1. Introduction
2. Understanding Flaws
   1. Minor Flaws:
   2. Major Flaws:
   3. Fatal Flaw:
3. Unveiling Fears
   1. Phobias:
   2. Existential Fears:
   3. Emotional Fears:
4. Cultivating Motivations
5. Writing Exercise: Authentic Character Crafting
6. Conclusion

Introduction

As has probably become evident by now, crafting believable and relatable characters is one of the most important aspects in Science Fiction and Fantasy. On our Crafting Multi-dimensional protagonists post we talked a little about flaws, fears, and motivations. I wanted to take a little more time diving into those concepts in depth. Sometimes writing advice sites don’t go into as much detail as we may want, so let’s dive in together in today’s post!

Quick note: I will warn you that this post turned into a bit of a beast, but I wanted to make sure I gave you more than just the surface-level stuff.

Understanding Flaws

To begin our conversation of authenticity we need to talk about three different types of flaws. You can probably recognize these flaws in the characters you’ve read about, someone you know, or even yourself. It’s all good, I won’t ask you to out yourself, but consider the following character flaw types.

Minor Flaws:

Minor flaws are the small imperfections that give your characters depth and humanity without significantly impacting the story or the world around them. These flaws can manifest as quirks, social awkwardness, or even physical imperfections. However, it’s essential to note that simply adding a physical flaw isn’t sufficient to fully develop your character. Ideally, your character should possess a diverse range of flaw types to create a multifaceted portrayal.

So, why are minor flaws important for your characters? They serve as the elements that humanize them to your readers and prevent them from being perceived as flawless, idealized superheroes. By incorporating minor flaws into your characters, you make them relatable and believable, fostering a stronger connection between the reader and the character’s journey.

Find examples of insecurity in Frodo Baggins from “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien, Impatience in Kvothe from “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss, and Recklessness through Vin in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.

Major Flaws:

Major flaws have a greater impact on the character and can also contrast the character arc. These flaws are often identified with thematic words like envy, greed, pride, or others like those. You’re character won’t be held back from achieving their story goal, but it will make the journey much harder.

Major flaws in your characters are like the hurdles they must overcome to reach their story goals, or the stepping stones that guide them along the path to success. These flaws are crucial for pushing the story forward and adding depth to your characters. When your character strays from these major flaws without properly addressing or resolving them, readers may feel that the character’s actions aren’t authentic.

But how do characters “earn out” of their major flaws? It’s through a process of growth and development, where they confront their flaws head-on and learn from their experiences. Each major flaw should serve as a pivotal aspect of character development, showcasing the struggles and triumphs that shape the character’s journey.

See examples of this through Ender Wiggin’s pride in “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, Manipulativeness from Cersei Lannister from “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin, and the rashness in Rand al’Thor from “The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan.

Fatal Flaw:

The fatal flaw is something that can literally or metaphorically kill the character. These are the flaws that if they do not overcome, it will destroy them and end their story. Use your character’s fatal flaw as the primary character arc goal, or at least a part of the character arc goal.

Understanding the importance of the fatal flaw begins with recognizing its role in the character development and storytelling. This doesn’t just push the story forward, but drives it. The characters your protagonist meets, the world they interact with, and the enemies they face should work against the fatal flaw or enforce it in a symphony of chaos. Each time your character’s about to have a break through, it should be the fatal flaw that holds them back until the climactic moment. Now, that might look differently in a stand-alone book compared to a series, but it will still look similar across formats.

Consider your character’s motivations, desires, and vulnerabilities. Focus on how these play against each other and find the weakness they’re hiding. Their fatal flaw is rooted in the psyche, influencing their every decision and action. When presented with an option, the character will most likely side with their fatal flow logic instead of their counterpart’s healthy logic. The craft of a great character and a great story is about layering different aspects on top of each other, and the fatal flaw is going to be one of the most defining aspects of your story.

