Got a critique that said my protagonist was too perfect - changed everything

My writing group told me my main character had zero flaws and felt like a cardboard cutout. So I gave him a stutter that shows up when he's stressed, and suddenly his dialogue actually felt real. Has anyone else had a piece of feedback that totally made you rewrite a character?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayes.oliver1d ago

Huh, I actually kind of see it the other way. Giving a character a stutter because someone said they were too perfect feels like you're just checking a box. My problem with "fixing" perfect characters is it usually comes off as fake. Like, oh look, here's his quirk to prove he's not perfect. Instead of a stutter, try making him actually wrong about something important. Let him hold a bad opinion and double down on it. Let him hurt someone's feelings and not realize it. A flaw should affect other people, not just make him stumble over words when he's nervous.

stella_roberts16h ago

Oh man, @hayes.oliver I used to think giving them a visible "thing" was the way to go too. But you're right, making them be wrong or hurt someone without realizing it actually feels way more real than any surface level quirk. That changed how I look at my own characters for sure.