How To Write A Character Arc

Crafting great characters in novels requires connecting both the writer and the reader to the strengths, flaws, desires, wants and all–round–humanity of the protagonist. You need to create empathy, authenticity, and a sense of purpose in the journey on which the central character goes. You also need to clearly draw the antagonist and everyone that meaningfully appears in your novel.

Character arcs need emotional and thematic resonance, engaging readers on intellectual, emotional, and moral levels. Characters can be good or bad, can be real or surreal, but they need to exist in the imagination of those who read the novel.

How To Write A Character Arc

Every novel is a journey of transformation of characters through conflict. I will repeat that. Every novel is a journey of transformation of characters through conflict. Whether you start with a plot idea, a character that you’re obsessed with, or a what–if scenario, you cannot avoid this. Your characters are the heart of your novel, and their response to the obstacles of the Quest, and how they are changed by that process, is what engages readers and makes them care.

A character arc is that journey of transformation over the course of a story. It is both the character’s actions and success or failure in the external story of the Quest and how that impacts their internal growth. This is as true in the goofiest, sweetest romance novel as in the tensest, darkest crime mystery. And this nods to the basic structure of how arcs work: positive change arcs, negative change arcs, and neutral arcs.

A character is invited to the Quest. They experience doubt and dilemma.

They go off on the Quest.

They face a series of challenges, obstacles and victories that constitute the conflict.

However the story turns out, the protagonist is transformed by the process.

The reader understands that transformation at the end of the book.

You don’t actually need anything more than this, but let’s look at how that might work in some different classic arcs.

Positive Change Arc

In a positive change arc, the character grows into a better, happier, more rounded person as a result of the Quest, which often ends in victory or at least even if it does not, allows that positive growth to happen. This is the most common arc in all storytelling. Pride And Prejudice has a positive change arc. Elizabeth is fairly clearly transformed positively, towards a successful external outcome of the Quest and the emotional and internal completion of growth and change.

Negative Change Arc

Contrastingly, the character succumbs to flaws or disaster, with a tragic end. Often they will have been offered a chance to change positively but did not or could not take it. A negative arc is often chosen to make a moral point. You could have victory in the Quest but a negative transformation for the protagonist, although this is rare.

Neutral Change Arc

The character remains largely unchanged, but the world changes around them or even worse, does not. This may seem like a joke, but think of Paddington Bear. Whatever happens, sweet, good, naive Paddington never changes. He remains the same, but those around him are often changed by him. However, this would be hard to turn into a satisfying adult novel.

Ambivalent Or Unclear Change Arcs

It is possible that it is unclear what the outcome of the arc is, or perhaps there are multiple readings of it. Gone Girl includes a very complicated, even murky, character arc, and it is not clear if the outcome is a negative or a neutral change arc. The steady revelation of Nick and Amy’s mutual darkness and toxicity undermines our sympathy for them, and they seem incapable of true change. At the end, even as they continue to conspire against each other, are they any better or worse off? Do we even really care by this stage how they end up? In one sense, the person who changes here is the reader, in their understanding of what has been going on, and the deep manipulativeness of the two. However, in fact, Nick does have something of a positive arc, in that at least now he is aware of who Amy is and the harm she is capable of causing him. But it’s not exactly a happy ending.

Stages Of A Character Arc

– Set–Up: Introduce the character in their normal world, and show their basic personality and their worldview.
– The Inciting Incident disrupts that normal world, showing them that something is at risk.
– Resistance: The character struggles against the need to change, clinging to their normal world.
– Facing the Challenge: The character decides to act and so faces a series of challenges that force them to adapt and grow, often distressingly or dangerously, leading to internal change.
– At the Midpoint, the character often experiences another transformation in achieving contentment and happiness at the Golden Time. However, happy or not after the Midpoint, the narrative now tilts towards the end – Disaster, Climax and Resolution – so from here, the protagonist will be moving towards their final, transformed state.
– Around the Disaster and the Dark Night Of the Soul, the character is driven to their most intense moment of challenge and deepest fears, testing their resolve, pushing them to their limits. By ‘walking through fire’ at this low point, they will go into their final transformation.
– At the Climax, the character undergoes a final, significant change, taking decisive action and emerging a different person as do we, the reader. The character emerges from their journey entering or having entered their transformed state, and we see them momentarily in their transformation at the Denouement. We understand that they are transformed and how.

How To Show Your Character Arc

– Again, creating a back story for your character, including their past experiences, motivations, fears, and goals will help you. Even if you don’t include this information in your finished novel, it is good for you to know it.
– Ensure that your character’s transformation matches the structure, theme and even the morality of the plot. Ensure each major plot event has an effect on the arc of transformation.
– Think about how your major plot points effect and affect the journey of transformation described above. Actually plan out/write down how they do.
– Show, don’t tell. Demonstrate transformation through actions, decisions, and dialogue rather than exposition. Let readers see the character change. Don’t state that a character has become brave, show us by letting them slay the dragon.
– Supporting characters can be mentors, friends, lovers, adversaries, and so become catalysts for the protagonist’s changes.
– Use both internal conflicts (interior thoughts and feelings) and external conflicts (exterior action and dialogue) to push your character towards transformation.
– Reflect on how your character’s transformation ties up any thematic points you want to cover.

This is an excerpt from How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb

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