Comments on: Flawed Characters vs. “Too Dumb to Live”: What’s the Difference?

By: Earnest Painter

Earnest Painter — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 03:22:51 +0000

I do get really annoyed when I’m reading a book and the characters just become flat. All I can say is that I hope my characters have life in them. C’mon characters! Get it together.

By: Top Picks Thursday! For Writers & Readers 11-08-2018 | The Author Chronicles

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 18:04:23 +0000

[…] characters flaws. Bonnie Randall shares 8 ways to create character flaws, and Kristen Lamb ponders the difference between flawed characters and those “too dumb to live.” Also, to help you show instead of tell about your characters, Lisa Hall-Wilson digs into […]

By: Joy V. Smith

Joy V. Smith — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 16:06:14 +0000

Thanks for the examples!

By: Natalie Yates

Natalie Yates — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 07:59:03 +0000

As ever, with your blogs, I get that sinking feeling that you’ve been there reading my WIP over my shoulder… Thanks again for your wise words. 😉

By: Saralyn Richard

Saralyn Richard — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 20:28:37 +0000

This post made me think of Scarlett O’Hara, who makes poor decisions throughout her life, some that may fall into the TDTL category, yet she is one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Why do readers forgive her empty-headedness and focus on the wrong things? It may be because we understand that the world she has been raised in is shattering, (the crucible is the Civil War) and she is tested over and over again by frustration, loss, and poverty. By the end of the novel, she has developed an inner strength that offers hope for the future. So the emotions we feel run the gamut from amusement to pity to awe.

By: Dominique Blessing

Dominique Blessing — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 01:46:15 +0000

Gosh, and I thought I was the only one who finds these characters super-annoying. I stopped watching The Flash once he actually conquered the villian, only to go back in time to revive him. *face palm* Oh yeah, and time-wraiths would pursue him if he did. And he got the girl.I could understand if Barry developed a God complex, but it just seemed the writers were milking a dry cow

By: Anita Rodgers

Anita Rodgers — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 20:55:42 +0000

Good post, Kristen. Yes, I have met many too dumb to live characters. In the case of books, it’s easy to just close it and back away. But in TV shows or movies, it’s harder for some reason. Not sure why, but I will hang in there, hoping the TDTL character will snap out of it, or there will be a big reveal that shows WHY they did that. Usually, it doesn’t happen. Also, sort of related – there are some long-running TV shows that go TDTL too. It’s as though the writers didn’t expect the show to last so they only plotted out 2-3 seasons, then the show makes a sudden turn for the worst and keeps descending.

By: Flawed Characters vs. “Too Dumb to Live”: What’s the Difference? – Written By Kristen Lamb – Writer's Treasure Chest

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 18:10:11 +0000

[…] https://authorkristenlamb.com/2018/11/flawed-characters-dumb-characters/ […]

By: Vivienne Sang

Vivienne Sang — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 17:49:52 +0000

Love this post. You’ve explained the difference between Stupid and Flawed excellenty.

By: Tonette Joyce

Tonette Joyce — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 17:38:01 +0000

Ah,you have hit on ‘What Makes Good Writing?’. Slipping information as to the whys of characters’ behavior and decisions is nothing less than true art; we should all strive for it.
It is unfortunate that not all readers have the same experiences and leaned knowledge as to understand the reasoning, (or lack thereof), of the characters. I often have to speak with younger family members,(or ones who simply miss points), who don’t ‘get’ a book or movie. I love DVDs; I can point things out mid-movie or we can watch with them again, when they want to catch that they missed,(that I didn’t.I know;I am a pain at times!)
I don’t want to remember the many stories that have literally made want me throw a book,(I have to catch myself before I threw my tablet/Kindle recently), but at any point in a Jane Austen book,I will yell at the protagonist ,”If you don’t take him,I will!”
As for understanding the way the different people think or feel, the books of Liane Moriarty are well done, even if hearing the actually assumptions and thoughts of all concerned are the easy way.
My grandson had me read Angie Sage’s “Septimus Heap” and the sequel “Todhunter Moon” books.I loved them and I recommend them to mid-grade kids up to adults. Sage uses great skill with humor to have the reader learn that her characters are the sums of their experiences.

By the way, idiotic characters bother the daylights out of me, but too perfect “Mary Sue” – friends or relatives of a protagonist may be even more annoying than idiotic ones.