Editor Theresa Steven’s joins us today to talk about characters afflicted with You’re-Just-Too-Good-To-Be-True syndrome.
Flaws From Virtues
In romance writing, we must constantly walk a fine line between creating characters who are heroic and admirable and characters who are too good to be true. Characters who are in conflict but who are not too aggressive, unreasonable, or bad-tempered. Characters who are perfectly suited to each other, but not until the final chapters. This is a difficult balancing act. Tilt the scales too far in one direction, and you might bore the reader. Too far in the other direction, and you might alienate them.
I hear authors talk about giving their hero and heroine flaws as a way to generate romantic conflict and avoid “too perfect” syndrome. This can be a useful strategy, depending on the flaw. That is, by using this technique, now we have to find a flaw that doesn’t make the hero or heroine unsuitable for a committed romantic relationship. If a man is a violent felon, that’s certainly a flaw, but it’s the kind of flaw that means he’s not good marriage material. So this leaves us playing Goldilocks with lists of character flaws — too icky, too dangerous, too disruptive — until we find one that’s just right.
This isn’t easy, and it doesn’t always work. But there is another option. By exaggerating an existing virtue until it takes on the dimensions of a flaw, you can create conflict between realistic characters without undermining their heroic natures.
This technique involves using a little magic word, “too.” Is your heroine independent? This is a good quality. But if she is “too” independent, this can cause problems in her life. Maybe she’s unwilling to ask for help or to take it when it’s offered. Maybe she hides her troubles or becomes overwhelmed with DIY projects. Depending on the specifics of the plot, “too” independent could take on many different dimensions. Almost any virtue can be skewed into flaw territory just by enlarging it and contemplating how too much of a good thing can cause problems.
Jane Austen uses this technique to great effect in her masterpiece, “Pride and Prejudice.” Darcy’s great heroic virtues are his honesty, his sense of duty, and his protectiveness toward those he loves. All three of these virtues are warped into flaws, or at least into plot complications. For example, Darcy is very protective of his sister Georgianna. This is a good quality in an older brother and in a potential mate. However, because of this protectiveness, he refuses to disclose information about Wickham’s attempt to elope with Georgianna. Taken to an extreme (“too” protective), he continues to protect his sister’s reputation even when doing so will allow a dangerous man to roam tame in good society. This leads to disastrous complications when Wickham runs off with the young and foolish Lydia Bennett. This puts the entire Bennett family in social danger, and Darcy recognizes that it is his own virtue, taken too far, which caused this situation.
Darcy himself even recognizes that a characteristic can be a virtue when well regulated and a flaw when not. Remember this banter with Elizabeth?
(Darcy) “But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule.”
“Such as vanity and pride.”
”Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride–where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.”
We could go on — Darcy attempt to protect his best friend from a bad match, and hurts Elizabeth’s sister in the process — Darcy is “too” honest during his midpoint marriage proposal — Darcy’s sense of familial duty interferes with his ability to make new friends — really, once you start to examine the book from this angle, you will see, over and over again, that Austen created flaws by exaggerating virtues.
There are several advantages to this technique. First, and perhaps most evident, is that you don’t have to undermine the character’s heroic nature by giving them actual, meaningful flaws. And you don’t have to undermine your own authorial credibility by creating cutesy “flaws” — fake swearing comes to mind as an example — that might be charming but are hardly flaws at all. Finally, and perhaps most meaningfully, the character with the disproportionate virtue can be allowed to cling to this flaw in the belief that he or she is right. This can generate a lot of organic conflict, which is the best kind of conflict, and it can be allowed to become more deeply entrenched without damaging the character. It took a near-tragedy to shake Darcy out of his righteousness, but we forgave him for it, as did Elizabeth, because his errors were born from good qualities.
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So, how can this apply to your work? Does your hero or heroine have a virtue which becomes a flaw? If not, can you see a way to take an existing virtue and blow it out of proportion? How will it affect your plot?
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On Monday, August 29th, author Kieran Kramer talks about your untapped resource, The Kid in You.
