Nicolette Andrews is a romantic fantasy author of several works of fiction. She often has conversations with her characters, but that’s ok she’s a writer.
Who doesn’t love a hero? Heck even the most common story arc-type is called the heroes journey. Heroes are who we aspire to be, the guy that does all the right things and embraces challenges that are thrown his way. But it can be hard to relate to someone who too perfect. Too often we get caught in the trap of making a sparkling uber-hero that we forget to make him human. As I outlined in
Basics of Character Development Part One
sometimes our ideal hero can turn into a Gary Stu. Someone who has all the right things to say, and he knows just when to be there in time.
Flaws are one part of what makes your character relatable.
And writing anti-heroes can be great practice. What defines an anti-hero? This is the guy who has destiny thrust upon him, and he wants nothing to do with it. He actively tries to not help, in many ways he could just as easily be a villain in another version of events. Anti-heros walk a thin line between good and bad.
Inside every character there is an anti-hero.
The anti-hero for the purpose of this article is that voice at back of your hero’s mind that fills him with doubt. That makes him cut corners and blurs that line between good and bad. Maybe he lies to protect himself or others. Maybe he kills someone. There can be justification for these crimes, but the fact remains those are not things heroes do. Let’s talk a little bit about how to give your character more depth through his short comings.
His thoughts:
We all internalize our deepest thoughts. There are things about us that no one knows but ourselves. And so does your character. Maybe your hero is the guy everyone is counting on to save the day, he’s a macho man’s man but secretly he really loves fuzzy animals and the thought of them getting harmed just brings him to tears. He goes out of his way to save a dog from being harmed, or will rescue a kitten before a person. Only in his inner most thoughts reveal how strongly he feels about those fuzzy-wuzzies.
Or let’s say he’s the romantic opposite of your lead. On the outside he looks suave and put together but on the inside, he is deeply insecure, and every word and gesture is calculated for maximum effect, all to mask his insecurity. Your character does not need to say these out loud, just think of them as a secret message between your character and the reader. The people he’s trying to save, or the girl he’s trying to win don’t need to know about it. Because you wouldn’t go up to someone and say: I love furry creatures, or I am very insecure. Let the reader know through his thoughts, and if necessary let the other characters know through his action.
Adding in these sorts of thoughts give the character depth and take him from supreme demi-god down to mere mortal. And that’s ok.
He makes mistakes:
I have mentioned this before, but seriously it needs to be said again. I will continue to shout it from the roof tops. YOUR CHARACTERS NEED TO MAKE MISTAKES. A story is a journey, no matter if you’re writing a sweet romance or an epic saga, your characters, like all humans need to make the wrong choice so they can grow and learn from those mistakes. Your character skipping along without a care in the world, always with the right things to say, and not a conflict in sight is boring. Let him say the wrong thing, anything it doesn’t matter. Don’t make things easy for them.
His mistakes should come from his inherit personality flaws, his arrogance gets in the way of his decision making and he loses the battle. Or he pushes the girl of his dreams away because he fears rejection. Or he saves a puppy instead of the president and the world spirals into chaos. Your hero’s mistakes make the story. By creating challenges he has to overcome, you’ll find more to write about.
Personality Flaws:
This is one point that I think is very important. Often when we are writing a character, we don’t think about the negative aspects of their personality. And sometimes even the positive ones get a broad stroke in the narrative. But by breaking down their flaws and quirks, you will make a deeper character, that feels real.
As an example, let’s use Uber-hero from part one. He has believed his entire life that he is going to the savior of the world. Now that has made him arrogant. But arrogance cannot be all that makes up this person. Let’s say he also can be very generous, because he sees himself as a savior. But what if this need for generosity stems from his own self-perception as a hero? And when he fails to beat the big baddie in the story, that’s when he crumbles and he begins to re-evaluate his entire existence. He wonders how much of who he is based on his own false belief that he was meant to be a hero? Which leads to self-doubt.
Now let’s pause a minute. There are several layers of this character. On the surface layer, he is a confident hero, destined to save the world. That made him arrogant, which made him reckless when dealing with his enemy. Then when his ego is bruised, he wants to give up revealing an underlying insecurity.
Without him making mistakes, and resting on his laurels, we would never have gotten to this layer of Uber-hero, and therefore he would never have gotten the chance to grow.
Your character can have any flaw they want, it could be a drinking problem, gambling, swearing too much or a compulsive disorder. It’s up to you and what feels right for your character. But make it work for your narrative, let his flaws be a challenge he has to overcome before he saves the day or wins the girl.
I am not saying all heroes need to be horrible degenerates, but by adding in a few negative characteristics you are creating a more overall rounded character, which for your readers they can find something to relate to in them.
Your Turn to Practice:
Write up your own anti-hero using the tips from above. Set up a scene where being the hero is thrust upon him. How does he react? What does he do to try and get out of fighting the good fight? What could motivate him?
About Nicolette Andrews
Author of several romantic fantasy novels she lives in Southern California where she spends her time talking to her imaginary friends, her characters. She loves flawed characters, and stories with a lot of drama and angst. When she’s not spinning out her epic tales, she enjoys camping and making crafts badly. You can find out more about Nicolette and her books at her website.
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