I’ve learned a new term this week, it’s called a ‘Mary Sue’. Basically, it’s a character that can do no wrong, and somehow, everything always works out for them. Which is boring and predictable, right?

I’m in a rock and a hard place. I am sick and tired of reading about wounded women. Why must we have some deep rooted internal issue that needs to be worked through? I understand the need for drama and internal dialogue, but damn.

I started googling common character flaws, and this is the popular ones that pop up:

• Abusive
•  Assertive (how the fuck is that a flaw)
• Blames People
• Greedy
• Naive
• Secretive
• Smart Ass (Also, I consider this a pro)
• Afraid to commit.

These character flaws have been DONE. TO. DEATH.

I found my solution. A flaw doesn’t necessarily have to be something “wrong” with the character. A flaw can be something that doesn’t need to be fixed. A character can be well-adjusted and not boring AF. It’s possible. Well, almost. No one is perfect, we no doubt all have flaws, but does that mean a persons story ARC needs to revolve around these flaws?

Absolutely not. Don’t ever feel obligated to damage your character for the sake of making them relatable, there are other ways to do that.

Another solution? The character can stand strong in the middle of chaos. Let the uncontrollable variables around them be the flaw. Not the person.