Character Flaws

by Katy White

I have a sister-in-law who is darn near perfect.  She is beautiful with three incredible, well-behaved, yet spunky, children.  She does her visiting teaching early and goes to the temple once a week.  She volunteers to do service whenever the Relief Society President has a need.  Her home is always in order, her meals are always delicious, and she runs seven miles a day, six days a week (Sunday is her day off).  On top of all this, she likes really cool music and reads really great books.

It's almost nauseating.

But do you know why I adore her rather than wanting to avoid her and her stupid near-perfection?  She cheats at games.  Any game you play with her, you know she's going to cheat like she's a figure skating judge in the Olympics.  Playing Dominoes with her?  She's sneaking the best tiles.  Playing Monopoly?  She's skimming from the bank.  Playing Apples to Apples?  She's manipulating you into thinking that the best card is hers so you don't want to pick it, thereby increasing the odds that you'll pick hers.  Girl is a sneak.  I love it.

She also speeds.  She speeds like the hounds of Hades are on her heels.  She goes to traffic school like her kids go to regular school.  She has a budget for tickets.  (Okay, maybe not the last one, but it's close).

In other words, she has these delicious character flaws that make me overlook her perfections and see her as being totally and completely human.  Because being human means being flawed.  None of us is perfect.  That's why we like each other.

That's also why we like characters in books.  There's nothing duller than a character who always makes the right choice.  There's nothing that makes me less likely to root for someone than knowing that there's nothing, really, to root for.  If the only thing keeping a character from achieving a goal is external forces, I probably don't care a lot about that character or her goal.  I need to see holes in her game.  I need to know that she's going to make interesting, bad choices on occasion.  Because then I can root for her to overcome the consequences of those choices and grow as a character.

So while I realize the goal of mortality is to strive for perfection, I hope my sister-in-law keeps cheating at games for a while longer.  Rooting for her to lose at Settlers of Catan is my way of rooting for her to win.

Saturday So What: Everything I need to know as a writer, I learned from Buffy

My husband and I have been indulging recently in last year's Christmas present... the full series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD. I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but the show is brilliant. Joss Whedon is a freakin' genius. It is my fervent belief that if every writer watched Buffy, the quality of books would vastly increase. Here's what I learned.:

1. Witty irreverent dialogue makes characters interesting. Even the unlikable ones.
Principal Snyder is not a character you should like. He constantly causes problems for our heroine.  It would be easy to cast this character as a throw away. Just a boring voice of authority. Instead, Whedon has given him some of the best lines, making him worth watching instead of a snoozefest.
Principal Snyder: That's the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.

2. Sidekicks are almost as valuable as the protagonist.

Where would the Scooby Gang be without Willow, Giles and Zander? These characters are all essential parts of story. They add meaningful support as well as comic relief. Often sidekicks are relegated to very surface personalities. It's easy to fall into the stereotype trap. The fat best friend, the nerd, the snotty cheerleader.. you name it and it's been done. They don't grow. So take it farther, make the audience care and give your sidekicks depth. Think of the growth Willow had throughout the series.

3. Angel was the original Edward from Twilight

And Joss Whedon did it so much better. Edward comes off as too good to be true. He has no flaws. It's obnoxious. And unrealistic. Angel is awesome because he has issues. He's not perfect, we don't always like him; but in the end, we all root for him anyway. Have you ever had a relationship that was all sunshine and roses? Where the only problems between the two of you could be worked out through a little DTR (define the relationship). Didn't think so. Buys make you cry. Love makes you cry.And sometimes... true love doesn't conquer all.

4. Sometimes life sucks.

Throughout the series, Buffy goes through hell. How often do we read books where the main character is never in any real peril. Nothing bad really happens to them. Buffy got the crap beat out of her on a weekly basis. She doesn't often get what she wants, but she does what is needed. Don't be afraid to hurt your hero. If there is no true peril, the story isn't interesting. And if it's obvious that the hero will come out all peachy keen... why would we keep turning the page?

There are so many more lessons, but I think I'll leave it on just one final thought. Fun. In every Joss Whedon project I have ever seen, it is clear that he has fun. Look at Buffy, Firefly, Avengers... they do well and have cult followings because he has fun with his writing. When the writer has fun, the audience can't help but join in.

So until next week, live by my personal author tagline -- Having fun on the page

Test of Character

"...the crisis doesn't create one's character it reveals it."--Lynn G. Robbins.
Guess what the first thing was when I heard this quote given on Sunday on tithing? I thought writing! I was so impressed by it I pulled out my program and jotted it down. Wow. Isn't it powerful?

How does your character react to crisis? Does she wilt? Does he flee? Does he become stronger? Does she hold fast? Does she weep?

I would be remiss to continue on without mentioning how the quote really fits.

There is an article in the 2005, May Ensign about paying tithing.

Tithing is for the rich as much as it is for the poor. It is not unkind of our Heavenly Father--or leaders of the church--to expect that out of us even with our economic crisis! In fact, do you remember the story of the widow's mite? She gave her all. I ask myself, how can I not? With all the blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed upon me?

Giving the Lord ten percent of our earnings will bless us beyond measure.

Here is the quote again:

"...the crisis doesn't create one's character it reveals it."--Lynn G. Robbins.

Bearing this in mind, what strengths will a crisis bring out in you? Or perhaps even weaknesses? Will you panic or crumble or weaken? Will you be calm, hold tight, and stand firm?

I know one thing is for sure, the closer to the Lord you are, the stronger you will stand during the crisis--I promise.