What's your MC's flaw?

[black ink]

This is one of the parts of characterization I find so fascinating, that balance between making the character appealing, but also believably human.

So tell me about your MC's flaw or flaws. :)

[wandergirl]

book 1 MC: hiding behind self-pity, which prevents her from recognizing her strengths.
book 2 MC: she cares too much about what everybody thinks. also self-pity, and clinging to old resentments.

[Maryn]

He's a recovering alcoholic who struggles most days. Poor bastard.

Maryn, cruel to her characters but not real people

[blacbird]

Dishonesty and trickiness. He's a 19th-century traveling con man.

caw

[Shady Lane]

He's very naive and much too trusting and is perfectly content to let life happen to him.

[cameron_chapman]

My MC tends to adapt herself to the men in her life. She'll change her personality to suit them or whatever she thinks they want.

[dirtsider]

MC-1: He's too hesitent to use his abilities. Currently in a very comfortable place and doesn't want to leave that.

MC-2: She's a bit reckless about the "new world" she's entering and is a bit pushy with her friend.

[scarletpeaches]

My female MC doesn't believe in love. Why is this a flaw? It encourages her to think of men as a means to an end. A way of scratching an itch, if you like. She forgets some of the poor blighters - particularly the one with whom she's currently making the beast with two backs - actually have feelings. She's already hurt one very badly, and when this one leaves, it's going to be her time to feel pain.

The male MC? Haven't discovered his flaw yet. He's impetuous, though whether that's a flaw or not I don't know. He also has a ravenous sexual appetite. Again, might not be a flaw...

[Samantha's_Song]

In my present one: My female chooses not to see what's in front of her when it comes to love and tramples on people's feelings. She's also very sarcastic, critical of some people, and she has a really dirty mind-all she thinks of is sex. :D

The girl in my last two (same girl) plays the martyr and hides behind a childlike facade, She will also do things she thinks she has to for the one she loves, but often getting it very wrong. Sometimes I really want to slap her.

[Kathleen42]

Chip on her shoulder, desperately trying to forget her roots, and serious abandonment issues.

[scarletpeaches]

Chip on her shoulder, desperately trying to forget her roots, and serious abandonment issues.

Who the hell gave you permission to use me as a character?!

[Kathleen42]

Who the hell gave you permission to use me as a character?!

All in that waiver you signed. This is your signature, wouldn't you say?

[DSoN]

Female character: Where do I start with her? Okay, first off, she's traumatized by an incident that happened to her at a young age. Because of that, she loathes and fears everything to do with the country where that incident happned- Ireland. Anything remotely Celtic she ignores, or, if it's a person, treats like crap. And since she's currently living in Ireland, against her will... And then there's her view on sex. In my notes about her, there's a comment that she would 'Rather become a nun then have children'. And she believes love is useless. She also has a bad relationship with her parents, but that's mostly their fault plus typical teenaged angst.

Guy Character: Charismatic, but uses it in all the wrong ways- lying to get out of trouble, get into clubs and bars he's too young to enter, tricking people into believing the alcholol in his trunk was bought by his brother... And sex. He is very sexually active, and uses his charm to seduce girls. He's very insecure. He thinks the 'gift' he has is a sign of mental illness, partially because his father works at a mental hospital. And, when he finally meets a decent girl (my female character) he completely screws things over by telling her about a bet he's got going on with his friends on who can bang the girl hosting the party first. The party is for my female character. You can imagine how she treats him for the rest of the novel.

Whew. I think that's enough information for now.

[Beautiful_Liar]

One of the three is too trusting and naive.
One of the others is too cynical and guarded.
The other one is perfect. :D Just kiddinn.

[williemeikle]

What's your MC's flaw? He's immortal, and Scottish. A bad combination :)

[Samantha's_Song]

Oh, I don't know, Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert did good in Highlander ;) (Ok, I know C.L isn't really a Scotsman)

What's your MC's flaw? He's immortal, and Scottish. A bad combination :)

[scarletpeaches]

Nor is Sean Connery. :roll:

[thethinker42]

Okay, now that I've had my arm twisted to post in this thread...

Camera Shy:
The female MC is pretty messed up - self-destructive, drinking problem, uses people, the works - but is trying to get herself back together. The male MC is generally a good guy, but is very gun shy about women and rather unforgiving (so much so that he even surprised ME when he refused to forgive the female MC...he was supposed to, but being the stubborn butt that he was, he wouldn't until later on).

