Being a Better Writer: Weaknesses and Flaws · 6:18pm March 10th
Welcome back writers! It’s Monday once again and that means it’s time for another dive into the world of writing with Being a Better Writer! And boy, do we have a topic for you today! Which I think is going to take an angle that may surprise a few of you. So, you ready?
Well hang on to that readiness, because I do need to mention that if you’re not up-to-date on the site news, which includes a poll on a new novel, more Axtara 3 news, and information about an upcoming Alpha Call, then you should head over to last Friday’s news post and take a look at what’s going on. But once you’ve done that (and I’m trusting in good faith that you have) it’s time to scroll down and let today’s topic take over.
Now this topic is actually a late addition to The List. As you regulars will recall, every topic on Being a Better Writer comes from an actual paper list sitting on my desktop. Currently we’re on list #26. But I always leave a little space at the bottoms for new topics that come up while I’m working my way through one that I want to get to immediately. And today’s topic was one of those.
See, while I was at LTUE (hit this link for the full collection of write-ups on that) and going to panels, one panel began talking about character design and did so in a way that caught my attention. I don’t recall which panel it was, sadly, or how the panelists got on the topic, but what caught my attention was they way they were referring to character flaws. Or rather, their choice of words. Because each panelist was using, interchangeably, two different words while talking on the exact same subject. Sands, the moment that got me to put this on the list was when one panelist used both words in the same sentence, for the same thing.
And well, that got me thinking, and making a note, and here we are. And so I present to you today’s topic, given as the question that came to me as I listened to that panel: Are weakness and flaws the same thing?
Hit the jump, and let’s talk character!
You keep an actual paper list? That sounds (shudder) organized. You can get kicked out of the Invisible Writers Guild for that.