Brainstorming with Paty

Current Project: Doctor in Petticoats
Status: page 1

It’s me again looking for answers. I’m working on the next Halsey brother book, Doctor in Petticoats. I’m trying to write up the Seven Elements statement for the story and can’t come up with one or two words that say: blames others and can’t see he has to dig inside himself to make his life better.

As you can probably tell, this is the hero’s flaw. And yes, I know it is a big flaw- and my editor says she’s itching to see how I make this character redeemable, because at the end of the third book she didn’t like him!

I’ve been gazing over the Story Magic list of strengths and weaknesses, and I can’t figure out what would fit my hero when his flaw is what I stated above. Any thoughts or suggestions? For those who don’t have the story magic strengths and weaknesses this is what the page is like.

Strength ~~ Emotional Drive ~~ Weakness
Strong-willed/Decisive ~~ Needs to be in charge ~~ Too Impetuous
Self-Reliant ~~ Needs Independence ~~ can’t rely on others
Loyal ~~ Needs to be trusted ~~ Gullible/Unrealistic

So if his weakness is: blames others and can’t see he has to dig inside himself to make his life better. What is his strength and emotional drive? Anyone? I’m not sure if I’m too close to see it or I just have a brain lapse. He has to have a strength that is the antithesis of his weakness. He has character traits that makes him endearing, but I need to know the strength he has to manifest to be the total hero package.

Any and all brainstorming on this would be most appreciated!

Real or Over the top

While traveling back and forth to the chapter meeting last week I listened to Suzanne Brockman's "Ladies Man". And the first thing that hit me was she in many places used the same word or wording three times in a row. Which I found irritating. Since I've not read anything of hers, I don't know if that is her style or it was just the character. I can't at the moment remember if she only did it in one character's POV or in both. But I'm always cutting repeating things when I edit, unless I use it for a specific reason and that would be only once in a whole book.

The thing that made me feel validated (since she is a big name author) was her hero didn't have any flaws. Yes, he had a back story that was haunting him a little, but he was a good guy who's worse flaw was calling the heroine "Babe" which she didn't like. And I liked him. He reminded me a lot of my heroes who I don't flaw to unbelievable.

So my question today( and I've asked this before, but it fascinates me)- What do you consider flaws in a hero or heroine and how much is too much?