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- All character flaws typically have consequences of some kind, depending on how severe the flaw is (and the character in question).
- Character flaws can also manifest differently based on the personality of each character and their role in the story.
- Overall, there are three categories of character flaws: minor, major, and fatal. Your characters can have flaws from multiple categories if you want.
- Center your story around someone who’s being haunted - by what or whom is up to you.
- Start your story with a character being led somewhere by a black cat.
- Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?
- Write a story that includes the line “Have we met before?”
- Start your story with people arriving at a special ceremony.
- Center your story around two people who meet at a wedding.
Writing Flawed Secondary Characters
Okay, so this article is about creating characters who are different from yourself, and generally a bit unpleasant to be around for any length of time. These are characters you might have in the background of your story. People who your character encounters that may rub them up the wrong way, annoy them or make things difficult. The types of people we’re looking at are officious parking wardens, bullies, rude motorists, and cheats.
The main point about this article is writing characters who are different from yourself.
The techniques here can be applied to supporting characters who aren’t horrible, you’d just use a different list of personality traits, which don’t include being a sociopath, imperious, rude, or mean.
Why do we want to write about horrible people?
If everybody was nice, reasonable, good natured, fair, approachable, and extraordinarily humble – just like us, a story may get a bit same-same. By adding in characters who are flawed the story can become more realistic, and memorable for the reader. Flawed characters create problems and challenges for the protagonist, especially those flawed characters with agency. The protagonists own flaws can cause problems and challenges for themselves too, as they make their way through the story.
There is a certain fascination with unlikable characters. There are some stories where the protagonist is unlikeable. It’s like watching a slow-moving train-wreck. A sense of disbelief. How can this person do that? Are they going to get their comeuppance? Whose life are they going to wreck now, as they manipulate, back-stab, slander, and black-mail their way through the story?
A character who sets himself up for conflict and consequences through the dastardliness of his doing—is surely unlikable, yes, but also magnetic. You want to watch him ruin his life. He repulses you in the same way a car accident is simultaneously disturbing and hard to look away from. This character is a train wreck, and it is glorious to behold. Every time he does something unwholesome, immoral, felonious, or just, like, super-rude, he creates a conflict. The anticipation and delivery of that consequence are deeply satisfying for a reader, and by their very nature, not-nice characters create these conflicts almost constantly. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “The suspense is terrible; I hope it will last.”
Writing the Unlikeable Character (and Why You Should) - Adrienne Crezo
An unlikeable secondary character, is unlikely to be followed so closely, but their actions, or lack of, will impact the main character in some way, and perhaps raise the ire of the reader. Will the reader see some payback? Probably not. That’s just life, and is entirely up to the author.
Developing a Flawed Minor Character
Writing from Life
Take a moment to think about all the people you know. Are they all likable? No. Taking note of people’s behaviours and using this for inspiration for your story’s characters’ behaviour is a good way of creating flawed characters. It may even be therapeutic. Someone in a four wheel drive is tailgating you? – Include them in your story as a pushy, impatient, self-centred, small minded, rugby-playing, bigot who your main character has the misfortune to encounter while investigating the murders of local sports personalities. What happens to them is up to you.
Writing from life is a good source of believable characters just as drawing from life is good for portraying the human form. As you develop your supporting characters, and extras, bear in mind that their flaws will typically be the natural flip-side of their positive traits. When you consider their flaws, they should come from whatever their defining positive traits are. If the character is brilliantly intelligent, maybe their flaw is being patronising to the people around them. If the character’s key strength is their independence, their flaw might be an unwillingness to work in a team. If the protagonist, has encountered someone community minded doing some voluntary work and acts in an entitled and dismissive manner around them, the volunteer might be excused for getting grumpy with the protagonist.
Degrees of Horribleness
There are a whole range of negative traits that you can lumber your characters with. They can range from the completely harmless or even amusing, say Gullible, to the downright dangerous and destructive like psychotic.
