The Curse of the Perfect Character
The curse of the perfect character seems particularly prevalent among fantasy writers. It is a curse which causes writers to create characters who are more powerful, more attractive, more loved, more intelligent than any person is capable of being.
For those of you familiar with the series, think of Anita Blake. Laurell K Hamilton started with a likeable, reasonably powerful and strong and independent character, but she had flaws too. As the series progressed, Anita became omnipotent. She was the only necromancer/animator to have raised a vampire the same way zombies are raised ever, and much more besides, but to reveal that would spoil many books for many readers.
I also reckon Bella Swan falls into this category, but I won’t write too much about that because I’m not fully qualified to comment. I have read all the books and seen all the films, but I didn’t enjoy them. Yes, I know. I’m sorry.
These characters usually attract insane amounts of attention from the opposite sex, and why wouldn’t a man be interested in a powerful and attractive and funny and intelligent and tough-yet-loving woman?
I understand that fiction is about the extraordinary, but sometimes what makes a character extraordinary is his or her flaws, and their ability to work around those flaws.
J.R. Ward’s male characters have the right mix. They are attractive and strong and powerful, but sufficiently flawed to be believable. Across the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Fallen Angels series, characters are dark, and have shadowy and questionable pasts, they have anger problems, or are just all round messed up, but that’s what makes them interesting.
Kelley Armstrong, for all her flaws, also creates believable characters who have attributes and flaws in almost equal measure, as does Charlaine Harris.
I understand, as a writer, how tempting it can be to place yourself in the shoes of one of your characters, and everyone would like to be perfect, but it’s just not realistic or believable.
Yes, I know it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to complain that undead bloodsuckers aren’t realistically portrayed, but you know what I mean.
Having said that, all of the authors I complain about have sold millions and millions of copies worldwide, so maybe I’m the only person who feels like this.
When characters are too perfect, it makes them boring and un-relatable. When characters have flaws we as readers can say, “oh yeah, I know what that’s like.” Or “wow, I’ve totally been there.” I think it takes us deeper into the story and the world. When they are so perfect, I think we don’t get as much out of the story that we should.
I agree with you – I don’t want the characters I read about to be perfect. Flaws are what make people unique and add depth to a character. Most of the time, the characters I end up liking the most are the flawed ones.
Um no, you’re not the only person that feels this way. I like flawed characters. Well, I love them really. The more flaws the better in my opinion. Flaws are what make us unique, flaws are what make a character more real because as you said – no one is perfect in real life. I rather like having to find the gem that may be hidden beneath that rough extrerior.
I have to agree that JR’s Brothers are a good mix. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s
Dark Hunters are a good mix in my opinion as well. Each Dark Hunter has some kind of tragic past that made their souls accessible to become Dark Hunters. They have to fight past the flaws they carry with them to find their happily ever after – and even struggle after that to keep that happiness.
Characters are more three dimensional with flaws. Who wants to read about someone perfect? It’s less relatable if everyone is fabulous and fantastically gorgeous and wicked smart. It’s the flaws that have the potential to make a character great.
~Lisa