ZThemes
I always see 'stubbornness' or 'a short temper' being thrown around as flaws. They're not bad, but oftentimes I think they're just used to justify a character being a total Sue, especially when the character never shows signs of having either flaw in the actual story.
Anonymous

Yup yup yup. For one thing, narrated traits are usually a no- telling me ten times that someone is beautiful or stubborn or whatever is much less effective than showing me this trait. 
I have seen those thrown around, as well. The main point is to avoid your character -always being right- when they do so. You may recall in the last post, I said that my bossiness is not a flaw if I’m always correct when I boss people. In other words, if Pen’s life would actually be improved by my totally justified directions and she needs the yelling to make her do them- I’m not wrong. If I complain to Shannah every single time she posts something that the format is wrong, that she’s doing it wrong, that she’s not doing what I told her last time, that FOR THE LOVE OF ALL HOLY THINGS, SHANNAH, I TOLD YOU TO DO IT LIKE THIS TEN THOUSAND TIMES, and it’s over arbitrary crap, my bossiness can clearly be postmarked ‘flaw’ in red shiny letters. 

If your character has a short temper, I want to see them yell at someone else unreasonably. I want them to escalate conflicts. I want to see them snap at Covert that GODDAMN IT YOU CLICK THAT PENCIL ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL PUT IT THROUGH YOUR EYE. Holding true to something you believe in is standing up for yourself, and having strength of conviction. Holding onto something even when you logically know you’re wrong is stubbornness. I want to see that. I want to see your character’s flaws become a plot device- because if these traits have no bearing on the plot, what was the point in handing them out in the first place?

-Evvy