Good Writers Create Character Flaws or Wounds For Relatable Characters

In real life, none of us is perfect. We all have flaws or wounds, those characteristics with which we are aware. Characters in a story also have flaws or wounds, too. You may ask why good writers create character flaws for their protagonists or antagonists. They do this so that a reader can identify with their issue. It makes them more human, more complex, and more relatable. 

Let's get more into the nuances of character flaws:

As the writer puts more complexity into the character, it pulls the reader into the story more.

StudioBinder has more to say on Character Flaws.

Good Writers Create Character Flaws and Wounds for Their Characters. Let’s Talk Character Wounds

Here we will take a close look at character wounds. We will distinguish the difference between a flaw and a wound. When a character has a flaw, it is an inherent trait that causes conflict in the story. Greed, jealousy, and vindictiveness are all qualities that can cause trouble and make the character realistically human. 

However, a character wound is a deep emotional scar that stems from a traumatic event that happened before the story began:

Think of wounds as betrayal, loss, agoraphobia, abuse, and so forth that have such an impact on emotions that it affects their behavior and decisions throughout the story. A character’s wound can also be a physical one.

Read more on what Verity has to say on the Character Wound.

Good Writers Create Character Flaws or Wounds For Their Characters.   See These Examples

Flaws create internal conflict and drive the character's arc. This makes them increasingly interesting and plausible. Wounds add depth and show motivation, revealing why characters behave in certain ways.

Let’s look at some examples of character flaws, wounds, and characters with both.

Flaws:

• Excessive pride: Walter White in Breaking Bad
• Indecisive: Hamlet 
• Abusive/fanatical: Annie Wilkes in Misery
• Cunning/manipulative/unscrupulous: Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can

Wounds:

• Harry Potter’s longing for his lost parents
• Batman’s sense of justice, driven by the trauma of witnessing the murder of his parents
• Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Her wounds include the loss of her father and the responsibility of protecting her family

Flaws and Wounds:

• Obsessive/physical wound: Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick is intent on capturing the whale that bit off his leg on a previous voyage 
• Obsessive with wealth and status/heartbreak over Daisy: Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

Another character with a flaw and a wound is found in the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. The antagonist, Francis Dolarhyde, was abandoned by his mother, spent some time in an orphanage, and was subsequently taken in by his grandmother who verbally abused him. Dolarhyde also has a cleft lip and palate. 

His flaws: he is socially awkward, cunning, and has an alternate personality. This personality kills entire families. Dolarhyde also feels unworthy because of his physical deformity. This is a false notion, feeling unworthy because of a deformity, and he tries to overcome this feeling by weight training and building a strong admirable body. Dolarhyde does not overcome his flaws and come to terms with his wound. At the end of the story, he is fatally shot.

A good writer is expected not to just tell a story, but to breathe life into it by crafting well-rounded, flawed, and wounded characters. Implementing these critical elements can be one of the most powerful ways to improve creative writing.

Good writers create character flaws and/or wounds to add layers that make the story more compelling. Writers can explore complex human emotions and craft a more authentic narrative. When readers read such stories, they embark on fascinating journeys. And they are eager to read more.

Aspiring writers must give the people what they want.

Images created with Tai