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Bio: Theresa Stevens is the Publisher of STAR Guides Publishing, a nonfiction publishing company with the mission to help writers write better books. After earning degrees in creative writing and law, she worked as a literary attorney agent for a boutique firm in Indianapolis where she represented a range of fiction and nonfiction authors. After a nine-year hiatus from the publishing industry to practice law, Theresa worked as chief executive editor for a highly acclaimed small romance press, and her articles on writing and editing have appeared in numerous publications for writers. Visit her blog at http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/ where she and her co-blogger share their knowledge and hardly ever argue about punctuation.
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- Ask An Editor with Theresa Stevens – Understanding Heroes
Hi Theresa,
Characters with flaws make them real. My current hero is a lifelong criminal. He justifies it by being the family provider. He can’t conform to society so he makes his own.
Mary Jo
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | August 26, 2011, 4:41 amHi, Mary Jo,
I think it can be very difficult to work with this type of character. Is he committing violent crimes? Is he depriving people of property they need to survive themselves? These kinds of things can undermine an heroic nature. However, Robin Hood was a hero and a criminal, so it is possible to manage both. Just be careful!
Thanks,
Theresa
Posted by Anonymous | August 26, 2011, 4:15 pmShe is a police woman up against a corrupt police captain. He is on the hero’s payroll and they join forces to bring him down.
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | August 27, 2011, 10:27 amHi Theresa,
In my last manuscript, I struggled with a too-damaged heroine. She was hard, wary, and independent. It took several revisions and rejections before I realized I had to let up a bit and give her a vulnerability. If I hadn’t, readers would have washed their hands of her by midpoint, if not sooner.
Tracey
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | August 26, 2011, 4:41 amTracey, I think there’s a difference between a damaged character and a flawed character. A damaged character has a special arc which leads to redemption and healing. But damage can also create flaws, as you note, and those flaws can create likability issues. It can be a real challenge to work with this kind of character — personally, I love reading about damaged characters who are made whole, but not everyone does.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:20 pmMorning Theresa!
My heroine is too independent….”I can do it myself!” is her motto….that’s hopefully going to make for some fun when the hero is too overprotective …”Let me do that for you, honey” ….well, that’s my plan anyway…=)
thanks so much for posting with us today!!! great article!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | August 26, 2011, 6:56 amThat’s a good conflict, Carrie. Helpfulness and independence are virtues, but too much of a good thing can cause problems!
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:21 pmI’m right there with Carrie – my heroine has an independent streak. She also has some OCD going on (her husband leaves her over her label maker), so I’m playing with making her OCD lovable yet problematic (or problematic yet lovable) too.
Thanks for a great lecture! I’ve really struggled with giving heroines realistic flaws while keeping them on the right side of likable, so I’m always interested in studying character dynamics. Darcy really is a great example.
Jamie
Posted by Jamie | August 26, 2011, 8:33 amOh, no, Jamie! I’m in trouble if husbands leave over label-makers. I do have an affinity for mine, but I was strong enough to leave it behind when we were traveling all over the place this summer
.
K-
Posted by Kelsey Browning | August 26, 2011, 8:59 amI just KNEW you’d have a label maker!!!
Posted by Carrie Spencer | August 26, 2011, 1:59 pmLOL – I know you’re jealous, Carrie. Seriously, it’s not as whacked as it sounds. Promise!
K-
Posted by Kelsey Browning | August 26, 2011, 6:07 pmJamie..I love that your heroine lost her husband over a label maker!
Posted by jennifer tanner | August 26, 2011, 2:14 pmWhat’s a positive way to view these kinds of OCD behaviors? She’s organized — that’s a good trait. She’s probably neat and tidy. OCD might take it to an extreme, but if you dim the volume a bit, these are virtues.
Personally, I think owning a label maker is a sign of extremely high intelligence.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:24 pm“This isn’t easy, and it doesn’t always work. But there is another option. By exaggerating an existing virtue until it takes on the dimensions of a flaw, you can create conflict between realistic characters without undermining their heroic natures.”
This is great! In my own story, the hero is a natural protector, but after a woman he’s protecting dies on his watch, he goes into uber-protector mode – which doesn’t go down well with the heroine.