Playing With Fire:
The male MC is just entirely too sexy, has too many tattoos, is WAY too good in bed, and really his major flaw is that he's not real.

(kidding...scarletpeaches threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't at least mention him...but I'm not going to go into detail about the story :D)

[KTC]

Tobias's flaw is perfection and his insane notion that everybody in his life must live up to his high standards of perfection.

[maestrowork]

The Pacific Between: gosh, he has so many flaws...where to start? Self-absorbed, immature, irresponsible, bitter, jealous, cocky, pompous... it's amazing women find him endearing, actually. Must be the sports car and size 13 shoes.

The Terrapin's Trail: Kai is self-righteous, taciturn, serious, shrewd, and unforgiving. Grace is naive, stubborn, spontaneous, too loyal...

[Toothpaste]

Arrogance.

[Scott Cole]

Impetuous. And a mass murderer.

[ccarver30]

Female MC - She's too trusting.
Male MC - He's too suspicious.

[williemeikle]

Oh, I don't know, Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert did good in Highlander ;) (Ok, I know C.L isn't really a Scotsman)

And in the film Sean Connery wasn't Scottish :)

[Mumut]

At first naive and self-centered then too much impetus, takes on more than she can handle and comes unstuck, emotionally.

[Samantha's_Song]

I know he was supposed to have been Spanish in Highlander, but his accent is definitely Scots... isn't it? Or have you Scots just disowned him? :D
Nor is Sean Connery. :roll:

[scarletpeaches]

He lives abroad most of the time while whinging about Scotland's tax system. Yeah, you love Caledonia so much you ran away to the other side of the world where you moan about how unfair the government is from the comfort of your luxury mansion. Wow. That's so patriotic!

[Samantha's_Song]

So he's a token Scotsman. There are lots like that though eh, as soon as they make loads of money, they bugger off abroad... Mind you, so would I! From England, I mean ;)

He lives abroad most of the time while whinging about Scotland's tax system. Yeah, you love Caledonia so much you ran away to the other side of the world where you moan about how unfair the government is from the comfort of your luxury mansion. Wow. That's so patriotic!

[Linda Adams]

He's vain.

[Aggy B.]

She doesn't trust anyone else to get the job done properly.

[Haphazard]

Death: Abandonment issues

Taxes: Violent, cannot keep track of money

[deserata]

My MC is very severe and does not easily forgive; he's the type who can hold a grudge for years. There's a kind of moral arrogance about him and he judges harshly.

[Judg]

Hm. A little too intense and lacking in humour. Has been known to smash cups in frustration and keep secrets from his wife, in a misguided attempt to protect her. Backfires miserably. Amazingly naive for someone with so many smarts. But seriously, I sometimes worry that I made him a bit too good.

[Akuma]

Emotionally detached from himself and others.

[Matera the Mad]

Too intense, stubborn, lets things build up too long, won't speak up for himself, lousy self-image

[Angel_Lorena26]

Novel 1- Lennox
He does things without thinking about the consequences

Novel 2- Laurelle
She hasn't resolves issues with the family that " adopted" her and doesn't trust people

Novel 2b- Anton
He is too set in his ways, refuses to compromise ,and refuses to let anyone in(very disconnected),

[Gynn]

My MC is a 19-year-old American male and has many flaws. He thinks he's sexier than he really is; he's worried about his image; he talks with his fists sometimes instead of his head and he's cocky!

That said, he's not a pain to read (I hope) =)

[emc07]

Current WIP- She runs away from responsibility. She lies. Her sarcastic humor could be construed as rude. She corrects people.

Gotta love them flaws.

[oswann]

MC1 - Unrequited Love
MC2 - Unfounded Fear


Os.

[Renee Collins]

Geez, all of your characters sound like jerks.

Kidding. :D I love a flawed character.

As for my MC, she is overly confident in her abilities, which leads her to make impulsive decisions (often really crappy ones.) She's also very withdrawn emotionally, and distrusting of others.

[sadron]

Scifi book: she's anti-hero wanna be.

Fantasy book: He is a bit blind to notice something odd. ( I don't really know even I love this character :D )

[Desperado]

MC 1: She's living in her mother's shadow and she's quite stubborn.

MC 2: Very hot-headed, often leaps before looking.

MC3: Not too bright, chronic liar, alcoholic and has problems with his manners and keeping his mouth shut. (Yeah... He has a lot of flaws.:D)

MC4: A little too nice and naive

Oh and don't worry, they're not all in the same book (3 and 4 are though, bit of a buddy book), so there won't be a case of "too many cooks."

