Don’t be afraid to get rough with your characters, even if—no, especially if—you love them. If you make their path too easy, your novel will suffer.
Why?
Because characters who are perfect, or who effortlessly overcome those plot twists, are boring.
It’s a common slip up, especially when we start writing, to go easy on characters we love. Maybe we see ourselves in them, or who we want to be. Then the problems start. They know everything. They’re gorgeous. They’re strong. The hurdles they encounter are more like anthills.
But readers want a little sweat.
Even if we know (or hope) that the good side wins, we want our hearts to pick up when it seems the hero may be defeated. We want to catch our breath when it seems all is lost. When the hero wins, we want to feel the power of that moment.
To get that kind of engagement and emotion from your reader, your characters need flaws. They need to feel uncomfortable, even defeated. It’s how we can connect with, relate to, and empathize with them and their journey.
Their flaws are what make their challenges come to life.
