Every person on this earth has flaws, and so do your characters. Sometimes
things that make them the most vulnerable are also the character traits that
make them the most interesting. Even Superman had kryptonite.

Assessing the Strengths and Weaknesses of your Characters
Every character on the page has a backstory, but you can’t always tell it, so
you reserve most of the words on the page for the protagonist and the other
lead characters. Afterall, it’s their story.

But like all good character actors, even the bit players should be memorable.
Just not as interesting.

So how do you make the characters in your story flawed enough to be
believable or interesting without making readers want to walk away from them
(or stop reading?)

I believe the trick is to introduce an emotion in the characters that we can all
relate to. What are some of the most common human experiences that create
emotion?

Jealousy/Suspicion/Fear/Impatience/Betrayal/Keeping Secrets/Heartbreak are good ones. Anger is not unless it’s coming from a
place of motivation. It just dangles out there making the reader guess at the
reason for the anger. The actual reason is usually one of the above.
(The only exception to this is if the character is a sociopath or a malignant
narcissist. In this case, their emotions aren’t normal because they process
things differently. Flying off the handle for no apparent reason is just their go-
to.)

But for normal people being upset is something they try to hide. It’s like being
drunk – most people who’ve had too much to drink try not to show it.
Similarly, people don’t like being jealous or suspicious, so they try to hide it.
Dialogue can help your characters with that denial and build suspense. As a
reader we often feel more empathy for the character when we can relate to
the need to hide their emotions.

Afterall, like Clark Kent’s glasses, a good writer knows those glasses are
coming off eventually and Superman will be revealed in the end.

Q: Can you think of a book that revealed a character flaw or secret that made everything clear in the end?
Q: Have you ever read a book where the main character was just too perfect?
Q: Have you ever read a book where the character’s “flaws” just didn’t ring true?
Q: Can you think of an author who is a genius at building characters you can believe in?