All readers adore characters with appealing traits: bravery, determination, intelligent, wit, generosity or charm. However, to make a character fully real and believable, authors must give their characters flaws. Its their flaws that can actually make a character the most interesting and relatable. The right combination of traits and flaws can make a good character truly great.

One of the reasons The Land Girl on Lily Road (my third WWII romance) was so enjoyable to write was because I had previously created Elsie Foster-Quinn for The Seamstress on Cider Lane where I pushed her unattractive qualities to the forefront: she is spoiled, naive, stubborn, and entitled. Her worst flaw is likely her sense of entitlement as it almost keeps her from finding true happiness. You only get to see a sliver of her good side in that book. Once she’s the main heroine of The Land Girl on Lily Road, you learn she is intelligent, hard-working, and caring, although the bravery she shows in that book is likely her best trait.

I asked a few of the other Paper Lantern Writers about the best trait and the worst flaw found in one of their lead characters.

Mari Anne Christie, author of Blind Tribute, talked about the character of Harry Wentworth.

“Harry Wentworth in Blind Tribute is a man of conscience, to a fault (if having a conscience can ever be considered a fault). His sense of decency and fair play takes him into a fair bit of trouble, but also pulls him out. As for his worst flaw, while he is a very important man in his milieu, his self-importance overtakes him in the worst possible times and places, leaving him isolated and alone when he most needs the support of his friends and family.”

Rebecca Dharlingue noted that her protagonist’s best trait also contains the seed of her worst flaw.

“In The Map Colorist, set in seventeenth-century Amsterdam, Anneke enjoys coloring maps, but wants to create her own. It will not only be an original map, but she longs for it to be printed in the largest publication of the century, the Atlas Maior. For a woman to create a map, much less have it published, would be unheard of. Nevertheless, Anneke is intent on realizing her dream.

Her determination is her best trait. She works hard, she will not give up, and she does whatever is necessary to reach her goal. Therein also lies her worst flaw. She tells herself that the descriptions she secretly takes from her father’s papers really are the notes he had taken during a trip to Africa, even though the handwriting is not his. She wants it to be true, so that she can use the information to create her map. She willingly blinds herself to what she suspects is true, and her self-deception ultimately leads to tragedy.”

Archer’s Grace author Anne M. Beggs said her heroine, Eloise, is complicated.

“Eloise of Dahlquin is seventeen years old. That alone is a strength and weakness, right? She is a complicated woman and her character arc and spiritual quest continue through the Dahlquin series, as she navigates her Irish existence under English rule, ancient Celtic ways blending with Christian, and more. In Archer’s Grace and Book Two (to be published this year) her greatest strengths are: loyalty and love of family. I can’t separate the two. These sustain her in life threatening challenges. It is also her weakness as her ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to threats and insults to her family create greater peril for all, because she doesn’t always consider the consequences of her actions. In our modern vernacular she might be labeled “hormonally challenged with a trigger finger.” When really she is her own hero and doesn’t wait to be saved.”

C.V. Lee’s hero, Philippe de Carteret, has deep-seated insecurity.

In Betrayal of Trust, Book Two of The De Carteret Chronicles: Legacy of Rebels historical fiction series, the main character, Philippe de Carteret, is driven by a profound sense of justice. Based on historical records, he was the youngest person to be elected a jurat (magistrate) of the Royal Court of Jersey until that time. This was on account of his wisdom in resolving disputes among the people of his manor. In the story, his weakness is his insecurity. When his mother withdrew her love from him around the age of six, it left him confused. Although he knew the unconditional love of his father, he came of age in Book One, Token of Betrayal, believing himself to be unlovable. Despite evidence to the contrary, this insecurity follows him throughout his life and at times re-surfaces, negatively affecting his choices and interpretation of events.

Ana Brazil’s vaudeville chanteuse is ambitious and confident.

“My red-hot blues chanteuse Viola Vermillion wakes up every morning reaching out for the vaudeville Big-Time. Her intense ambition—her best trait—pushes her to work hard at her craft (Practice! Practice! Practice!) and she seeks out every way possible to improve her act and win the audience’s love.

Viola is always prepared for her big break, believing that her luck is just around the corner. I love her confident and whole-hearted approach to her life in 1919 America!

But when Viola dedicates herself to solving the murders of her fellow vaudevillians, her confidence works against her, becoming her worst flaw. Amateur sleuthing forces Viola to be dishonest and secretive, and her lies and schemes quickly alienate her friends and fellow performers. Viola’s over-confidence also leads to reckless behavior and dangerous situations, which, as Viola’s chronicler, always makes me wonder…how do I keep Viola from being the murderer’s next target?”