Perfectly Imperfect
November 23, 2011
An acquaintance of mine is obsessed with perfection. "Everything has to be perfect." "Everything has to be one hundred percent." Those are his favourite sayings. And he is the most frazzled, unhappy person I've met in a looooong time. I'd love to tell him that perfection is an illusion and just plain impossible, but why bother? Some people just feel the need to drive themselves crazy trying to obtain an unobtainable standard.
What they fail to realize is that there is great beauty in imperfection. Flaws make an object more interesting, not less. So why, WHY do some authors feel the need to create perfectly perfect characters. They aren't realistic, and even if they were, they are beyond boring.
Give me ugly. Quit trying to push your body issues onto your characters. Not every story has to have a beautiful heroine and a tall, dark and handsome hero.
Give me difference. Different races. Different sizes. Different ages. Teenaged caucasians are not a prerequisite. Dip outside your gene pool of choice and mix it up.
Give me challenges. Mental or physical handicaps. 'Cause guess what? Life happens to the disabled too. Tell me their stories.
Give me virtues, but make sure to give me vices. Sugar and spice and everything nice is a nursery rhyme. Meaning it's for babies. People can be selfish. Arrogant. Bossy. Just plain mean. Prejudiced. Obsessive. Angry. Depressed. Anything!!!
Give me bad choices. Big mistakes. Lapses in judgement. People do not automatically do the right thing in every situation.
Think about your favourite characters from books or tv/movies. What draws them to you? What makes them memorable? Now take a look at your own characters. Do you think they'll be as memorable because they have flawless skin and everyone falls in love with them on first sight?
If you do, stop writing immediately and go play with your barbies.
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Comments
#1 Boring Characters = Will Not Read
For anyone who believes their characters have to be perfect, I'd like to introduce them to my favorite song from House of Black. It's called Mary Sue, I Hate You.
I've absolutely put down books before because the MC is portrayed as beautiful, athletic, musically inclined, speaks 18 languages, has multicolored hair and changing-colored eyes, is the secret daughter of the villain, and every male within a 50 mile radius falls in love with her because she's so sweet and kind.
*GAG*
Also, being clumsy is NOT a character flaw (cough*Bella Swan*cough).
Smiles!
Lori
#2 Now, Lori, being clumsy *can*
Now, Lori, being clumsy *can* be a flaw as long as it isn't the only one. I'd call Bella's obsession with Edward her bigger flaw LOL.
I HATE the everyone loves her thing. If multiple (meaning more than a love triangle, because I'll excuse those) is in love with your heroine, there better be a damn good reason (like she has a magic pussy or something).
One thing I do when I create characters is try to think about people I know and like...and think about what things they hate about themselves. I have a friend who was (she lost a bunch of weight recently) heavy, had bad skin, and couldn't say no to people. Sweetest person ever, but she absolutely lacked the ability to stand up for herself. When I do YA, I think a LOT about my own issues as a teen (insecure, not a size 2--still not, but now I don't care, not athletic, bookish, nerdy, clumsy :P, and probably a lot more).
Most (not all, but most) of my heroines aren't the Hollywood ideal. They aren't all slender and perfect, and they have body issues (because most real people do). I like them that way. And quite honestly, even the fit and "perfect" people aren't perfect. Some of them are the most insecure people I know LOL.
~~*~~
Embrace pressure. It's only in that place where the true weight of the world is on it that a lump of coal can turn into a diamond.
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