Nobody's Perfect . . . A Character Building Exercise

Photo by evilpeacock

Nobody's perfect, right?  And as much as those foibles and quirks might irritate us in the day to day, they also keep life interesting.  The same might be said for your main character's flaws, which often propel him into the story's key conflicts.

Choose a character or two from your story or pick one from a book you've found compelling.  Identify the character's worst fault.  Think about how this flaw plays a role in shaping the story.  Does it create a crisis; interfere with his ability to overcome that crisis?  Does the character recognize his own failing and act to correct it ,or is he obvlivious?  How does the flaw affect other characters and interactions?  How does it tie into the story's theme?