Into the Fire

Most of us don’t need anyone besides ourselves to tell us we’re flawed. Sin-stained and in need of salvation from the moment we breathe outside the womb. Those of us who’ve discovered that Jesus saves also come to know the value God has given to the human kind. It’s sometimes trickier to realize that value originates in His artistry and not in our own vain appeal.

It’s interesting when writers refer to their characters as “flawed”. I assume all characters are flawed since no one is perfect. Perhaps they mean uniquely flawed, abnormally flawed, quirky flawed, whiny flawed, or desperately flawed—in other words: specifically flawed. As in a particular area of their lives. I suppose there are opportunities in speculative fiction/fantasy to assimilate a “perfect” character for story purposes, but those might be the exception.

Sometimes we inject our own specific flaws into our characters because we are self-aware, recognizing and intimately knowing our weaknesses. Other times we observe specific flaws and translate them to the page in a character we seek to demonstrate as needy or brazen or evil. Certainly there are no perfect characters; just some that seem “more” flawed than others.

Within the context of story, characters appeal to us for various reasons. Sometimes it’s because we identify with their flaws or their circumstances or their challenges. Sometimes it’s because we admire their tenacity or their spunk or their intent to work through their unique flaws. It’s tougher to write major characters who won’t be liked by the majority of readers—to hide some redeeming quality under their skin or to insert small measures of likeability in order for the reader to stick with them.

Along the way readers discover what we enjoy and what we can’t stomach and what we will tolerate for the story’s sake. We tend to like a book because of how we relate to the characters whether they’re other-worldly, historical, or contemporary. I loved Mitch Rapp in Vince Flynn’s Pursuit of Honor. He’s the typical hero with some “issues”. Those issues don’t keep him from doing his job even when he’s in conflict with himself. Davis Bunn gives us the “fallen” hero-types and portrays them with such amazing skill that we sympathize and root for them from early on in their stories.

It’s not easy to get inside the head of someone who is not like us. From serial killers to those who just characterize opposite personalities, it takes a kind of keen level of observation skills and a vivid imagination which computes to realism on the page. That character must be real. Somehow the foreign traits, no matter how deplorable or admirable, need to come alive for the reader and not display a caricature.

If you’ve read enough of my reviews, you know the kind of characters I love and the ones I do not. How ‘bout your preferences?

Father, we are yours. Flawed, but redeemed because of you, not us. You’ve blessed us with skills. May we always use them for your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.