It’s tempting to polish every sentence, make sure every character arc is flawless, and ensure the plot wraps up neatly. But here’s the truth: if your story is too perfect, it can work against you.
Why Imperfect Stories Work
Perfect stories are unrealistic and unrelatable. Life is messy, and your story should be too.
Think about it. Have you ever read a book where the protagonist is good at everything? Or where the plot gets wrapped up so easily? If you have, you probably thought the book boring.
Imperfections create tension; tension keeps readers turning pages. They want to learn what’s next and how characters will grow. And when things go sideways, the story takes surprising turns.
Sure, perfection sounds great on paper, but in reality, is hard to relate to. Readers love characters with flaws and plots with a few holes. It makes them feel real and human.
Tips to Avoid Over-Perfecting Your Stories
Remember these few things if you want perfectly imperfect stories.
Loose ends are necessary.
A good story ties up its loose ends. That doesn’t mean you have to tie them all up. Leave a few mysteries to engage your readers’ imagination.
But carefully choose which mysteries to leave behind. Resolve all major plot points and leave a few minor threads untied. If you neglect a necessary plot point, you won’t be able to deliver a satisfying ending.
When you do end your story, the threads you leave behind should be mysterious enough for your reader to be curious. This way, your story will linger in their minds long after they’ve read your work.
Your characters need flaws.
No one is perfect, and neither should your character be. A character who is good at everything will not generate any tension.
Their flaws must be realistic—something your audience can understand to an extent. Otherwise, you’ll make them feel cartoony. You must also tie these flaws to their motivations. It is what drives their actions, thoughts, and mistakes.
A villain with clear intentions is more believable than one who is bad for the sake of being bad. A hero who struggles with their morals is more interesting than one who is unaffected by the world.
Simple is good.
You’ve probably read stories where every action, dialogue, or narration has significance. While having layers of storytelling creates interesting stories, it can also lead to convoluted stories.
Let’s suppose that a character is about to enter a contest when they suddenly cross paths with a black cat. Black cats are commonly seen as omens of misfortune. That means the character will lose the contest.
Or maybe not. It’s just a black cat. You don’t have to give a reason for anything that happens. There’s no need to add details just to force a story to a “perfect” conclusion. Let your plot evolve naturally, even if it leads to an imperfect or ambiguous ending.
Going back to tip #1, leave some space for your audience to fill up. Did the black cat have something to do with the contest results or not?
Simple can be bad.
A simple story has an easier path to a perfect ending. But making a story simple also has the danger of making it plain. Plain is boring.
Think of your usual fairy tales. The prince always has the perfect item to break the curse. Help always arrives at a critical moment. And they always end with a happy ending. They’re entertaining but predictable because they’re too perfect.
A simple story can have a predictable end but an unpredictable journey. Take Sherlock Holmes as an example. In each of his stories, Sherlock gets an interesting case, he and Watson go on an adventure, and they unravel the mystery.
Sherlock makes a lot of curious moves and, in the end, gives a logical explanation of how he solved the case. It’s so simple and logical that you wonder why you weren’t able to make the same conclusion. Therein lies the fascination with his stories.
Give your stories some predictability and familiarity, but don’t rely on them to deliver your story. A tried and tested premise only works if it provides something new with every narrative.
Embrace the gray areas.
Moral dilemmas make for gripping reads mostly because the character’s actions become unpredictable. When the right choice isn’t clear, what would the character do?
Let your characters make big mistakes or unexpected choices. It’s how they deal with the fallout that makes the story juicy. These curveballs keep your audience riveted and curious.
However, keep your characters consistent. A good guy suddenly making an evil choice makes no sense. Set up their fall first by showing your readers the character’s doubts and temptations.
A Story Can’t Be Everything
Even the best writer will write a story with holes and characters that disappoint. Criticism is inevitable. Chasing perfection simply means doing your best to write a great story—something that surpasses your previous work.
It sounds counterintuitive, but having imperfections gives your story emotional depth, relatable characters, and believable plots. Resist controlling every aspect of your work. Mess it up a little. Your readers will thank you for it.
How do you keep your stories imperfect? Share them below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Character Regression: How to Use Setbacks to Create Better Characters
- How To Kill A Character Without Ruining the Story
- How to Write Engaging Character Dynamics
- The Three Components of Narrative Tension and How to Use Them
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
