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Q&A How to deduce the protagonist's flaw from the plot?

I'm working on a plot-driven novel. The plot stands, and the changes the characters undergo, that is, the character arcs have been devised. What I need now is the lack or fault that makes my chara...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:34:58Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/24571
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:34:58Z (over 4 years ago)
I'm working on a plot-driven novel. The plot stands, and the changes the characters undergo, that is, the character arcs have been devised.

What I need now is the lack or fault that makes my characters who they are at the beginning, that are an obstacle to their goal, and that they finally overcome. There seem to be several options, none of which feel perfectly right.

So how could I deduce a character's lack, fault, flaw, or weakness from the plot (or character arc)?

* * *

I'm asking this without examples from my own writing and in a general manner, because I hope to find a method that can be used by other writers and in other situations, too. But do use examples if you feel that helps your explanation.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-09-12T08:24:50Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 3