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You said imperfection is relatable and that's why it catches the audience. I think that is true but i think there's more to it. For me, the key point is that it creates intimacy, i think. When we are allowed to watch our protagonist in situations they would not normally share with others, like weeping or battling their inner demons, when we're allowed to listen to their inner, conflicted monologue, it creates a space of intimacy. We feel connected to them because they "show" their struggle to us. In advertising, that's called the "for you pathos", the illusion that this product is only for you to enjoy and it makes you special. When we dont get to see any struggle its like our protagonist always keeps us at arm's length. When we read, we can get close to people without going through the trouble of getting to know them and earning their trust. ... Now I feel like a creep. 😅
I don't like my protagonist to get crippled or phisically compromised, I rather him having natural flaws, realistic imperfections that he can overcome in other ways, but never becoming "complete/normal" in the end.. mental/emotional disadvantages are my way to go, or he being unable to use skills most people can use, but he learning to use the few skills he can use in the best way to achieve his goals
Tricked and betrayed by your best friend, who not only drags you down with them but destroys your hope completely. Replaces your being with despair, sexually assaults you and kills your brothers in arms, violates you all. Absolutely to his own benefit. I had to take a break. I just want Griffith to feel pain, but he literally isn’t human, and pain makes us human. He must be destroyed completely. He doesn’t even just represent what’s worst in man, he represents himself alone.
Ah yes, the broken hero, the perfect description for spiderman. That's what makes him so relatable, that's why he'll always be my favorite superhero. He makes mistakes and hard choices that sometimes cost him the people he loves, but through it all he upholds one thing above all 'with great power, comes great responsibility', and he always does what he needs to to make it right, no matter the cost.
As somebody who actually has a disability, I like stories where the character overcomes theirs, and I find it extremely annoying when abled people try to tell others what they can and cannot write about.
Yes, this! It’s why I’m committed to writing characters who have the mental disabilities and neurodivergence I and others like me can relate to. Maybe in the long run it opens other people’s minds to understand us. Or maybe it leads at least a few undiagnosed people to recognize themselves in the characters and eventually learn there’s no moral failing causing all their difficulties in life.
The deep emotional wound has always been a critical aspect of successful fictional writing. I'd recommend reading Lisa Cron's book Story Genius. While her prose will put you to sleep, and the 'science' is a little thin, the idea is gold.
If you mean something about plotting your story. I did make some videos about that already, including this one: th-cam.com/video/dNZR7IHQ45I/w-d-xo.html 🙂
Sokea is a character that is almost godlike for human perseption. He is a noxar, grown up in the most punishing environment in the universe. He is basically immortal but constantly finding himself unable to protect those who can’t protect themselves. He acts as cover getting besieged from all sides only to have his people starve to death because him fighting Bach would expose them to enemy fire. He constantly finds himself in this situation. Tartarus another character is one of the view things to keep him sane. With him sokea has a companion that will raise from the dead time and time again. Both of those characters are extremely powerful but seem almost insignificant when a problem can’t be dealt with diplomatic or with violence. Cruelty of the humans in my book drives Tartarus to monstrous acts and sokea even though well intentioned destroys infrastructure because of his size and weight on accident. Once separated sokea searches purpose in protecting people. As of now I have not written the aftermath but he won’t be able to save even just a hand full of people when Tartarus arrives to break the siege around him. Nyra another character who is following Tartarus starts as a slave broken and absolutely obedient. The first arc of the story evolves around her reclaiming her agency in a world that is completely alien. The contrast should hit hard as she experiences happiness with Tartarus who slaughtered thousands of her people and could crush her without effort, while she suffered under nobility who in many cases were so fat that they couldn’t even survive without machines assisting their lungs. Well that’s a wall of text sorry got carried away. Greetings the crazy Swiss.
