Let's see... Stubborn, overprotective, can be very naive, has a hard time letting people in but when he does he is fiercely loyal, doesn't like to admit it when he's wrong,he can be too persistent for his own good, feels responsible for the fate of the world, puts on a confident front but deep down is sometimes unsure of himself, you know, all those really unique flaws you never see in a main character. Am I missing anything??????
I don't think those are all flaws. For example, I'd love to be able to put on a confident front but all too often I come off as a fumbling idiot. I'd also like to have the persistence thing 'cause I'm too lazy and whatevery for real, ram-through persistence. In all seriousness, though, these kind of ambiguous "flaws" are a good thing 'cause a character with hopeless flaw-flaws can be pretty infuriating. Like this complete and utter loser I once wrote...
My MC can't recall any human interaction his whole life. Then when he finally get's around people, they've had their free will removed. So the fantasy he's constructed on how to act around people is all he has to go off of.
My female MC: Tends to idolize the men in her life and is aware of it, so she tends to go for talented men with just-enough-wrong with them so she can hold something back and keep herself safe from her own feelings; tendency exacerbated by having been sexually assaulted by one of her idols as an 18-year-old. Suffers from PTSD but doesn't realize it. Is a Christian and theoretically believes that God is in control, but has a deep need to control everything in her life for herself (she'll gradually get over this as the story progresses). Workaholic tendencies. If she feels she's getting some good out of it, she will put off making decisions about untenable situations in her life, even when she has no prospect of their being resolved or getting better. Can be impulsive. Fiery temper when pushed. My male MC: Is devoted to his profession (Architecture) to the point of idolatry, and will go to nearly any lengths and work for nearly anyone if they give him the chance to carry out his design vision. Workaholic. Feels compelled to protect the women in his life and promote their careers and their overall happiness, which wouldn't be bad if he weren't so convinced he knows better than they do how to go about it. Still fighting the battle of his father vs. his mother on his mother's side and is still resentful of the way his missionary father "abandoned" him in favor of the Native American people on the reservation. As a youth he publicly transferred that resentment to all Native Americans; as a 30-something he thinks he's gotten over it but this prejudice will give the villain a hold over him (or so the villain thinks). He's able and willing to ignore or minimize the villain's machinations, as long as he can keep up his design work. Rather deliberate. Goes cold and quiet when angry.
I prefer objective, physical flaws, like IBS.... Stupid, ugly, helpless, smelly, anorexic, obese, drug addict- those are flaws.
Yeah that was something i was considering, i dont want him to be annoying. More funny than annoying i hope, by juvenile i was thinking along the lines of not taking things as seriously as he should, practical jokes etc I might have him grow out of it sooner rather than later, not decided yet!
I think my definition of a flaw is just broader, then. In order to write a multidimensional character, they can't really be flawless, and all that. The only reason I didn't list the obvious was... well, 'cause they were obvious. But they are there, they are flaws, my IBS dude also has the Ahab syndrome which, I suppose, is just a fancy way to say his-too-persistent-for-his-own-good (or too obsessed to chase that white whale), and I would imagine this is a fairly common flaw (or "flaw") in many a main character in addition to Captain Ahab himself. I think I see it as a flaw because after he unfucks himself, it's no longer there, he can let go of the whale and accept that it's not the end of the world to give up. Or maybe that's a weakness instead of a flaw...
Contrary to popular opinion, explicit flaws in characters are NOT mandatory. It's sufficient to make your characters distinct from one another and believable. You can assume they are imperfect without shoving their shortcomings in the reader's face.
