Flawed Main Characters

Week of June 19—Main Characters

Thursday, June 23—Flawed Main Characters

Every protagonist, or main character, has to have a problem to overcome or a goal for which to strive. That problem may also be the main character’s flaw, or he/she may have a flaw that makes overcoming the problem more difficult. A flawed character is a more believable, relatable, and likeable character.

Now, don’t worry, your main character doesn’t have to have a Jerry-Springer-ish flaw or even a Dr.-Phil-ish flaw. Your main character only needs to have that little bit of humanness (even if he/she is an animal) that makes us feel for him/her and empathize with him/her.

My friend, Lynne Marie, has a new picture book that was just released by Scholastic for their Book Fair customers. Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten is the story of Spike, a hedgehog, who rides the bus to kindergarten each day and hopes to find a bus buddy. (That’s Spike’s problem that he’s trying to solve.) Spike’s problem is complicated by his character flaw. Every time the bus turns, or bumps, or thumps, the jolt causes Spike to spike, and his prickly quills scare off his would-be friends.

Spike’s flaw is a physical flaw—that’s a rather rare flaw in a picture book main character. Flaws are often internal—self-doubt, fear, or shyness for instance. Let your main character’s flaw grow out of who he/she is and what he/she is facing. That will make for a tighter fit and can lead more naturally to a resolution.

Below are some examples of problems faced by some main characters and the flaws that complicate their situations. (Note: These examples represent my analysis. You may see the problem and flaw in a certain book differently than I do. No worries . . . we both are focused on problems and flaws and that’s what matters!)

·        In Cowboy Camp, Avery’s problem is that he doesn’t fit in and his character flaw is his lack of self-confidence and his self-doubt.

·        In Fancy Nancy, Nancy’s problem is that her family isn’t fancy. Her character flaw is that she wants them to be fancy in the first place. (Thank goodness for her accommodating family!)

·        In Chicken Dance, Marge and Lola’s problem is that they desperately want to win the talent show and get those tickets to the Elvis Poultry Concert. Their flaw is that they are hopelessly untalented.

·        Mean Jean, from The Recess Queen, has a problem—she’s a bully. Her character flaw is . . . well, she’s a bully!

·        Bernadette’s problem in Mostly Monsterly is that she wants to fit in at Monster School. Her flaw is that she is nice and sweet under her monsterly appearance. (Nice and sweet are flaws for a monster!)

A perfect character is a boring character because a perfect character has no problems, and if a character doesn’t have problems, he/she isn’t flawed in any way and thus can easily solve any problem he/she might face. There’s not much story inside a perfect character. Besides, can you relate to a perfect person? Me either. Would you like being around a perfect person? Ok, maybe you would, but I would resent the whooey out of that perfect little pest. LOL!

Make your main characters flawed, and they become relatable and likeable as they overcome their problem despite their flaws. Strive for characters who are perfectly imperfect!

It’s Your Turn!

1. Analyze your own writing today. List the main character in each of your picture book manuscripts. Next, list each character’s problem that has to be overcome. Finally, list each character’s flaw. If you see a hole in one of your manuscripts—a weak problem, the lack of a flaw, etc.—you may want to rethink the story.