Main characters that get maimed/injured physically, are a huge put-off for me. Reading about it happening, or how they have to deal with it, both leave me with a queasy stomach, and no desire to read any more... this has happened in 2 series that I was curious enough to push through to finish, but didn't like the experience at all... (The Wheel of Time and that one Steven King gunslinger/black tower one.)
That is why 'crippled' in this case really depends on the specific story and genre. For example, in a romance story the main character might be afraid of being alone or something. So the romance breaks down and it looks like they will be lonely. You wouldn't typically chop off the heroine's leg.
IF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE write a bunch of characters like this, it might become very boring to read the genre. It will be saturated. Like training a million doctors will saturate the field.
curious, Currently been working more on my MC, and thought about making his flaw the simple fact that he literally does not care what suffering happens to him. he could quite literally get stabbed multiple times, set on fire, even get every part of his body ripped apart violently......and just simply doesn't care about that as long as its just him, not anyone else, which doesn't cause physical issues (albeit with him still feeling the pain of it), but he does cause a lot of emotional turmoil as the people who love him constantly see their friend go through some of the most horrible injuries and constantly be in pain that he just constantly walks off. Not sure if that's a decent flaw. is it?
Doesn't sound like it. He doesn't have any negative affects, just "others" do. He could potentially be a Monty Python character (black knight - "Tis a flesh wound. I've had worse.") or a psychopath.
@@grondhero eh, true. I honestly tried thinking of a flaw for an immortal character that's not just him being a cynicic/nihilist (mainly because the story had themes like the true nature of good, basically as a way of portraying how no matter what good always somehow exists), but kinda struggled with a flaw.
This in and of itself doesn't sound like a flaw, but if you wanted to work it to be quite a bit more believable and relatable to your audience, I would instead have your main character be extremely disassociating and compartmentalizing the trauma he goes through in an effort to suppress his horror of the situations, which would occasionally make itself known in flashes of extreme anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares, with your Main Character making a huge mental or physical stuggle to pull their "stoic mask" back into place before their loved ones can notice. eventually, leading to them rejecting their friends and loved ones when they attempt to offer comfort or assurance, literally pushing their friends away in an attempt to protect not only their friends from seeing just how badly the MC is effected, but also to help protect the MC's composure, because all of the kind, reassuring words are starting to chip away at their mental armor that protects them from the horror-- until something *big* happens, and it all comes crumbling down, leaving your main character a vulnerable emotional wreck, with the question being: will their loved ones still be there to help them pick up the pieces? Or will the main character be alone in their darkest hour? Will they pick themselves back up in time to save their friends, or will they be too late, and face another loss that leaves them in a depressive spiral that only *sharing* their grief and fear, forming genuine human connections, can help them overcome?
@@TheTaleTinkerer The story is about (in some way) a group of "wierdos" (one considered by society a monster cause of his species, a mentally damaged abandoned assasin, etc...) trying to archive a happy ending (like in a kids book). So, the beginning ks a bit... Brutal on them a lot of times, so idk if it was too much 😅
@@carlosdeandres4774 At least from this little bit, it doesn't feel that way to me yet. Don't forget that every character is their own entity, so even if a group shares a lot of flaws among all characters combined, that doesn't have to mean any individual is necessarily too crippled 🙂
How abour this ones the ability of the hero is he needs to be violence to can be drawn upon it. If he is being normal or under normal or happy emotions he never able drawn his abilities? Is this crippled enough?
@@linusl8252 like that but the second part the hero is the ones who destroy his own kingdom where he serves before willingly by using viruses and have civillian casualties also kill his previous commander in the process and just fell less guilty.
Me literally crippling my MC to the core by having the concept of end annihilate her and her whole family (alas, she technically shouldn't exist anymore, but well, the MC is no human either, if she was, then she wouldn't have survived the end itself.)
Honestly, I hate "flawed" characters in fiction. Far too often, the author builds the character around the flaw(s), or uses the flaw/weakness to create problems and obstacles in the plot. That doesn't mean the character cannot have weaknesses or character flaws, but I prefer them to be simply part of their personality, rather than being a major plot point. The moment the story starts to linger over the flaw, I lose interest. Some of the most common are alcoholism, divorce, loss of a loved one. Mostly, they feel like a cheap way to inject interest or complexity in a story.
