We’ve all heard the expression, nobody is perfect. Usually, these words are offered as reassurance from a friend or family member after we make a mistake. But there’s a reason we want to make this our mantra when creating characters. In this article, I’m going to reveal one of my deepest, darkest, most embarrassing writing disasters so that you don’t have to make the same mistake I did. It’s natural when we’re designing a hero in our minds to give them all the virtues we admire. But when they have all the good stuff and none of the bad stuff, we end up with what is known as a Mary-Sue character… and everyone HATES them.
Okay… I promised you some juicy embarrassing dirt from my ghost of writing past, so here it is. One of the most cringy things a writer can do is self-insertion as a Mary-Sue. Please don’t do this… you’ll look like a huge tool and everyone will laugh at you. I can say that without malice because I totally made that mistake in the early stages of my writing. Looking back, I realize how narcissistic I must have looked, creating a sexy, badass, flawless version of myself to be the star of an epic adventure… Yikes. (facepalm)
But back then, I used writing as an escape. It was a way for me to fantasize about who I wished I could be. You spend a lot of time with these characters over the course of writing a novel and it feels good, in the moment to surround yourself with characters that are well adjusted and don’t make the stupid mistakes real people make.
That said, from a reader’s standpoint, it’s not satisfying at all. A character without flaws, while they might sound attractive at first, is not believable. In fact, they’re usually described as dull, one-dimensional, and honestly, a bit irritating. By denying that character a flaw, you’re denying your readers the journey they have to go on in order to overcome that flaw.
When I first realized that I had to change the way I designed characters, it was an uncomfortable transition. I felt like I was no longer going to get that same cathartic escapism from writing if I had to create deeply flawed characters. But thankfully, I was wrong and I’ll tell you why. The reason that broken characters are so much more compelling is that it reminds us that even though we are broken, we are still worthy of love, and it’s often our flaws that endear us to one another.
It was painful in the beginning because as you confront the demons of the characters you write, you’re also confronting those demons in yourself. Uncovering all the dark, ugly things, sometimes very secret and personal things, and spilling them onto the page is a horrifying thing, especially if you’re planning to publish your work and expose yourself to everyone who reads it.
The process can be intensely emotional, but those are the kinds of books that touch people’s hearts in the most profound ways. When you realize that as a writer, you discover an immeasurable power… the power to give hope to other people battling those same demons. As our readers watch our characters struggle and overcome that darkness, even though they know it’s not real, it makes them dare to believe that they can overcome it too.
That is why I was finally able to let go of the Mary-Sue characters and fully embrace the beauty of flaws. Not only did it teach me to love myself a little bit more, but every time my characters find the courage to face the darkness, it helps me find my courage too. Human beings are not beautiful because we’re perfect, we’re beautiful because we’re unique and we never stop trying to be better.
(It kind of makes you contemplate the greater meaning of it all, doesn’t it?)
If you need some ideas for good flaws, one good resource is to look up the seven deadly sins. It can be a tricky balance because even though you don’t want them to be perfect, you don’t want them to be redeemable unless of course, we’re talking about a villain. Make them as bad as you like. (Wink, Wink...) Another option is to look at people you’ve known in your own life for inspiration. I’m not saying to copy real people to the letter, but try to open yourself up. Develop your empathy to trap those demons in a bottle and set them loose in your story. Maybe you’ll even help a few people defeat them <3
Keep those keys clacking, Booklings.
Until next time...
Kommentare