Fiction Tip: Create Clear Goals and Flaws for Characters
Create Clear Goals and Flaws: These are essential in creating a compelling story. Every character must want something (a goal), and there needs to be something standing in the way of them achieving it (not an external obstacle but an inner flaw).
Goals give your characters purpose. They’re the reason why your characters do what they do. Goals can be internal, such as letting go of an old grudge, seeking approval from someone, believing in him/herself.
Or they can be external, such as winning a baking contest, getting a promotion, or finding love.
Without clear goals, your characters serve no useful purpose. This makes for an incredibly boring read. The story loses momentum and your reader loses interest.
Flaws make your characters relatable. No one is perfect and your characters shouldn’t be either. Readers will connect to characters who are broken, dented, and who mess up and make mistakes. Internal flaws might be insecurity, fear of poverty, or pride.
Flaws that show up externally might be that the character is always late, dominates conversations, or fidgets constantly to the point of annoying others.
One important step in making your story great is having the characters’ flaws get in the way of achieving their goals:
Fear of Abandonment: Their constant messaging, checking, and seeking reassurance annoys the boss, ruining their chance to impress.
Impulsiveness: Blurting out a half-baked idea costs them the client’s trust.
Resentment: Lashing out at a sibling destroys any possible chance at reconciliation.
As your story progresses, your characters should be confronted with opportunities to overcome their flaws, failing a few times and eventually getting it right.
As you create your characters, bear in mind what they’re trying to do and what’s stopping them. Clear goals and meaningful flaws will create a good story with interesting characters so your readers root for them from start to finish.
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