(Sorry, all my posts here at the moment seem to be about annoying things in storybooks. Oh well. xD)
Having 'flawless characters' isn't just a phenomenon that is specific to storybooks, but it is something that crops up quite a lot. I don't think that this is because people on storybooks are any worse at writing or creating characters, but it might be because when you only have one character to work with, you want to make them the best character you possibly can.
I know that I hate creating a character that I wouldn't particularly write, because I dislike writing in the POV of a character who annoys me. Unless, of course, I get to write a villain, which is great fun. However, having flaws does not make your character any less wonderful. It makes them human. Even fantasy characters can be a bit big-headed sometimes, no?
It's just not realistic to have a character with a beautiful face and a perfect body, who has an IQ of 150, speaks 7 languages, holds the world record for the high jump and 500m and, to top it off, is insanely popular.
And anyway, characters with flaws are much more interesting. It means that they rub off on other people's characters, which makes everything so much more fun to write. Also, if your character has weaknesses, that means that you don't just do everything yourself, which gives other people more to do.
However, a word of warning. One of the most annoying things is when people create characters whose flaw is something like 'they're just too nice' or 'amazingly brave'. Give them real flaws, like vanity, intolerance, dishonesty or grudge-holding.
So basically, make your character human. They don't have to be beautiful, or the most intelligent person in the world. The majority of people are normal, but that doesn't make them any less interesting. Having character flaws will challenge your writing and make the whole experience much more fun.
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