Find examples of this in characters like Achilles from “The Iliad” by Homer who was brought down by his own hubris, see revenge in the Count of Monte Cristo from “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, and self-destruction through Frankenstein’s Monster from “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

Unveiling Fears

Fears are another critical part of shaping a character’s behavior and decisions. Often tied to the character’s flaws or motivations, fears can take a strong and stoic character and melt them into a blubbering mess. Fear drives so many of our choices that we’d rather not talk about, so let’s focus this talk on our characters. (They can’t tell us not to call them out.) With that, let’s look at three types of fears you can use to develop a more authentic character.

Phobias:

Phobias are probably one of the most well-known types of fears. A phobia is a fear of an object, situation, or creature. They even have fancy names for whatever phobia has been prescribed in your life. The other great thing about phobias is that they can fall on a range from a minor annoyance to the character to completely crippling them. Using the range can either show the stress the character is under as the phobia’s effects increase with the story problems, and then a big release of the phobia as they remove the story stress and the phobia has returned to its natural healthy level.

Use phobias when they will increase the story tension as challenges arise. Every story problem shouldn’t be based on the phobia, unless that’s what your story is about, but you can add the phobia to either subtext or subtle mentions in the key scenes where your character is already pushed to their limit. Remember that not every character will overcome, cope with, or prevail against their phobia in every story. There are some things that may never change in a character, and a phobia is something that stays with someone even after they’re “over it.”

Before you incorporate a phobia, consider the following:

• Origin Stories: Explore the character’s backstory to uncover the roots of their phobia. This could include a childhood trauma, a past event, or an inherited predisposition.
• Impact on Behavior: Show how the phobia influences the character’s actions, decisions, and relationships. Phobias can lead to avoidance behaviors, panic attacks, or irrational reactions in certain situations.
• Character Arcs: Consider how the character’s journey involves confronting or overcoming their phobia, leading to personal growth and transformation.

Have you already used phobias in your characters? If so, what have been the most useful ways to use them?

Existential Fears:

Existential fears display through the intangible, unknown, and meaningless. The fear of death and mortality appears most often in many stories as the characters try to face the reality of their situation and what it means if they fail. A death that leads to the afterlife gives hope, but a death that leads to feeding the earth may mean that their failure will affect more than just themselves.

The fear of meaninglessness kind of ties in with the fear of death/mortality, as it raised the concern of the purpose of their actions and what they mean beyond their lifetime.

A fear of freedom may sound crazy to some, but the lack of having to make a choice can often be the most comforting opportunity to come by. Knowing that the decisions are no longer being made for the character can become crippling. Existential fears aren’t always outright stated and may be used as subtext until the character discovers what their true fear is.

When using existential fears to flesh out a character, consider the following:

• Background and Backstory: What experiences and traumas may have contributed to this existential fear?
• Internal Conflicts: Show how these fears manifest as internal conflict that drives the character’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• External Manifestation: Explore how existential fears influence character relationships, beliefs, and interactions with the world around them.

Emotional Fears:

Emotional fears are often tied to a character’s vulnerabilities and traumas. Unlike existential fears, which are rooted in broader philosophical questions, emotional fears are more personal and immediate, often stemming from past traumas or insecurities.

There are many types of emotional fears, but let’s go over some of the more common ones you see in characters and will more likely be comfortable using. The fear of rejection is one that I feel is safe to say everyone feels often in their life. Giving your characters fear of being abandoned or loved can lead to the flaws that drive others away.

The inclusion of emotional fears in a character’s narrative adds depth and complexity to their personality, revealing vulnerabilities, motivations, and inner conflicts. The other It drives character development and shapes relationships with others. Exploring emotional fears enriches the narrative and captivates the audience through authentic portrayal of human complexities.

Consider the following while working with emotional fears:

• Traumatic Experiences: Consider the character’s past traumas or formative experiences that have shaped their emotional fears.
• Internal Conflicts: Show how these fears manifest as internal struggles that drive the character’s thoughts, behaviors, and decisions.
• Relationship Dynamics: Explore how emotional fears influence the character’s relationships and interactions with others, shaping their trust, intimacy, and communication.

Cultivating Motivations

The types of motivations your character will need or already have can be separated into two main types of motivation. While there are many subcategories, today’s focus will be on the two main motivations, intrinsic and extrinsic, and how you can use these to develop more authentic characters.