I don't disagree, which is why I tried to emphasize in the video that anything added in that realm should be a natural part of the overall character, not something that defines them or feels "tagged on". But it certainly is easier said than done at times :-)
Yeah it seems patriotic when a character becomes defined by a flaw. But what about making the flaw not of the character but the entire story- the feeling that there’s something quite odd and off about the world around the characters? Like something missing or out of place?
I know where your fans are concerned I am a new comer, nobody here. But if you could ever make a playlist of making a fantasy story from scratch, from outline to prose that would be incredibly helpful. It would clear up a lot of mysteries for many of us. It doesn't have to be a story you care about, just one that shows the process of making a complex Multi-POV novel from outline to prose.
If you're on your own writing or worldbuilding journey, make sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter which is packed with practical advice and strategies on key elements, from character development and plot structuring to creating immersive fantasy worlds: thetaletinkerer.com/newsletter
I write because i want to leave something to inspire others after I'm gone.
That's an admirable goal.
Nice
It will go as well as you do
Their is no true immortality
@@holbvgbbbbkfz Perhaps. But maybe it will make a difference in the life of even just one person. ❤
You said imperfection is relatable and that's why it catches the audience. I think that is true but i think there's more to it. For me, the key point is that it creates intimacy, i think. When we are allowed to watch our protagonist in situations they would not normally share with others, like weeping or battling their inner demons, when we're allowed to listen to their inner, conflicted monologue, it creates a space of intimacy. We feel connected to them because they "show" their struggle to us. In advertising, that's called the "for you pathos", the illusion that this product is only for you to enjoy and it makes you special. When we dont get to see any struggle its like our protagonist always keeps us at arm's length. When we read, we can get close to people without going through the trouble of getting to know them and earning their trust. ... Now I feel like a creep. 😅
My fantasy hero in my story actually is she has cerebral palsy like me!
That's fantastic!
Wowww💛🙌🏾
So stunning and brave, I'm really inspired.
Thanks for all the support everyone really appreciate it!
I don't like my protagonist to get crippled or phisically compromised, I rather him having natural flaws, realistic imperfections that he can overcome in other ways, but never becoming "complete/normal" in the end.. mental/emotional disadvantages are my way to go, or he being unable to use skills most people can use, but he learning to use the few skills he can use in the best way to achieve his goals
"Misery misery misery. That's what you've chosen." - Green Goblin
Tricked and betrayed by your best friend, who not only drags you down with them but destroys your hope completely. Replaces your being with despair, sexually assaults you and kills your brothers in arms, violates you all. Absolutely to his own benefit.
I had to take a break. I just want Griffith to feel pain, but he literally isn’t human, and pain makes us human. He must be destroyed completely. He doesn’t even just represent what’s worst in man, he represents himself alone.
Ah yes, the broken hero, the perfect description for spiderman. That's what makes him so relatable, that's why he'll always be my favorite superhero. He makes mistakes and hard choices that sometimes cost him the people he loves, but through it all he upholds one thing above all 'with great power, comes great responsibility', and he always does what he needs to to make it right, no matter the cost.
Yeah, loved Spiderman as a child already 🙂
I automatically thought of Jamie Lannister without his sword 🗡️ hand 🖐️ it really bruised his ego and confidence
Yes, he is a good example 🙂
As somebody who actually has a disability, I like stories where the character overcomes theirs, and I find it extremely annoying when abled people try to tell others what they can and cannot write about.
Yes, this! It’s why I’m committed to writing characters who have the mental disabilities and neurodivergence I and others like me can relate to. Maybe in the long run it opens other people’s minds to understand us. Or maybe it leads at least a few undiagnosed people to recognize themselves in the characters and eventually learn there’s no moral failing causing all their difficulties in life.
