the essence. I've patiently dealt with what I thought was just a cold long enough that it turned into pneumonia before, because I didn't want to bother anybody else and spend the money to go to the doctor and get it checked out 'just in case'. Needless to say, I bothered both my wife and my workplace when I wound up having to take several days off work, and spent more on doctor visits and antibiotics than I would have if I'd just gone back when it all began. Patience is not always a virtue.

In addition, when my patience is exhausted, there is no bigger bitch on the face of the planet, and I turn into every red-headed female stereotype you've encountered. Sometimes this works wonders and the problem gets resolved, but usually I just make a fool out of myself and ruin someone else's day.

Flaws are nothing more than opportunities to round out your characters, and the best way to use them, in my opinion, is not to draw attention to them. Don't write "Ron was greedy" anywhere in your story, show him behaving in a greedy fashion from time to time. Greed can make people act without thinking where money is concerned, so if he loaned someone money make sure he's always asking when they're going to repay it. He may compulsively buy scratch-off lottery tickets or visit casinos to play the nickel slots in hopes of a large payout, but he'll never play the dollar slots because "those cost too much when you lose." He may mention his goal of one day having enough money to do X, Y, and Z. He may tip like a miser at restaurants, deliberately not tip the server, or refuse to eat out at all because "why should _I_ have to pay somebody for doing the job they're paid to do?". He may compulsively check stock prices on his phone, even in the middle of casual conversations. The degree of his greed will influence the degree to which he turns into an asshole where money is concerned, and it's more fun for the readers if you dole this out in bits and pieces so they put it together themselves.

Here's a list of 123 character flaw ideas: https://writerswrite.co.za/123-ideas-for-character-flaws/

Read through it, pick one or two that are interesting, and try to work them into your next story.

 

[SimonDoom]

Thinking about this more, I think that my problem is that I fear making my characters so imperfect that they're unlikable.

A way to deal with this is to give the character a weakness or a quirk that gets in the way of what the character wants to accomplish without being a moral failing. A detective who has to investigate a crime in a high rise building who has a fear of heights, for example. That sort of thing. It's not a moral failing, and it won't make the character unlikeable, but it will make the character less perfect, and it will serve a dramatic purpose.

Less is more. You don't need a lot of imperfections. In a short story, especially, one will do.

 

[Hypoxia]

Thinking about this more, I think that my problem is that I fear making my characters so imperfect that they're unlikable.

Likable characters should suffer horrible fates. Killing-off a sweetie-pie makes *such* romantic tragedy and drives readers' tears. Or asshole main characters can exploit and destroy the innocents they prey on.

Many stock flaws are available. We can have cheaters, seducers, despoilers of innocents, serial liars, shoplifters, crooked cow-orkers, ideological fanatics, stoners, drunks, asshole straight-edgers, bad poets, sex addicts / sluts, carnies, and some of our weirder relatives. Don't forget the karaoke singers.

 

[sr71plt]

With your "but they might not find the character likeable," you are limiting yourself to shallow characters, yes, in search of an unsophisticated reader. You have to decide what you want off the top and not ask how to make characters noticeably/disagreeably imperfect. If this is your goal, go for minor imperfections and if you are catering to the unsophisticated reader, make the imperfection go away by the end of your story. Write a fairytale. If the imperfections are small and/or are overcome by the end of the story you can have your character likeable, if that's a priority with you.

 

[tomlitilia]

I made one of my characters realistic by giving her some flaws. Nothing big, just a little bit demanding and human. Many readers commented that she was appalling and bitchy, even those who liked the stories. But that was an LW story.

 

[Kantarii]

I give some of my characters a character flaw. Things like: compulsive behaviors, bad habits, a less than perfect attitude, let them lie, drink, cuss, or be a sarcastic, smart ass. Anything really, that I come in contact with usually finds it's way into some of my characters. Perfection = boring to read about. I like imperfect characters that strive to overcome their flaws.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Unlikable characters can make great drama. At the risk of politics, our current president in the US is dramatically unliked by a large segment of the US, and the press gives him the spotlight every single day. Drama is irresistible. My most hateful character has a series of red H stories all to himself.

It depends on what kind of story you want to write. If it's just sex, characters barely matter as long as they bring the right equipment to bed. For anything else, characters can be lovable, dislikable and eccentric as the plot demands. Tell a *story* and the character flaws and strength will appear. If they don't, rewrite it until it looks realistic.

I personally never have a problem with this. Many of my male characters are a variation on me, and flaws are not hard to find. Females... well, if you don't know any flawed females who'd make good characters, you're not getting out enough.

Readers seem to like:

Good, loving characters who fuck up big time in a relationship and then struggle to get redemption. This doesn't just have to be LW material.

Wicked characters who manipulate, coerce and lie and then get what's coming to them. (Generally they get a bad ending, and everyone applauds, but it's also interesting when they get the girl.)

Cowardly souls who get brave by sheer force of will or necessity.

Females who can't control their lusts (well, half the readership likes this, anyway.)

 

[cfuhrer]

You're a human, writing about (presumably) humans, to be read by other humans. That's a recipe for imperfection.

At the very least, your character cannot please all of the other characters all of the time. They aren't that different from us.

 

[Voboy]

Thinking about this more, I think that my problem is that I fear making my characters so imperfect that they're unlikable.

When I read, I like the least likeable characters the most. I try to write the same way.

