The Faux Flaw

To kick off this blog, we're going to talk about characters. As any writer worth their salt knows, no character is appealing unless they are flawed in some way - simply put, it makes them more human and easy to identify with. But as writers, do we want to write flawed characters? No! We want to write about perfect, heroic Prince Charmings who swoop in to save the day and get the girl (or boy, as the case may be). We want Superman, Indiana Jones, Robin Hood! Why should we mess around with such icky things as flaws when such icons are clearly beyond perfection?

But the sad truth is those icons existed in a different era, and live on through nostalgia and geeks like me who love the classics. Flaws are now necessary, but as writers, we still cling to the fantasy of perfection. And in an effort to unite our flaws with our fantasy, we have created an entirely new subject:

The faux flaw.

The faux flaw is a half-hearted attempt to create a likable, flawed character that stops just short of being a genuine, unlikable flaw. Did you notice the key word there? The flaw has to be unlikable. Let me rephrase that for the slow learners out there: it must be something we do not like. Can it be justifiable? Certainly. Can it be something that is rarely shown? That's almost preferable. But it cannot be something we like.

Here are some examples of flaws that aren't really flaws:

Hold Your Liquor Well
When a character's drinking is their problem, make sure it's actually a problem. If they're on their third shot and all it's done is make them giggly, then it's not really a problem, is it? Alternatively, you can have them get drunk to the point where their friends have to drag their giggly, stumbling, slurring butts home. If done well, this scene may only have to happen once to get the point across that drinking is their problem. But if you don't trust your writing skills to do a wonderful job, you might want to do it two or three times.

"You Are My Greatest Weakness."
This isn't really a flaw because readers will assume it's true anyway. If the villain has kidnapped the MC's significant other and is holding a gun to their head, and the hero just shrugs and says "Whatever. Like I care," well, that's not very romantic, is it? Of course, that could be a good flaw right there. Anyway, this should be assumed, and another flaw found.

Protective Duty
Being extremely protective doesn't count for the same reasons - unless the person they're protective of is annoyed by it. Yes, I'm looking at you, Stephanie Meyer.

Not Their Fault/Physical
Kryptonite for Superman is a great example (not that I'm dissing Superman). While a physical weakness can certainly be used, a flaw must be something a character could arguably control, but doesn't.