Kentaro Miura would agree with you. He broke the hell out of Guts and made one of the most amazing characters ever created in the process.
The deep emotional wound has always been a critical aspect of successful fictional writing. I'd recommend reading Lisa Cron's book Story Genius. While her prose will put you to sleep, and the 'science' is a little thin, the idea is gold.
Vid req.
On how to expand my story or how to create set-up for story thats feels logical 😅
If you mean something about plotting your story. I did make some videos about that already, including this one: th-cam.com/video/dNZR7IHQ45I/w-d-xo.html 🙂
Sokea is a character that is almost godlike for human perseption. He is a noxar, grown up in the most punishing environment in the universe. He is basically immortal but constantly finding himself unable to protect those who can’t protect themselves. He acts as cover getting besieged from all sides only to have his people starve to death because him fighting Bach would expose them to enemy fire. He constantly finds himself in this situation.
Tartarus another character is one of the view things to keep him sane. With him sokea has a companion that will raise from the dead time and time again. Both of those characters are extremely powerful but seem almost insignificant when a problem can’t be dealt with diplomatic or with violence. Cruelty of the humans in my book drives Tartarus to monstrous acts and sokea even though well intentioned destroys infrastructure because of his size and weight on accident. Once separated sokea searches purpose in protecting people. As of now I have not written the aftermath but he won’t be able to save even just a hand full of people when Tartarus arrives to break the siege around him.
Nyra another character who is following Tartarus starts as a slave broken and absolutely obedient. The first arc of the story evolves around her reclaiming her agency in a world that is completely alien. The contrast should hit hard as she experiences happiness with Tartarus who slaughtered thousands of her people and could crush her without effort, while she suffered under nobility who in many cases were so fat that they couldn’t even survive without machines assisting their lungs.
Well that’s a wall of text sorry got carried away. Greetings the crazy Swiss.
Main characters that get maimed/injured physically, are a huge put-off for me. Reading about it happening, or how they have to deal with it, both leave me with a queasy stomach, and no desire to read any more... this has happened in 2 series that I was curious enough to push through to finish, but didn't like the experience at all... (The Wheel of Time and that one Steven King gunslinger/black tower one.)
That is why 'crippled' in this case really depends on the specific story and genre. For example, in a romance story the main character might be afraid of being alone or something. So the romance breaks down and it looks like they will be lonely. You wouldn't typically chop off the heroine's leg.
IF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE write a bunch of characters like this, it might become very boring to read the genre. It will be saturated. Like training a million doctors will saturate the field.
curious, Currently been working more on my MC, and thought about making his flaw the simple fact that he literally does not care what suffering happens to him. he could quite literally get stabbed multiple times, set on fire, even get every part of his body ripped apart violently......and just simply doesn't care about that as long as its just him, not anyone else, which doesn't cause physical issues (albeit with him still feeling the pain of it), but he does cause a lot of emotional turmoil as the people who love him constantly see their friend go through some of the most horrible injuries and constantly be in pain that he just constantly walks off.
Not sure if that's a decent flaw. is it?
Doesn't sound like it. He doesn't have any negative affects, just "others" do. He could potentially be a Monty Python character (black knight - "Tis a flesh wound. I've had worse.") or a psychopath.
@@grondhero eh, true.
I honestly tried thinking of a flaw for an immortal character that's not just him being a cynicic/nihilist (mainly because the story had themes like the true nature of good, basically as a way of portraying how no matter what good always somehow exists), but kinda struggled with a flaw.