75+ Character Flaws To Use In Fiction Writing (with Examples) - Glenn Carreau
Minor Flaws
Most minor flaws are more annoying than harmful; some are even a little endearing. Others do have the potential to harm, but rarely evolve to that extent. They will likely add a little friction into your story. As with any character, minor flaws can be applied to the protagonist.
Examples are:
Awkward, Boring, Capricious,Childish, Clumsy, Foolish, Gossipy, Gullible, Humorless, Lazy, Meek, Mischievous, Naïve, Obnoxious, Prideful, Skeptical, Spacey, Spoiled, Stubborn, Tactless,Vain
Major Flaws
If characters with minor flaws are friction in the easy movement of the story, those with major flaws are the handful of grit and gravel thrown into the story’s gears to start making things a bit rough for the protagonist. They are serious and will definitely impact the story in a big way. Major flaws can be emotional, mental, or physical. They’re significant but not necessarily unforgivable. Again, Major Flaws can be applied to the protagonist too.
Examples are:
Adulterous, Anxious, Apathetic, Arrogant, Belligerent, Bitter, Cowardly, Dishonest, Envious, Greedy, Hedonistic, Hubristic, Hypocritical, Ignorant, Incompetent, Inconsiderate, Judgmental, Lustful, Morally gray, Obsequious, Possessive, Quixotic, Rigid, Selfish, Short-tempered, Spiteful, Stingy, Stupid, Vengeful, Weak-willed
Fatal Flaws
Fatal flaws are generally the domain of a story’s villains, and unlikely to be applied to a minor or secondary character. They can be fatal to the characters in a literal way or can lead to their downfall and failure. Some readers will consider various fatal flaws unforgivable, whether or not the character attempts to atone for their flaws in the story.
Examples are:
Abusive, Bigoted, Cruel, Disloyal, Fanatical, Intolerant, Machiavellian, Manipulative, Murderous, Neglectful, Obsessive, Oppressive, Paranoid, Remorseless, Sadistic, Self-destructive, Treacherous, Violent
Acting Consistently
To make the character believable, they must act consistently throughout their time when they have an effect on the plot. If you have a strong idea of the character’s flaws and the underlying causes, this will help ensure they remain consistently “in character.” For a background character you won’t need to go into the reasons why they act as they do in any great depth, but for characters with closer contact with the protagonist, thinking about their background will help develop plausibility for the nefarious or annoying ways they act.
Consider how they will act in the scene in which they are involved and any other parts of the plot where they will have an effect on the story. How will the environment affect their behaviour? Will the presence of other people encourage or discourage their negative behaviour. Consider any associated behaviours and preferences that might naturally spring from their personality flaw. For instance, a snobby character is unlikely to be helping out in a community food bank, but they could be at the same table as the main character in a posh restaurant. A nervous person is hardly likely to be the protagonist’s driving instructor, but they could be the fellow classmate the protagonist has to coax through some task.
Some Examples of Minor Characters We Like to Dislike
Aunt Agatha (Jeeves and Wooster) – Domineering, controlling, meddlesome, rigid.
Arnold Rimmer (Red Dwarf) – Officious, spineless, complaining.
Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars – The Phantom Menace ) – Clumsy, careless, thoughtless.
Arguably, Jar Jar is a character who completely failed and managed to piss off fans rather than just being the comedic element he was designed to be.
References:
Writing the Unlikeable Character (and Why You Should)
The Power of the Unlikeable Protagonist
How to Write an Unlikeable Character
75+ Character Flaws To Use In Fiction Writing (with Examples)
An Exercise in Writing With “Prickly” Secondary Characters
Write a story or a scene where your protagonist, is trying to achieve something, but is hindered by a minor character who is a bit difficult in some way. There are 600 negative personality traits list on the next page, so feel free to browse that for inspiration for the flaws that may be present in the various characters. You could go for gold and see if you can create a character with all 600 flaws. If you are after a prompt to help shape your story, here’s a small selection that may appeal.
