29
My barber said all my story ideas are too nice and it's been bugging me
I was getting a haircut yesterday and telling him about a story I'm stuck on. He looked at me and said, 'Man, your people are too clean. Give someone a real bad habit, like they steal salt shakers from diners.' It was so specific and weird, but it made me realize I avoid writing truly flawed characters. Now I'm stuck between making characters readers will like and making them feel real. Do you think a character needs a major flaw to be interesting?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
xena_williams17d ago
thompson.tyler nailed it with that "small, weird flaws" thing. Nobody's talked about how a flaw can actually be a strength in the wrong situation. Like someone who's super loyal, that's usually a good thing right? But it becomes a flaw when they're loyal to the wrong person or refuse to see when a friend is toxic. Or take someone who's really organized. Great trait. But make them organize your whole kitchen without asking and suddenly they're annoying. The barber is right, but the trick is making a trait that works both ways, not just adding something random like stealing salt shakers.
3
thompson.tyler2mo ago
That barber's onto something. Read once that small, weird flaws are way more real than big tragic ones.
2
blakefox2mo ago
Totally agree. It's like how a character who's always losing their keys feels more human than one with a dark past. Those tiny, specific mess-ups are what we all actually recognize.
5