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His "flaw" could be that he doesn't know who he is and is letting the church push him toward something he isn't sure of. He could also have flashbacks of memories of doing something terrible which he can't remember outright. You might also consider that stories outside the Bible which depict Jesus doing some pretty flawed stuff as a child. Your character could also have childlike outbursts of anger which he controls just in time to prevent a major "sin" or such. Or someone else could enter the picture and know things which others don't know about the character, even the character himself. And as Ann pointed out, the façade of perfection will be seen as a flaw by many; perhaps he flaunts it. Lots of angles. Good luck. Take care. Vern

It sounds interesting, John, but I don't know where they find people who have never listened to a particular type of music. I mean, you don't have to listen to all the time, but it's real hard not to hear it along the way somewhere, somehow. Like all these reality shows that ain't reality, but hell, folks still watch them like they are. Beats the hell outta me what their concept of reality is. At any rate, I'm game if you wanna set it up, but if you make me listen to rap for too long, you better have a good prize pool, lol. Take care. Vern

Lord of the Rings In Space -- A Saturn Tale

This is exactly right. If you are writing a preposterous poem or tale, then the more "rules" you break, perhaps the better for the humorous effect. Doesn't quite work the same for a more traditional novel or short story. Still, rules were made to be broken or have exceptions. Take care. Vern

Rather ironic, we learn the so-called "rules" of writing and then we can't help but notice all the exceptions by authors who are actually making money by not following them. Life ain't fair. But as Luke Peters would say, "It wouldn't be fair if life was fair." Take care. Vern

Yes, it certainly appears to be the most important part of the excerpt. That is why I suggested you might use the dappling to "show" the sparkle and dazzle without having to "tell" the reader it sparkles and dazzles. Of course others may disagree with that assessment and there is nothing wrong with some telling within a story; it is doubtful a good story can be told without some telling. Take care. Vern

And this bit of "a-cute" observation made me laugh as well. Thanks, John. Take care. Vern

Go Genesis. Take care. Vern

It seems to me that using italics would be more confusing since it is for "thoughts" and if Joseph is "hearing" the "thoughts" then they are actually "spoken" words rather than real thoughts. Does God have inner thoughts, don't know, but if so, how would you denote them, and if not, why would He have "thoughts" merely for someone to hear. What would distinguish that from speaking? Just some random thoughts -- written out. Take care. Vern

I think this is one of those times that the sound to the ear is probably a good guide. "Among" the hurricane or "Amidst" the trees just sounds awkward whether within the strict rules of grammar or not. It is definitely not a distinction I would be concerned about should a character utter a sentence using such words. If it sounded weird, then I would probably rewrite the sentence to avoid it altogether rather than checking to see if some rule was bent or broken. That's the way I see it and will probably write it in the future present. Take care. Vern

You don't really have to say "look" in any way or use synonyms for such. What are you seeing when you "look" at someone's face or whatever it is you're "looking" at? That's what you describe and in doing so, it is obvious you had to "look" in order to see what it is you're looking at. Why say "I looked at her eyes" or any semblance of such when you are going to go right ahead and show the reader what it is you are "looking" at. If you say she has blue eyes, then you must have looked and the reader can figure that out without being told direct; it's like beating them over the head and telling them, "Look, damn it, or else you're gonna miss what I'm about to tell you to look at." Okay, look, that's my opinion. Take care. Vern

Use your favorite books to read. Study the presentation of voice, dialogue, description, transitions, pace, foreshadowing, characters, sub-plots, etc. We often learn more by examples we enjoy than from self-help books. Punctuation/grammar would probably be an exception to that philosophy. Take care. Vern