A list of flaws
Abnormal | Deceitful | Grumpy | Loud | Prideful | Submissive |
Abrasive | Deceptive | Guilt-Stricken | Ludicrous | Privy | Subservient |
Abrupt | Defector | Guilt-Tripper | Lustful | Procrastinator | Sullen |
Abusive | Defenseless | Gullible | Machiavellian | Prodigal | Superficial |
Adamant | Defensive | Harebrained | Mad | Profane | Superfluous |
Addictive | Defiant | Harried | Malicious | Proud | Superiority Complex |
Adulterous | Deficient | Harsh | Malignant | Provocative | Superstitious |
Aggressive | Demeaning | Hasty | Manic | Provoking | Surly |
Agitated | Dense | Hateful | Manipulative | Prying | Tactless |
Aimless | Dependent | Haughty | Manipulator Of The Truth | Puerile | Tale-Bearing |
Alcoholic | Deplorable | Hedonistic | Mannerless | Pushy | Tardy |
All Talk | Deranged | Helpless | Materialistic | Quarrelsome | Tasteless |
Aloof | Derisive | Heretical | Mean | Quick-Tempered | Temperamental |
Ambiguous | Deserter | Hesitant | Mechanical | Quixotic | Tense |
Ambitious Without Integrity | Desperate | Hideous | Meddlesome | Racist | Terrible |
Amoral | Despicable | High-Handed | Meek | Radical | Testy |
Annoying | Detached | Hoity-Toity | Melancholic | Rash | Thankless |
Antagonistic | Deviant | Hostile | Melodramatic | Reactionary | Thievish |
Antisocial | Devious | Hot-Headed | Merciless | Rebellious | Thin-Skinned |
Anxious | Difficult | Hubristic | Messy | Reckless | Thoughtless |
Apathetic | Disbelieving | Huffy | Mischievous | Red Neck | Threatened |
Appalling | Discomfited | Humorless | Miserable | Redundant | Threatening |
Argumentative | Disconcerting | Hurtful | Misinformed | Regimental | Timid |
Arrogant | Discouraging | Hypocrite | Misleading | Remorseless | Traitor |
Arrogant Competitive | Discourteous | Hypocritical | Monotonous | Repetitive | Treacherous |
Asinine | Discriminatory | Idiotic | Moody | Repressed | Turgid |
Attention Seeker | Disdainful | Idle | Morally Gray | Repulsive | Unapologetic |
Audacious | Disgraceful | Ignorant | Morbid | Resentful | Unappreciative |
Austere | Disharmonious | Ill-Mannered | Morose | Ridiculous | Unbearable |
Awful | Dishonest | Illiterate | Murderous | Rigid | Unbecoming |
Awkward | Dishonest Flatterer | Illogical | Nagging | Rowdy | Uncaring |
Backbiter | Dishonorable | Imbecile | Nave | Rubber Necker | Uncertain |
Banal | Disingenuous | Imitative | Narcissistic | Rudderless | Uncharitable |
Barbaric | Disinterested | Immature | Narrow-Minded | Rude | Unchaste |
Bashful | Disloyal | Impatient | Nasty | Rumor-Monger | Uncivilized |
Bawd | Dismissive | Imperious | Negative | Ruthless | Uncooperative |
Belligerent | Disorganized | Impersonal | Neglectful | Rugby Player | Uncouth |
Big Mouth | Dispiriting | Impetuous | Negligent | Sacrilegious | Uncultured |
Bigot | Disreputable | Impious | Nervous | Sadistic | Underachieving |
Bitter | Disrespectful | Imploring | Nihilistic | Sarcastic | Undeserving |
Blame-Shifter | Disruptive | Impolite | Nonchalant | Scandalous | Undiplomatic |
Bland | Dissembler | Impractical | Nosy | Scheming | Uneconomical |
Blasphemous | Dissolute | Impressionistic | Nuisance | Scornful | Uneducated |
Blunt | Distant | Impudent | Nutty | Sedentary | Unethical |
Boastful | Distressful | Impulsive | Obnoxious | Self-Absorbed | Unfit |
Boisterous | Distrustful | Inactive | Obscure | Self-Centered | Unforgiving |
Boorish | Disturbed | Inadequate | Obsequious | Self-Conscious | Unfriendly |
Boring | Ditzy | Inappropriate | Obsessive | Self-Destructive | Unglamorous |
Bossy | Docile | Inapt | Obstinate | Self-Harming | Ungrateful |
