The Redwall Character Guide
I can practically hear you saying it now. "What?! Why would I need to add a flaw to my character? That takes all the fun out of it!" But does it take all the fun out of it? Half the fun of anything is in the challenge, and writing is all about making interesting characters. How interesting is someone that's pretty much perfect? I'll answer that for you, because they're not.
Make it something you'll run into
The first and foremost thing about a flaw is that it has to be something you run into a lot. If you were a warrior, and were awful at playing music, so you stayed away from music, then nobody is really going to notice, and it won't have any affect at all.
Consider this
It's really very easy to see how good a flaw is. Is it humbling? If so, that's good. Is it kind-of annoying? That's also normally a good sign. Is it really extremely annoying? If so, that may be bad. Is it something you run into? A must have, as was already discussed.
Five Fun Flaws
Remember, these are examples, so try and think of your own flaw before resorting to one of these:
- Speech Impediments always work.
- Broken/Missing limbs (arms, legs, etc… Something you use and normally need)
- Extreme stupidity (my favorite)
- Food, and Girth! Fun and happy flaws that are overlooked far too often.
- No physical ability whatsoever (Second favorite in my mind)
Maybe a little too far
Okay, so some of my suggestions are a little extreme, but they're things you should consider. Most of what you should stay away far from is anything that can be described as "a ravishingly beautiful/handsome ________ who is very strong and can kill anyone." Characters like that aren't looked upon well. Try and balance (or unbalance) your characters, so they aren't perfect. For instance, if they're strong and powerful in battle, make them not look that great.
One thing you may want to look at for ideas if you don't like mine, and can't think up ones for yourself is to look at other literature. Lots of characters have flaws like thinking before they act, excessive pride, too much arrogance, etc...