http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2010/02/flaws-versus-foibles.html
Jane Smith is perfect. She’s funny, witty, sings like an angel, and gorgeous. Though she can be a bit too nice at times, and has a tendency to be a bit clumsy.
Mary Johnson is also popular, but she’s known for her hot temper and often acts without thinking of the consequences first.
So, which one of these characters would you rather read about?
Mary, right? Bet I know why.
Mary has a character flaw. Jane has a character foible.
Merriam-Webster defines character foibles as, “a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior.” These “quirks” don’t impact the character’s life in any significant way and rarely have the power to carry a main character through a plot. Being clumsy, like Jane, may make a reader identify with the trait, but rarely with the character herself.
On the other hand, Mary’s anger and impetuousness open up a whole world of plotlines because of the fatal character flaw at the core of her personality. Whatever situation she gets in, her fatal flaw will make it worse. The reader will cringe when Mary makes yet another mistake, but that’s what you want as an author: character flaws are what make readers care about your characters.
Here are some tips and tricks: [http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2010/02/flaws-versus-foibles.html]
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