This in and of itself doesn't sound like a flaw, but if you wanted to work it to be quite a bit more believable and relatable to your audience, I would instead have your main character be extremely disassociating and compartmentalizing the trauma he goes through in an effort to suppress his horror of the situations, which would occasionally make itself known in flashes of extreme anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares, with your Main Character making a huge mental or physical stuggle to pull their "stoic mask" back into place before their loved ones can notice.
eventually, leading to them rejecting their friends and loved ones when they attempt to offer comfort or assurance, literally pushing their friends away in an attempt to protect not only their friends from seeing just how badly the MC is effected, but also to help protect the MC's composure, because all of the kind, reassuring words are starting to chip away at their mental armor that protects them from the horror-- until something *big* happens, and it all comes crumbling down, leaving your main character a vulnerable emotional wreck, with the question being:
will their loved ones still be there to help them pick up the pieces? Or will the main character be alone in their darkest hour? Will they pick themselves back up in time to save their friends, or will they be too late, and face another loss that leaves them in a depressive spiral that only *sharing* their grief and fear, forming genuine human connections, can help them overcome?
@@Zoldrandomstuff yep, honestly could see that
I have a few mcs in my story and tbh after watching this video I've realiced that... I crippled them a bit too much lmao
Care to share a bit about one of them and why you feel that way? 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer The story is about (in some way) a group of "wierdos" (one considered by society a monster cause of his species, a mentally damaged abandoned assasin, etc...) trying to archive a happy ending (like in a kids book). So, the beginning ks a bit... Brutal on them a lot of times, so idk if it was too much 😅
@@carlosdeandres4774 At least from this little bit, it doesn't feel that way to me yet. Don't forget that every character is their own entity, so even if a group shares a lot of flaws among all characters combined, that doesn't have to mean any individual is necessarily too crippled 🙂
How abour this ones the ability of the hero is he needs to be violence to can be drawn upon it. If he is being normal or under normal or happy emotions he never able drawn his abilities? Is this crippled enough?
The heroes instead join the antagonist army and become antagonist top officer instead. Is this crippled enough and flawed enough?
@@asisifrans It certainly makes for a very good plot twist 🙂
@@linusl8252 like that but the second part the hero is the ones who destroy his own kingdom where he serves before willingly by using viruses and have civillian casualties also kill his previous commander in the process and just fell less guilty.
If he joins the antagonist and kills civilians and his previous boss, sounds like he's a villain, not a hero.
@@grondhero but he is the main character? He is still a hero or not? Like his friends still wanted to help him back to their side again?
Me literally crippling my MC to the core by having the concept of end annihilate her and her whole family (alas, she technically shouldn't exist anymore, but well, the MC is no human either, if she was, then she wouldn't have survived the end itself.)
This can be done badly though like really badly. Kalidin from stormlight archives is just anou8ng at this point how much he cries
👍🏻
My héroes don't have hands and are illiterate like me.
*SCREAMS IN MOORCOCK*
Honestly, I hate "flawed" characters in fiction. Far too often, the author builds the character around the flaw(s), or uses the flaw/weakness to create problems and obstacles in the plot. That doesn't mean the character cannot have weaknesses or character flaws, but I prefer them to be simply part of their personality, rather than being a major plot point. The moment the story starts to linger over the flaw, I lose interest. Some of the most common are alcoholism, divorce, loss of a loved one. Mostly, they feel like a cheap way to inject interest or complexity in a story.
Agree
I think this is a very interesting point. I am glad to know this as I'm writing a "flawed" character myself. It's easy to linger over those flaws
I don't disagree, which is why I tried to emphasize in the video that anything added in that realm should be a natural part of the overall character, not something that defines them or feels "tagged on". But it certainly is easier said than done at times :-)
I think your problem is with “flaw focused characters” rather than characters that have flaws.
Yeah it seems patriotic when a character becomes defined by a flaw.
But what about making the flaw not of the character but the entire story- the feeling that there’s something quite odd and off about the world around the characters?
Like something missing or out of place?
I know where your fans are concerned I am a new comer, nobody here. But if you could ever make a playlist of making a fantasy story from scratch, from outline to prose that would be incredibly helpful. It would clear up a lot of mysteries for many of us. It doesn't have to be a story you care about, just one that shows the process of making a complex Multi-POV novel from outline to prose.