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gh0stcr33p
Mar '19
1

hello again.
I feel like I should ask this sooner rather than later, but I always hear that to make a character likeable they need to have some sort of "weakness", and something that they want. now I know there can be exceptions when it comes to things such as minor characters and such, but my problem is that I've created future a reoccurring character that'll appear in my comic soon (that'll also be sort of an important character later on too) but well, I really can't think of a single weakness for her because it just doesn't feel... necessary, and I'm honestly worried about inserting something that doesn't feel right to me if its my own character/story. is this bad or wrong?

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    Mar '19

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    Mar '19
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TimCaloweh
Mar '19

Without a weakness, a character can be seen as uninteresting, annoying, or just a waste of space. Keep that in mind when deciding their role.

nathanKmcwilliamsIn the making of Bunneh The Rabbit
Mar '19

If you don't feel like doing it then don't. Maybe as you write the character something will organically come up as a weakness, that won't feel forced.

JackOfArtAndProse
Mar '19

Weaknesses and imperfections humanize a person. If you want a character to seem almost mythological(and they will have this kind of impact on your story, whether you like it or not), a good way to go about it is to not show their weaknesses.

However, realistically speaking, everyone has their weaknesses. Zeus was into mortal women and a major cheater, Achilles had his legendary tendon, Midas was greedy and so on - a character's dramatic and narrative potential is ultimately decided by their faults, not their strengths. Not giving them a weakness might make readers feel indifferent towards your character. Again, if this is purposeful, then great. If not... well, not every weakness needs to be major. The weakness could be introversion or a general dislike of human contact, or the incapability to understand large concepts or even a lack of patience... Anything goes, really. Be creative.

dawgofdawgness
Mar '19

Welllllllllllllll, character motives and flaws usually are the basis for a story and usually when people write stories, they're established in the writer's mind before they even begin. But if you're going to add one in for the sake of adding them in, then I would say don't do it because it'll feel really superficial and maybe even preachy if the new traits are just slapped on like that. Some stories don't need to be driven by characters and character development, usually ones that are fun and feel-good (Like Back to the Future). But they're kind of an exception because usually a really interesting plot makes up for it and they're not supposed to be taken seriously or read into at all in the first place.
So I would say just go with your gut. Not every story is the same

joannekwan(ง ˙o˙)ว here to help~
Mar '19

Well, I don't so much as look at weaknesses, but rather I look at faults. Like you could have a perfect op deity but they're so above humans that they cannot sympathize with them and that fault could lead to interesting character studies/plot points.

JackOfArtAndProse
Mar '19

I ALSO agree with @dawgofdawgness 's comment here. Your story is your story, so if you really feel like you shouldn't change it according to someone's feedback, then roll with it. It might be that you've already subconsciously attributed a weakness to the said character, and that it will showcase itself in time.

If you have troubly deciding, ask from someone who, you know to adore your story - their feedback is oftentimes better in these kinds of push-and-pull situations.

Wumbl
Mar '19

Honestly, as you develop a character their flaws will come about organically.
Every trait you include will build up to their character faults.

I mean, they could have amazing abilities that are virtually unstoppable but they could also be really miserable about that because they're so bored. They could be extremely intelligent but alienate others because they come across as pretentious. They might be extremely likeable and popular, but the result would be that nobody is truly close to them and everyone is just "sort of" their friend.

Characters are based on humans so flaws just eventually come together so long as you flesh the character out and are consistent.

Sometimes you might not think of something as a flaw, but in context it could become one.

KittyHamilton
Mar '19

Is it possible you're thinking of a 'weakness' the wrong way? A weakness doesn't necessarily need to be a huge, dramatic character flaw. Sometimes it's just the sort of mistakes the character tends to make most often due to their personality. I get the impression you think that a weakness is something imposed artificially from the outside, when it actually should just feel like an organic part of the characters personality/psychology.

Could you give us more information about this character, and their role in the story?

RiidDisBuk
Mar '19

I think what you mean by weakness is a flaw. No one likes a perfect character. That character has to have some sort of flaw. You can always give it a try, but flawed characters are better than those that are flawless.

Unless that character is hillariously flawless.

vothnthorvaldson
Mar '19
Wumbl

Totally ok with that, and I'll add that even some of the traits that you will see as positive, not only may be a flaw in certain circumstances, but can even be a flaw at all time for some people. Eg. for me, things generally considered positive like being very confident, or being bubbly, are flaws and will almost always make me suspicious. Ok, I'm very weird, so it may be an extreme example, but you see what I mean. Depending on the readers, your 'too perfect' character may already have flaws.

spadesart
Mar '19

nah, i just go ham creating my characters instead of fussing over how balanced they are. the more you get a feel for writing them the more their personality comes into shape. its so much more enjoyable than trying to create a balanced and structured list of positives and flaws.

my character elisha? 100% self indulgent oc at first. hes a wealthy, sweethearted vampire with a pretty face and a high position of power. huge mary sue. but the more i wrote him in sundown his character and weaknesses really naturally fleshed itself out. he overshares, has issues feeling like hes not in control of the current situation, blames himself for things out of his control etc. this isnt stuff i really set up or even thought about at all? it just kinda happened naturally.

Trevor
Mar '19

I think the only flawless character that comes to mind for me atm who's very likable is Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, so arguably, no, it's not really a requirement, however you would have to make up for it by other means to make the story not boring, see it'd only be a 35 second movie if Master Oogway had to fight Tai Lung instead of Po, and I know that it'd be a 35 second movie because there is a scene in the actual movie where exactly that happens.

JackOfArtAndProse
Mar '19

So, summa summarum... Write characters, not mannequins with "flaws" and "strengths". Writers deal with "real" people, even if they're just characters on the pages of your book. Same goes for the worlds that you create, whether fictional or not.

gh0stcr33p
Mar '19
KittyHamilton

after reading the responses in the thread I think I've already found my answer.
I realized that a thing that actually does make the character what one might call imperfect is the fact that she has no choice but to go along with the rules set for her as her job in my story and goes after the protagonist to attempt to arrest her for "stealing" an object a regular person wouldn't be allowed to posess... but they end up being forced together in a situation and will have no choice but to work together to get out of it despite the fact that she knows it's "wrong" to do.
sorry for the long explanation, I was just trying to give some more background info since you asked

KittyHamilton
Mar '19

Yeah, that sounds find to me. Or, at least, you don't need to worry about this character not having weaknesses. Dealing with obligations of the job and right/wrong makes for good drama. :slight_smile:

FenneFox
Mar '19

At the very least every single significant character needs a flaw or multiple flaws. Not having any flaws would just make the character seem boring and blank (reason why we have the whole "Mary Sue" and "Gary Stu" tropes). However, I'd also add that having too many flaws can detract from a character, as it may seem like you are making them suffer for the sake of suffering.

cookiety
Mar '19

A character having a "flaw" doesn't necessarily mean that it's a weakness. When people say that all characters need a flaw, they don't mean it like that. They just mean that no realistic character should be perfect because no one is really perfect in real life. Not being perfect can literally mean anything the writer doesn't consider as "perfection". Maybe that character isn't too attractive, or maybe they are stubborn or literally whatever you can think of. It's up to you to decide whether you want to portray a realistic character or not.

Mari
Mar '19

depends. If we're talking about a human, yep. Otherwise they will come across as annoying.

If it's a god-being probably not. They can afford to be perfect. Main characters should never be perfect imho.

This doesn't mean all characters have to be "crippled" etc. A character flaw can be for example, someone who judges people at face value. Maybe they're quick to lose their temper? Maybe they hold grudges? These can all be considered a flaw in character.