Build a Character Arc Class Notes
INTRODUCTION
- There is a difference between genre fiction and literary fiction when it comes to character-arc and
story formulas
DEFINING CHARACTER ARCS
- At its core, a story is about a character who undergoes often unwanted change in the form of
obstacles. Persevering through these obstacles, usually in pursuit of a goal, results in a different
character on the other side.
- Elements of a character arc include:
o The story truth
o The lie your character believes
o Character Want
o Character Need
o Internal Character Wound
o The Normal World
POSITIVE ARCS
- Most common type
- Can be drastic or subtle
- When a protagonist overcomes external trials and internal flaws to become a better person
- Generally fall into two categories: change arc, which is much like the hero’s journey an the growth
arc, which is more subtle and used in literary fiction.
CHANGE ARC – HERO’S JOURNEY
- Essentially and unlikely individual becomes a hero or savior.
- Radical transformation
- Typically include
o Character has a goal that is hindered by a false belief
o This false belief about herself or the world keeps her from reaching her potential.
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o To obtain the goal she must acknowledge and overcome the false belief, ultimately
o Rejecting the lie and embracing the truth
o External conflict challenges the character’s pursuit of the story goal AND her false belief
o Character resists changing how she thinks
- Ask yourself
o What is the character’s goal?
o What is the lie she believes about herself or the world or both?
o Who does the character become when she rejects the lie and embraces the truth?
GROWTH ARC
- Positive change
- Subtle change
- Protagonist faces external opposition which creates internal change
- Ultimately becomes a better, more complete person – spiritually, emotionally, or physically
- Work especially well for secondary characters
NEGATIVE/FALL ARCS
- Follows protagonist into a decline of some sort (immorality, insanity, death)
- In its most extreme form, the character begins as a good, happy, successful person and ends up the
opposite at the end.
- Can often contain more moral ambiguity
- There are a variety of negative arcs
o Typical fall
o Disillusioned – when the character learns a truth that makes them bitter at the end of
the story. This is arguably a growth arc in which the growth leads them to a more
negative state of mind.
▪ Nick Caraway – The Great Gatsby
▪ Character believes a lie → overcomes the lie and sees the truth → truth is tragic
o Corruption – character changes for the worse but embraces that change
▪ Voldemort
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FLAT ARCS “SHIFT” ARC
- Has not overcome a large interior battle
- Still a story of change! What makes this different is that the character is changing the world around
her, as opposed to be changed by the world and events in it.
- Your character may still have an internal wound, but she has come to terms with it and it is hot
holding her back as a person. Because of this, flat arc stories are not about a character’s search for
completion or closure.
NO ARC STORIES
- Stories with character arcs are all about focusing on people who are having their worldviews
challenged. They are growing, changing their minds, learning new skills. In other words, personal
growth is taking place.
- However, there are a lot of great stories that are more focused on plot and not on character
development.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT ARC FOR YOUR STORY
- Ask yourself:
o What is my character like at the start of the story?
o What do I want my character to be like at the conclusion?
o Am I writing a specific genre?
- There can absolutely be grey areas in which it is unclear which arc your characters falls into.
ANTAGONIST, MINOR & SUPPORTING CHARACTER ARCS
- Writing arcs for all of your characters could very easily overwhelm or confuse your readers
- Instead minor characters get a more condensed version of the full arc, or they get a growth arc
rather than a dramatic change arc. Ask yourself
o Do they have goals – these goals should be pertinent to the plot also,
o Are those goals met with obstacles
o Is there some sense of resolution.
- All other arcs are built around the protagonists arc
- ANAGONIST is a reflection of the protagonist. They play off of one another.
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CHARACTER ARC AS SUBPLOT
- In some stories, like thrillers or action stories, character development may not be the primary focus
of the story. In these situations, the character’s arc is moved to a subplot.
- This can look like a situation in which the development is shallow and undefined
- Can also be that you have an obvious character arc, but it is not necessarily deeply tied to the plot
PLOTTING A CHARACTER ARC
- Plot events should always address underlying character change in a character-driven story
- Your story consists of the surface story, which is the sequence of actions taking place as well as the
underlying story in which internal character growth is taking place and themes are being fleshed
out.
- This means that as you consider what story events take place, for each event you need to be able to
answer how the character has changed from that event.
o What has she learned from this scene?
o What has the reader learned about her?
o How has she grown or not grown (chosen to remain the same?)
o What did she not learn?
- Work for incremental change
RECOMMENDED COURSE VIEWING: NEXT STEPS
As we discuss in the course, I recommend putting as much time into considering your antagonist
as your main character. To that end, I have a number of character courses that I recommend
going through if you have not already:
1. Writing Unforgettable Characters: Crafting a Character Profile (Start here. This class is
about how to choose the foundational traits out of which all other traits grow). Includes
a very helpful worksheet.
2. Character Values & Beliefs: The Foundation of Your Character (Take this course next. It
really pairs with the Character Profile course. This also focuses on foundational traits you
will want to sort out that determine why your character does what he/she does. If you
want consistent characters, this class will help!)
3. Character Flaws: Create Depth and Drive the Plot (This is a great one for all characters,
but especially children. It will keep you from choosing random flaws and focus on
selecting the best flaws for the plot).
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4. Choosing a Character's Strengths: Likeable but not Perfect (This will really help you not
make children who are too precocious or flat.)
5. Describing Traits, Actions, and Thoughts: Bring Characters to Life (This course is
focused not on the development or pre-planning of a character, but how to write that
character into the story. You want to avoid overused or uninteresting character
descriptions and try to write descriptions that strategically push the plot forward and
choose the most relevant aspects of your character to share.)
6. Write Believable Character Relationships (Also about writing your characters into the
story, this course will help you think about juxtaposing the characters in your story so
that you choose the most interesting, dramatic, strategic traits for each.)
7. Great Scenes Megacourse This course will teach you all about the development that
takes place over the course of a scene. Paired with the above classes, you will learn not
only who your character is, but also how to manifest her in your writing so that we see
her change.
8. Create a Scene Outline This course looks at the fundamentals of scene development and
specifically walks you through steps to outline your own scenes.
Make a Difference!
If you enjoy these courses, please leave a review! It helps your peers, and it helps me make
more courses!!
Please also share the courses with friends using the shareable link on the course
page. It makes a BIG difference.
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Thank you for your support and kindness! Best of luck with your writing! Barbara
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