[Atlantis]

My main character has had over 200 affairs and fathered 300 children. He gets his kamuppins in the end.

[spacejock2]

My MC has a massive blind spot where his own abilities are concerned.

[Judg]

My main character has had over 200 affairs and fathered 300 children. He gets his kamuppins in the end.
I puzzled over this one. Do you mean "comeuppance" by any chance?

My MC has a massive blind spot where his own abilities are concerned.
LOL! Now there's an understatement if I ever heard one...

[absentnormality]

WIP1: Doesn't do free-thinking, has to be told exactly what to do and when and she has a creepy obsession with injuries and illnesses.

WIP2: He's a psychopathic, malfunctioning stapler intent on taking over the world, what is there not to hate?

[Calliopenjo]

WIP #1: Little Rich Bitch busy pleasing Daddy.
WIP #2: Control obsession. Maybe to the point of not realizing love.
WIP #3: Too sheltered. Goes to work, comes home, spends time with mom. Low self worth.
WIP #4: Not willing to make amends with mother or attempt to work passed issues with said mother.

[Kathleen42]

And in the film Sean Connery wasn't Scottish :)

A "Spanish peacock" if I recall correctly.

[tehuti88]

My fantasy MC is a bit too naive in believing in the goodness of other people (some here say trusting too much isn't a flaw and is very Mary Sueish, but it's been my personal experience that trusting too much can be very stupid); she also has a very bad temper, especially when she's proven wrong in trusting people. ("The ingratitude! All the nice things I did for him and then he goes and does THIS!") She can be kind of bossy and domineering and impatient when things don't go the right way. She's also kind of blind to some of her own flaws at times...my writing has a very Jungian theme, lots of Shadow stuff, and it's hard for her to face her Shadow sides, which include both being seen as vulnerable and becoming like that which she most fears/despises and hurting what she loves. Doesn't make much sense out of context, I realize.

She knows her flaws and understands them sometimes but at other times all that goes out the window. *shrug*

I'm sure she has other flaws (including being borderline violent with her friends when they piss her off--shoving them, hitting their arms, stomping on their feet) but those are the main ones. :)

Oh yes. She gets really, really pissy when anyone calls her a "little girl." :D

[scribbler1382]

MC1 - Gives up a dangerous, adventurous life, thinking it will give him up too.
MC2 - In love with a thief, even though no one knows what he looks like

[IdiotsRUs]

In fantasy:

MC1 - refuses to see anyone's flaws. Far too trusting and naive. Tendency to lump people when stressed.

MC2 - Sees the world in black and white. Obsessed with oaths. And I mean obsessed - he can't see past them. Has a hair trigger when it comes to this. Tends to day dream about strangling people (esp MC3) who annoy him / don't take oaths seriously.

MC3 - Vain, boastful, arrogant, sarcastic, verbally vicious, jealous, cynical, terrible temper. Not exactly the bravest man in the universe either :D

[DamaNegra]

Hmm, maybe my MC's worst flaw is that he's too ordinary. He's faced with a huge task but has lived such a normal life he doesn't know how to accomplish it. He gains a lot of power too quickly, and that scares me, so he completely misuses that power and ends up as a pawn. By the time he realizes all the could've beens, it's already too late.

[dwellerofthedeep]

That's pretty dark DamaNegra. I love it!

My main character is pretty disillusioned with his career at the beginning of the book I'm procrastinating on now.

[tehuti88]

Hmm, maybe my MC's worst flaw is that he's too ordinary. He's faced with a huge task but has lived such a normal life he doesn't know how to accomplish it. He gains a lot of power too quickly, and that scares me, so he completely misuses that power and ends up as a pawn. By the time he realizes all the could've beens, it's already too late.

I find that really intriguing too and wonder if such an approach could help me fix the MC of one of my novels! He's so boring to me now.

[tilt190]

in my WIP:

she: is a walking contradiction. Trusts too easily, but can't let anyone else in. Follows the rules of her insane mother, but also tries to experiment in boarding school. Doesn't ever look at herself in the mirror, but wants desperately to feel beautiful--that's why she loves ugly-duckling-to-swan transformations.

he: doesn't want anything to do with other people. Doesn't believe in having second chances, doesn't believe in love at first sight. Moody. Has lost himself along the way.

he (pt. 2): is a playboy who doesn't want to admit he's inexperienced. Relationship and loyalty issues. Really charming, really clever.