Bothersome | Dominating | Inattentive | Obtuse | Self-Important | Unjust |
Braggart | Domineering | Incompetent | Odd | Self-Indulgent | Unlikable |
Brooding | Dormant | Incongruous | Offensive | Self-Pitying | Unnerving |
Brutal | Doubtful | Inconsiderate | Offhand | Self-Righteous | Unpardonable |
Bull-Headed | Dubious | Indecent | Officious | Selfish | Unpredictable |
Bureaucratic | Dull | Indifferent | One-Sided | Shallow | Unproductive |
Callous | Eccentric | Indiscreet | Opportunistic | Shameful | Unrealistic |
Cantankerous | Egocentric | Indiscriminate | Oppressive | Short-Sighted | Unrealistic Expectations of Others |
Capricious | Egoistic | Indolent | Outdated | Short-Tempered | Unreasonable |
Careless | Enervated | Inefficient | Outrageous | Show-Off | Unrelenting |
Chauvinist | Entitled | Inept | Overachieving | Showy | Unreliable |
Childish | Envious | Inert | Overbearing | Shy | Unremarkable |
Clingy | Envious Of Status Of Others | Inexperienced | Overcompetitive | Silly | Unrepentant |
Clumsy | Envious Of Success | Infantile | Overconfident | Sinister | Unresponsive |
Coarse | Erratic | Inflated | Overcritical | Skeptical | Unruly |
Cocky | Erring | Inflexible | Over-Dependent | Sketchy | Unsatisfied |
Cold | Escapist | Infuriating | Overexcited | Slack | Unschooled |
Complaintive | Evil | Ingrate | Overindulgent | Slandering | Unskilled |
Complicated | Exaggerated | Inhibited | Overreacting | Sloppy | Unsophisticated |
Compulsive | Exploitative | Inquisitive | Over-Protective | Slothful | Unstable |
Conceited | Extra | Insecure | Over-Saturation | Slovenly | Unsuitable |
Condemnatory | Extravagant | Insensitive | Over-Sensitive | Slow | Unthinking |
Condescending | Facetious | Insincere | Over-sharer | Sluggish | Untidy |
Confrontational | Fanatical | Insistent | Over-thinker | Sly | Untruthful |
Confused | Fascist | Insulting | Panicky | Smart Arse | Unwise |
Conniving | Fearful | Interfering | Paranoid | Smart Alec | Vaccuous |
Conspiring | Fickle | Intimidating | Party-Pooper | Smelly | Vain |
Contemptible | Fierce | Intolerant | Passive | Snappy | Vapid |
Contemptuous | Finicky | Intolerant To Criticism | Passive Aggressive | Sneaky | Vengeful |
Contrite | Flirtatious | Intrusive | Pathetic | Snobbish | Vicious |
Control Freak | Flippant | Invasive | Patronizing | Snooping | Victim Mentality |
Controlling | Foolhardy | Irascible | Peevish | Snooty | Vile |
Convoluted | Foolish | Irate | Perfectionist | Sophomoric | Vindictive |
Copycat | Forgetful | Irrational | Perplexing | Sordid | Violent |
Corrupt | Foul-Mouthed | Irresponsible | Perverse | Spaced-Out | Viscious |
Covetous | Fraudster | Irreverent | Pessimist | Spacey | Vulgar |
Cowardly | Fraudulent | Irritable | Pessimistic | Spiteful | Vulnerable |
Crabby | Freak | Jealous | Petty | Spoiled | Wallowing |
Crafty | Frenzied | Judgmental | Petulant | Spoilsport | War-Monger |
Cranky | Frightful | Killjoy | Phlegmatic | Stagnant | Wasteful |
Crass | Frivolous | Lack Of Empathy | Pitiable | Status-Driven | Weak |
Creepy | Frugal | Lacking | Placid | Stealthy | Weak-Willed |
Critical | Fussy | Languid | Plodding | Steely | Whiny |
Crooked | Gloomy | Lascivious | Pompous | Stern | Wicked |
Crude | Glum | Late | Possessive | Stingy | Win At All Costs |
Cruel | Gnarly | Lazy | Power-Hungry | Strict | Wishy-washy |
Cunning | Gossiper | Lethargic | Predatory | Stringent | Withdrawn |
Cynical | Grandiose | Lewd | Prejudiced | Strong-Willed | Workaholic |
Daredevil | Greedy | Liar | Preposterous | Stubborn | Worrywart |
Debauched | Grim | Libidinous | Presumptuous | Stupid | Worthless |
