It's easy to spot flaws in others; not so much in oneself. Thus, since I write in first person, "I" think I'm pretty okay. If I do something, there's a good reason for it; it's not my fault if no one gets that.
What I'm saying is, I have a really hard time assigning flaws to my main characters, and I wonder if that makes them unrelatable.
Overall, I worry about the depth of character of this novel's MC, or her lack thereof. I doubt that writing in close third would rectify that, because I'm still basically narrating the events. And she doesn't do much self-reflection. Is her personality too superficial to draw readers in? With a novella, it's easier to overcome that deficit. A novella doesn't require the reader to become overly invested in the main character, except for wondering how she'll get out of her current dilemma. There aren't enough words in a novella to explore the MC's internal struggles. With a novel, especially one as long as this one, if nobody wants to accompany the MC on her journey, they'll just shut the book and toss it aside.
It's not that Leah doesn't have flaws, but they're exasperating ones; probably not the kind that will endear her to anyone. She's indecisive, a follower, not great at solving her own problems. She lets events carry her along.
Plus, at times she is a little too perfect. There are even a couple of places in the story in which a supporting character tells her how "special" or "priceless" she is. That makes even me sick. I suppose I was trying to demonstrate how much certain people in her life value her; it wasn't that I was bragging about how wonderful she is.
It's a little late now to go back and change her personality. And that's essentially the problem with the entire manuscript. I can't make major changes to it without having to rewrite it, and that's something I'm unwilling to do. Call me foolish; I no doubt am, but I invested so much time and creative energy in this story that I'm exhausted. I can't do it anymore. And I have a feeling that if I tried, I'd only make things worse.
If Leah gets on readers' nerves, well, she is who she is.
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