Intrinsic motivations refer to the drive from an activity that has no external rewards, and is done for the complete joy of doing the thing. There can be many reasons we intrinsically do things. For example, I am intrinsically motivated to create these blog posts and develop everything I do for this site for no more reason than I find joy in learning and then teaching you about these topics.

Your character may be intrinsically motivated to complete their tasks or quests because it’s the right thing to do in their mind. Or they only know that thing they’re doing. It may just be who they are. The intrinsic motivations can be more on the ethereal, meta, or instinctive reason humans do anything. However, this will not, and should not, be the only motivation for your character.

Extrinsic motivation is the drive to complete something because of the rewards it offers or to avoid negative consequences. These can be as clear as a safe house exploding and forcing your character to find somewhere else to shelter, or a challenge to travel a treacherous pass to obtain a pot of gold. The external motivations can be as minor as the sun is hot, so the character wanted to go inside to the air conditioning to have the uncomfortable conversation.

Many of the extrinsic motivations may seem universal, but often you’ll find that different characters are motivated by different things. The available extrinsic motivations can solely be based on influences, ranging from cultural backgrounds and personal experiences to social environments and individual aspirations. The variation means that each person, each character you develop, will come with their own unique extrinsic motivations.

Drive your characters forward with the following in mind:

• Character Goals: Consider the character’s goals and aspirations. These may be influenced by both intrinsic desires (e.g., pursuing a passion) and extrinsic factors (e.g., seeking fame or wealth).
• Conflict and Growth: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations can create internal conflict for the character, driving their personal growth and development.
• Relationship Dynamics: Motivations influence the character’s relationships with others, shaping their interactions, alliances, and conflicts.

Writing Exercise: Authentic Character Crafting

1. Choose a protagonist for a new story idea or an existing work-in-progress. Briefly describe them and the core story premise.
2. Flaws:
   • Assign your protagonist one minor flaw (quirk, social awkwardness, physical imperfection) that humanizes them.
   • Give them one major flaw (envy, greed, pride, etc.) that creates hurdles/obstacles in their journey.
   • Identify their fatal flaw – a deeply rooted weakness that could metaphorically or literally destroy them if not overcome.
3. Fears:
   • Give your protagonist one phobia and explore its origin, impact on behavior, and role in their character arc.
   • Assign them one existential fear (death, meaninglessness, freedom) and show how it manifests internally and externally.
   • Choose one emotional fear (rejection, abandonment, etc.) stemming from past trauma and how it shapes relationships.
4. Motivations:
   • Determine one core intrinsic motivation driving your protagonist (passion, duty, inherent values).
   • List 2-3 key extrinsic motivations (rewards, consequences, environmental influences) that propel them.
   • Explore how their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations may cause internal conflict and personal growth.
5. Write a short scene or outline spotlighting how you’ve layered your protagonist’s flaws, fears, and motivations. Show their decision-making, actions, relationships, and internal struggles brought forth by these elements.
6. Revisit earlier works and analyze how you can deepen underdeveloped characters using insights from this exercise.

The goal is to create multidimensional protagonists who feel authentically human through their imperfections, vulnerabilities, and driving forces – allowing readers to relate and invest in their journeys. Let the flaws, fears, and motivations shape pivotal story moments and character arcs.

Conclusion

Crafting authentic, resonant characters requires carefully layering flaws, fears, and motivations. Minor flaws humanize, major flaws present hurdles for growth, fatal flaws drive the core narrative. Fears like phobias, existential anxieties, and emotional vulnerabilities reveal character depths and shape behavior. Intrinsic motivations are the source of internal drives, while extrinsic motivations provide external direction – both creating fertile ground for internal conflict and growth. It is through the combination of imperfections, anxieties, and driving forces that characters and readers become connected.

Previous Post: Navigating the Uncharted: The Crucial Role of Maps and Geography in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing

Next Post: May Newsletter

Next Writing Post: Imagining Fictional Environments: Geography, Architecture and Culture