CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Strengths & Flaws
Character development is one of the most important big-picture elements writers need to focus on when they begin a story. Strengths and weaknesses are part of what create a well-rounded character that is believable, complex, and appealing.
Every character should serve a purpose in your story, and that’s where their strengths and weaknesses can be of great use. Not only do these personality markers create compelling inner conflict, they can also cause unpredictable action and behavior that will add power to your plot.
In this article, I talk about how to define your character’s strengths and weaknesses so that your character serves the action and purpose of the story.
Let’s hop to it!
Personality Markers: Strengths, Weaknesses, Flaws
The terms “character strengths,” “character weaknesses,” and “character flaws” are often used to describe internal and external markers (such as high intelligence, impatience, self-righteous, athletic, beautiful, etc.).
They can be considered either positive or negative (although many can cross over) in the sense that they impede or benefit the character’s journey. However, in this day and age of social consciousness, we have to be really careful how we use words like “weakness” or “flaw” when we describe a character and his behavior or personality.
The backlash that a writer gets for saying that obesity or dyslexia (for example) are flaws is not unusual. But for writers trying to build a three-dimensional character who needs to start his journey from a point of unfulfillment, dissatisfaction, or other lesser levels, a characteristic like “obesity” would be considered a flaw that needs to be overcome in some way. Either the character grows to accept obesity or loses weight—all depends on the journey the character is undertaking.
The problem, though, is if the characteristic we’re categorizing as a “flaw” is actually one that can’t be controlled by the character (dyslexia, ADHD, age, etc.), you might rub your reader the wrong way.
I have witnessed more than a few arguments where people have gotten truly riled up at the notion that certain characteristics are described as “weaknesses.” I understand the argument, but in all honesty, writers need categories to help them stay organized so they can write realistic stories. There is usually (can’t speak for everyone) no offense intended, and yet, we still find ourselves embroiled in arguments all over how a word is defined and interpreted.
All of this is to simply say be careful in how you describe your character’s personality markers to others, keeping in mind that you don’t know what anyone is dealing with in their personal lives.
How Personality Markers Develop Your Character
You want to make sure your character has a healthy combination of markers that both impede and benefit her journey. Tie these markers to her story goal.
While it seems as though you only need to establish personality markers in your POV characters, you actually should consider the strengths and flaws in ALL of your characters. This is because the strongest cast is interconnected, like a web. Each of them should be compared to all the others according to story function.
Yes, your viewpoint characters will tend to be more complex than your supporting characters—even so, those supporting characters have a major role to play in how your story progresses. Their personality markers are the key.
STRENGTHS
Any personality marker that leads to a positive result is considered a strength. This strength is what helps readers relate to the character in a positive way. Your character doesn’t necessarily have to be likeable, but they should be relatable. Readers want to empathize with your characters, even when they’re making a mistake, and it’s these positive traits that encourage that bond.
Examples of Strengths: confidence, trustworthy, honorable, wise, protector, kind
Strengths and their Shadows
Strengths can have a shadow side—where the character could use that strength in a negative way. For example, leadership skills turning to tyrannical impulses. While such “shadows” can also be considered weaknesses, you want to make sure that a set of character flaws exist initially. This way you are creating a complex personality that is unique to that specific character.
WEAKNESSES/FLAWS
From the beginning of your story, your characters have one or more major weaknesses (flaws) preventing them from living the life of their dreams. Something is missing, something is not quite right, something is lacking.
Examples of Weaknesses: arrogance, selfishness, inexperience/naiveté, greed, low self-esteem, cruelty
In order for your character to fulfill her greatest desire, she will have to overcome whatever flaw is getting in her way (also known as NEED).
For this to work effectively, the flaw should be a logical impediment to the desire. A character whose story goal is to work on Wall Street should have some kind of flaw that would logically make that goal difficult such as laziness or maybe even failing economics in college.
When a Strength Becomes a Flaw
I always think about Eddard Stark from A Game of Thrones when this topic comes up. His sense of honor makes him a trustworthy character from the beginning. Readers quickly learn that he will always try to do what’s right by others, and we know what to expect from him all the way through the book. However, it is that very strength that gets him killed. He fails to learn from his mistakes because he is unwilling to relinquish his sense of honor.
PSYCHOLOGICAL & MORAL NEED
Your character shouldn’t be aware of her NEED until the end when she goes through her self-revelation, otherwise the story is over.
There are two types of NEED: Psychological and Moral. The former is a flaw that is hurting only that character. The latter is a flaw that is hurting that character AND at least one other person.
Again, keeping these flaws as interconnected as possible will create a plausible story. If your character’s psychological need is selfishness, then a logical moral need (where she uses her selfishness in such a way that someone else gets hurt) could be greed.
From there, you can create instances where the character’s greed actively hurts someone else. These instances can be turned into cause-and-effect events that form your plot. (This is part of how you can interweave plot and character.)
PERSONALITY MARKERS AND CHARACTER CHANGE
Your character must undergo some kind of transformation at the end of the story. (Exceptions to this rule are characters who are flat/neutral and serve to change the greater environment around them.)
The ultimate change can be for better or worse, but it will come as a result of your character understanding deeper truths about themselves. They will see how their particular markers (strengths and flaws) have created pain and struggle in their lives. By the time of your story’s climax, that character will have to make some tough choices about how they will change.
That means there is a whole process the character must go through from beginning to end. This process (journey) is where your character ACTS and REACTS to events. Characters should be proactive in their own journeys—this keeps them interesting and real—and their personality markers (primarily their flaws, but also their strengths when appropriate) that urge them to be proactive.
Whether or not a character changes for the better is up to you. She can learn from her mistakes and overcome her major flaw which will be what has to happen for her to achieve her DESIRE. Or, she can remain stuck in her ways, thereby missing out on what she seeks and settling into a life of dissatisfaction.
Either way you take it, you must look at the web of markers that led your character through their journey and be sure each one that was at play has been overcome (or embraced, depending on your outcome) appropriately.
Would love to hear from you! Have you established your characters’ strengths and weaknesses? What are you learning about your characters as a result?