by Stephanie Morrill
Last Thursday, I posted a list of character strengths, which launched a very interesting discussion in the comments section about our main characters’ personalities. I had a request to make a list for character weaknesses as well, which I did, but as many writers pointed out last Thursday, strengths can sometimes become weaknesses.
You can add “to a fault” to the end of most of the character strength’s that I listed. A character can be forgiving to a fault, loyal to a fault, or easygoing to a fault. And many strengths can morph if not kept in check – hardworking can turn into obsessive. Courageous can turn to reckless. Protective can turn to overbearing.
Here is a list of other character weaknesses I’ve come up with:
What three characteristics apply to your main character? And do you have a time in your story where their weaknesses somehow save them from something?
I shared last Thursday that my main character, Ellie, is hardworking, intelligent, and reflective. She’s also too concerned with the opinions of others, dishonest, and timid.