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | August 26, 2011, 8:54 amThis is exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about, Becke! Good traits can become problematic when they become “too much.”
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:26 pmTheresa -
How many times can I confess my love for you? This lecture comes at a perfect time for me as I examine a couple of new potential characters for the story I’ll be drafting this fall.
Do you think it’s especially helpful if the hero and heroine have “opposite” virtues that can be taken to extreme, or does that often feel contrived?
Happy Friday!
Kels
Posted by Kelsey Browning | August 26, 2011, 8:57 amThat’s a great question, Kels. It *can* feel contrived if the characteristics don’t lead to organic plot developments. It’s not enough for them to bicker about it or notice the differences. Those differences have to create situations or lead to events that are meaningful plot points.
For example, maybe she’s a person who plans everything carefully. And he’s a person who trusts his instincts. Now let’s put them in the car and make them get lost in an unfamiliar territory.
Option 1 — they quarrel over lack of maps or ignoring the planned route, but the find their way to their destination without further incident. This will feel tacked on and a bit contrived.
Option 2 — they quarrel, but they can’t resolve their situation and they won’t be able to make their destination in time, and this will lead to plot complications and have consequences. This will feel more organic.
See how that works? There have to be causal relationships between the trait-generated events and the subsequent events.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:33 pmHi Theresa,
Fantastic advice, as usual!
My heroine is a combination of protective and sacrificial. And she takes both to the extreme where she makes decisions for the hero and the rest of her family and ends up making everyone miserable. Unfortunately, what she’s protecting him from is pretty bad too. Add to that the fact that she starts off depressed and reserved and making her likable in those crucial first chapters has been a challenge. I am now down to my last few strands of hair.
Thanks again,
Sonali
Posted by Sonali Mayadev Thatte | August 26, 2011, 11:26 amSonali, find something positive about the situation in those early scenes and let the heroine respond positively to it. For example, if there’s a happy event occurring around her — a reunion, a wedding — let her find some joy in it. Even if there are problems associated with it, too, that tension between the good aspects and the bad aspects can make the character come to life.
For example, a class reunion won’t be all good or all bad. There will be people we love to see, and there will be people we had hoped to never see again. Let both be present, and we’ll be able to related to the character in a deeper, better balanced way.
Do you see what I mean?
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:43 pmMy hero is an actor – a good one- but he uses it to hide who he is from the people around him and himself.
It is going to be so much fun getting him to drop the act.
Posted by Robin Covington | August 26, 2011, 11:44 amActors are tricky. Conventional wisdom has it that actors, athletes, and musicians make poor romantic heroes. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but be aware that this prejudice is out there. It sounds as though you will address potential trust issues inherent in the actor role, which is good. Make him reliable, too, and selfless, and you might be okay with this.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:48 pmHi Theresa!
Darcy is a perfect example of a virtue becoming a flaw.
Also, thanks for pointing out how organic conflict can arise from a character’s flaws because the way a character’s virtues/flaws are perceived is a Vegas buffet of conflictual (is that a word?) opportunities!
Thanks for the terrific post.
Posted by jennifer tanner | August 26, 2011, 2:34 pmIt’s a word now. We’re writers — we get to make words.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:49 pmWhat a great column and such a hard topic to tackle. I’m wrestling with a hero for just this reason. Every time I try to motivate his actions, I feel like his “flaws” just make him unappealing.
Theresa, are there questions we can, perhaps, pose to ourselves about our characters to help isolate that virtue to turn into a flaw? Some sort of exercise to brainstorm it and sketch it out?
Thanks!
Julie
Posted by Julie H. | August 26, 2011, 2:46 pmJulie, I really think it just comes down to using the word “too.” If your character is charming, make him too charming. What are the consequences of that? He might seem unreliable or untrustworthy or inauthentic. He might seem unctuous or smarmy. He might be so busy working the room at the restaurant that he leaves his dinner date alone and annoyed and unwilling to see him a second time. Does that make sense? Think about how too much of the virtue might be perceived as a negative, and then think about how that might influence behavior.
Posted by Theresa Stevens | August 28, 2011, 3:53 pm