Sky K asked Veronica Roth:

What's your best tip for creating character flaws?

Veronica Roth Really the best advice I can give you is to hold on to your character loosely enough that you are willing to explore their flaws. This is probably a frustratingly vague answer to give, but I mean it. Some writers are so attached to their characters that they can't stand to watch them fail-- and I mean REALLY fail, like catastrophically, relationship-destroyingly, WTF-ically fail. And that's not just a creative problem, it's a human problem; it's a person underestimating just how much they can or should empathize with a flawed human being.

I'm currently outlining a project, and I have a scene in the outline that involves the main character succeeding on a moral level-- doing something brave for another person. I wrote it that way because I thought that moment would be right for a friendship-cementing act. About an hour ago, though, I thought, "Maybe this moment is actually right for failure." Maybe it's a moment to let the character mess up. To create an opportunity for complexity. To create a low point in the friendship so that there's greater motivation for a high point. Maybe I want my character to feel like they have to earn trust-- to go to great lengths to do so. Maybe that would be more interesting.

There's no right path forward here, but this choice affects my character in a real way. Are they steadfast from the start in this friendship? Brave and selfless at their core? Will I have to find another place to explore their flaws? OR... is this going to be the starting point for their growth and self-discovery? Are they going to find out that in a moment of stress, they value self-preservation over friendship, and is that going to motivate them to do better? (or not?) I'm not sure what I'm going to choose. But I'm entertaining the notion of catastrophic failure, and that's what I'm getting at-- you have to be willing to ask the question. Even in scenes that seem very straightforward and necessary to you, ask yourself what would happen if your character screwed up instead. What that would mean for them. What kinds of paths it opens up for your story.

Keep in mind, we don't love characters because they're perfect. We love them because they're human-- which is to say, they're capable at any moment of deep compassion, beauty, and strength...but also of selfishness, cruelty, or carelessness.

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