Decadent | Grouchy | Listless | Pretentious | Subjective | Zonked |
The Most Recent Articles
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Romance in a Short Story
These are the notes on writing romance in a short story created as a handout for the Hurunui Writers’ Group. While the rules are the same as writing romance in a novel, the settings and time-frames are all much smaller which makes it that much more challenging.
Read More .... -
Love is in the Air
At the end of 2024, during the discussions about what we wanted as a topic for January 2025, we came up with “Romance” as the topic. Not that any of us are romance writers. I duly put together some notes on writing romance in a short story format, and we tackled this for our January 2025 writing challenge. The stories that came out of that session were fantastic! I was pleased with my own effort which is presented here with the tackiest of all titles “Love is in the Air.”
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The 'AI' in 'Team'
In March 2025, The Hurunui Writer’s Group took a look at Symbolism in writing. The story “The ‘AI’ in ‘Team’”, was a response to the writing challenge and sought to use the symbolism found in a corporate office environment together with a positive role that Ai could take - namely eliminating useless corporate management.
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Unshared Lives
June 2019 saw the Writers Write, Readers Read writing group repeating the same challenge as the previous month. This suited me fine as it gave me a chance to try out another genre. In the process I saw the possibility of writing a story linked to the Spy story “Another Thread” that I’d written a month prior. Thus “Unshared Lives” came about. It follows one of the secondary characters from the “Another Thread” story and follows on immediately after the events in that story.
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Another Thread
May 2019 saw the Writers Write, Readers Read writing group discussing how to write in different genre. The writing challenge was a series of prompts for different genre. I was keen to try my hand at the Spy genre. The story that came from this, “Another Thread” was a look at conspiracy theories.
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The CEO and the Demon
In December 2024 the Hurunui Writers’ Group discussed the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (ATU Index) and how to use it as a source of inspiration for stories derived from folktales. The “homework” was to produce a story based on one of the story types in the ATU Index. “The CEO and the Demon” is the story I came up with based on story type 926A, “The Clever Judge and the Demon in the Pot.”
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ATU-Index For Story Inspiration
The Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (ATU Index) is a tool used by people studying folklore which categorises folk tales into a large number of different types by stripping them down to their basic motifs or plots. As the categories have descriptions of the various stories within them, it is a great resource for writers looking for inspiration from folktales.
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The Black Run
As a first challenge for the newly formed Hurunui Writers’ Group, I was keen to use an easy challenge and so opted for an image prompt. Besides, I also enjoyed my previous attempt at writing to an image prompt. So here is “The Black Run.”
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