Shoutout to my writing group for saving this character from the trash

I have been stuck on the same fantasy novel chapter for like 3 weeks. My protagonist just felt flat and fake no matter how many times I rewrote his dialogue. Has anyone else had a beta reader point out something obvious you missed that totally fixed your story?

2 comments

2 Comments

evannelson1mo ago

...and my buddy Sarah was worried her main character was too perfect, so she threw in a fear of frogs just to humanize him. Turned out that one little quirk unlocked his whole backstory and she rewrote the entire outline in two days. Sometimes you just need one fresh pair of eyes to see the thing you've been missing.

lucas4981mo ago

@evannelson really nailed it with this story. I actually heard a similar take from a writer on a podcast who said the best character traits come from real weirdness like this. It's wild how a tiny detail can crack open someone's entire history and change everything else you've written too.