[Ardellis]

Hunter's Moon: MC1 falls in love far too easily and thinks its his job to protect everyone he knows. MC2 is so wrapped up in her own issues that she can't see when she's hurting those who love her most.

Legacies: MC1 is still trying to live up to the ideals of the family that disowned her half a lifetime ago and can't stop feeling unworthy. MC2 is a vain, womanizing smuggler.

[Poetoffire]

Anger management issues. Not the "cutesy" anger management issues that some violent female characters don't give a dang about, but issues that cause her to lose all rationality and kill people. Which she hates.

Oh yeah, and she's antisocial. She has a tendency to be outright rude to even the people she cares most about, and loathes interaction with others. Plus she's just plain mean.

[Aristocrazy]

My MC's biggest flaw is that he's an emotional type who tries to rule himself by logic in an illogical world: which combined with an average IQ can lead to some problems.

[Atlantis]

I puzzled over this one. Do you mean "comeuppance" by any chance?


Uh, yeah. LOL.

[Adam]

Over confident, and too trusting of others.

[Namatu]

In stasis novel: The MC is a manipulative bitch, not very sympathetic (which is why the novel is in stasis). The MC-to be hides who she really is behind an image of quiet passivity. She refuses to acknowledge or accept the extent of her capabilities, and she's resentful about hiding it all from others.

WIP: My female MC has a strong disrespect for authority. She's cynical, untrusting, and at times disassociates herself from the world around her. The male lead has too much pride, tries too hard to be protective, and refuses to face unpalatable truths regardless of how often they smack him in the face.

[Fade]

My MC's flaw is that he freaks out too easily. He also is superhumanly strong so that when he freaks out, things get broken.

In my second book, my MC's flaw is that he's depressed and obsessed with getting revenge on the people who killed his family.

In my third book, my MC is a vengeful teenager.

[Marie]

My MC's flaw is that he's really cynical and kind of annoying.

[jannawrites]

She's not true to herself, and it's causing lots of trouble.

[ClaudiaGray]

The heroine's big problem has always been that she's too passive -- too quick to accept easy answers and too slow to ask tough questions -- but as I move into book four, she's getting past that. The hero's big problem is his temper, which he had come a long way with, but recent events are aggravating his darker moods and penchant for violence.

In what I hope will be my next series, the heroine suffers from a serious lack of confidence and a tendency to blame other people for her problems. The hero, meanwhile, looks at the big picture -- but only at the big picture, and hurts a lot of feelings/makes a lot of mistakes in the pursuit of what he believes to be a greater good.

[CrownedSun]

My Antagonist - Teralgor, the Demon. He's actually a very nice, likable guy all around. His main problems are that he has abandonment issues from being kicked out of Heaven by God, willingly follows orders no matter what, and he uses people casually. From the body he's possessed for the past 15 years, down to everyone around him. The only person he really likes is his girlfriend, who is nearly as manipulative and controlling as him despite being human.

My Protagonist - Robert, Hollywood Actor. He's not really a stereotypical Hollywood type, cause I didn't want to do that. He is subtly self-interested, though, which is the main flaw he'll have to overcome. I'd say his main issue is his confrontational nature - he doesn't know when he should back down, and tends to beat at problems head on rather than looking for other ways of dealing with things.

My "Hero" - Gerald, Catholic Priest. Well, he dehumanizes the Demons that he faces but that's arguably a good thing to at least some degree. He's not one with a lot of easy flaws; he's the oldest member of a group that's picked for being ethical, having a strong will, and being altruistic. He's also gonna die by the end of the end of the novel. ;) I'm sure he'll get more nuanced once I get further into the story and work on revising it.

Lastly, not a Point of View character but important none the less, the Protagonists Love Interest - Lily, Abandoned Wife. She has self-esteem issues and is codepedent. An emotionally abused wife. I have a pretty interesting story arc for her; her and the protagonist will definately undergo the strongest changes over the course of the Novel.

[donroc]

I made my historical MC in Rocamora as human as possible in the context of 17th century Spain. It is the reader who decides if his actions and behavior at different times are flaws or virtues.

[Hesperides]

Gosh, you people make me think...

She's self destructive and blind to reality

[50 Foot Ant]

One of my MC's...

He's completely crazy, PTSD/Survivor's Guilt mania and psychosis. Since it's 1PoV, it makes for interesting reading. Once in awhile he'll watch a bug climb out of someone's ear, across their face, and burrow into the corner of their eye, and the bugs often have "the person's thoughts" engraved on the back of the shell.