 

[Bentmind42]

Think in terms of insecurities. Most insecurities are rooted in life experiences. For example, had the character been cheated on in the past, so they may get jealous easily or they may be suspicious when it comes to things like where their love interest is, who they are talking to, etc.

When it comes to romantic relationships, insecurities replaces what most people think of as character flaws in every day lives. So, to give another example, a person may have had issues with a verbally abusive partner, so they are now combative and argumentive.

The character should have normal flaws as well. Maybe it's nervous habit of combing their hair with their fingers or whistling. Talking to themselves. These things make a character unique. You can easily go overboard with these sorts of things, so its a good idea to pick one or two quarks to focus on.

A character doesn't necessarily have to overcome these types of flaws. Sometimes it's better if they don't depending on the quark. But overcoming the flaw can be your theme, can be the thing that keeps the character from achieving their goal. Maybe their shy and have to force themselves to talk to the pretty girl. Verses, they have a speech impairment that is embarrassing but the cause is medical and they can't fix it, they just have to find other things about themselves to counter their impairment.

Sometimes flaws are only perceived as such by the character. Everyone knows the person that thinks they look like the wrong end of a baboon but in reality they are an attractive person. It's a mater of what they see when they look at themselves, but others may not notice it at all.

It helps to know what the flaws and insecurities while plotting. If the flaw seems random and doesn't really apply to the story that is where you can get into the territory where you start to annoy your readers.

Hopefully that helps.

 

[Adder4321]

Thanks for the responses, They've really helped me. I've been working on a novel for a while now, but I haven't been able to talk to anybody with actual writing experience about it. It's a sort of sci-fi, fantasy adventure story. If anyone would like to chat with me about it to help me out, especially with the characters I would really appreciate it.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Show the character's flaws harming somebody.

 

[Nezhul]

Just remember that as well as making imerfect heroes - always make your villains imperfect as well. Every man has good sides, even a maniac with an axe. Even such character in some situations will come across as good or sympathetic.

 

[8letters]

Your plot is going to drive a lot of your characters' personality. If you have a Happy Ever After ending, your characters are going to have personalities that make a Happy Ever After ending make sense. If he's an alcoholic and she's a compulsive gambler, it's not going to really seem like a HEA if they wind up together.

I try to give characters flaws that make them compatible. In My European Summer Vacation, he's the type that doesn't do any planning - he'll go to the Eiffel Tower and when he's done, he'll figure out where he wants to go next. She's a compulsive planner. Once they learn to trust each other, they are much happy together than apart.

My last few stories, I really started giving my characters personalities after the first draft is done. Like I said, the plot determined a lot of the personality the readers see and it's a matter of finding a point of view that's consistent with the action in the story.

 

[RetroFan]

A lot of my characters are deeply flawed - it makes writing about them interesting.

You can do a lot more with flawed female characters as they can get away with more. For example, you can make a spoiled rich girl sexy but a spoiled rich guy is just well - spoiled - and that is not a sexy quality in a guy.

Some people may not like such characters - in one story I wrote a posh, stuck-up, highly opinionated English girl is the main female character and one reader left a comment telling me to write about anything other than spoiled rotten bitches, but generally my stories with flawed female lead characters go okay.

 

[Hypoxia]

I've suggested end-driven writing. Visualize a final image, the story's takeaway shot. Now build your setting, players, and plot points to reach that end. For example:

Our anti-hero is hiding under a vehicle in a used car lot while an enraged mob runs past, seeking to lynch him. Or he stands by watching his GF scream in ecstasy atop her smoking Symbian. Or she's sliding a greased corncob up his ass.

The characters obviously have some issues, some flaws, for such endings to occur. Make them happen.

 

[CyranoJ]

My characters' "imperfections" are mostly based on people I've either known or studied. Often they don't think of them as "imperfections," it's just how they are. Sometimes their "imperfection" is that they don't give themselves enough credit, which is also not infrequent. Generally, I find that if you observe people around you closely, you'll find plenty of material for building realistically imperfect characters. (It's a better approach IMO than picking a trait off a list, not that that list up there isn't interesting.)

 

[Voboy]

I've suggested end-driven writing. Visualize a final image, the story's takeaway shot. Now build your setting, players, and plot points to reach that end. For example:

Our anti-hero is hiding under a vehicle in a used car lot while an enraged mob runs past, seeking to lynch him. Or he stands by watching his GF scream in ecstasy atop her smoking Symbian. Or she's sliding a greased corncob up his ass.

The characters obviously have some issues, some flaws, for such endings to occur. Make them happen.

Interesting approach. I do the opposite; I build detailed characters around a very loose plan, then let them tell me what they wish to do.

If the characters seem real, I've found it might not necessarily make the best porn; it'll at least make a decent story.

 

[Hypoxia]

Interesting approach. I do the opposite; I build detailed characters around a very loose plan, then let them tell me what they wish to do.

That's one of my other approaches. Create a setting, characters, and basic plot points, then set the players loose and see what they do, i.e. what shit they pull. They're often pretty surprising.

Yet another approach involves prior knowledge of what will happen, with the story based on history, journals, extant continuity. Authoring then consists of creatively elaborating and editing to make it read-worthy.

As others mentioned, many of my characters are based on more-or-less real people I think I know. I may merge a few people into one, or split one into a few aspects. Or I'll merely invent someone; but they may appear cartoonish.

Cartoon-y characters in erotica? Say it ain't so!