As writers we all know how important characterization is. No discerning reader wants to read a story with a bunch of flat characters in it. Who cares about flat, unbelievable characters? I know I don’t. Flat characters are a waste of time. But life-like round characters are a wonder. They make us weep. They make us laugh. They make us want to jump for joy. How can a flash fiction and very short story writer create believable, life-like round characters? Give your characters a flaw.
Have them struggle mightily against this flaw. This flaw could be the thing causing the conflict in the story. Or it could be the thing that keeps your characters from solving the conflict in the story. Either way, your characters will seem more real to your readers because as much as we all want to believe in our own goodness, deep down inside we all know we have flaws.
When we readers root for life-like round characters, we’re really rooting for ourselves.
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