Do they exist? Flawless, likeable characters? I suppose we could reply, “Yes, in the page of some do-nothing books.” But that would be too glib an answer. The more nuanced and balanced response should acknowledge that in most cases, this discussion hinges on degree. As in, how flawed and how likeable?

For someone trying to write fiction that appeals to readers, yet projects a sense of character realism, this proves a tough balance to strike. I’ve often struggled with how best to achieve this balance. Usually, I end up letting my characters act and be who they are. In some of the feedback for my Tracking Jane series, I’ve learned Jane may prove too negative a character for some readers to accept.

I appreciate we don’t all like the same people. After all, when I invite a reader to spend some time in one of my stories, I’m also asking him or her to spend time with the folks that inhabit these stories. We don’t all want to spend time with the same people. A flaw or quirk I might be able to overlook could well stand as an insurmountable relational obstacle for others. With Jane, it may be her colloquial manner of speaking, or the negativity she carries with her and which she often lets spill out in rather dark ways.

Sometimes I wonder whether by clinging to likeable, minimally flawed characters readers—myself included—rob ourselves of insight and deeper enjoyment. When we shy away from a story because it features a person they find highly distasteful, do we miss out something critical? Perhaps by meeting such folks on the page we can learn something about the human condition? Perhaps we can meet them on the page rather than face to face and interact with them without “real” threat to ourselves and our well-being? Perhaps we could even learn a thing or two about our own failings that we’ve denied or self-rationalized away?

These questions drive at the core of the matter, don’t they? Who among us is flawless? Who among us is likeable all of the time, to all of the people we impact in the course of our lives? Stories that feature neatly drawn people, with maybe a token quirk here and there, but otherwise likeable to the max? Sure, they’re out there. Sure, maybe they entertain. But do they inspire? Do they encourage much more than reading comprehension? Whatever they do, they’re not the types of stories I’ll write. Mine will come loaded with flawed people who not only struggle with external circumstances, but also wrestle with themselves.