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I love watching the swans. How they glide
over the water, seemingly effortless, beautifully silent. How they add grace to
any location or scenery.
Yet, their beauty hides danger; they can be
very vicious, and when they attack, the outcome is most painful. Broken bones,
loud shrieks, feathers flying about. Brutality in its rawest form.
A perfect metaphor for life.
I sometimes wonder if the swans know of
their beauty. If they carry themselves to hide their own pain and sorrow, to
keep the ruthless world muffled and let only the pleasant shine through.
Lavender rain keeps falling as I make my
way to the park lake. The streets shine and glow; the city sighs, its breath
forms misty clouds. The gaslights shine dimly, muffled like a piano sonata
being played in another room.
Now, if you’ve read my post “How to Plot A Complex Novel in One Day,” here’s your next step. It’s character day! Now let’s think about those characters you came up with. You know a little bit about them, but now let’s look deeper, get them more rounded out so some will even carry their own sub-plots and a good number of them will show some kind of genuine development. Remember, when you first plotted out the novel (if you followed this from my last post), you were looking at the role of the character, a character with a role to play may require development to be fleshed out, but also might not. How you pick and choose who gets the air time and who doesn’t is really going to depend on what potential they have as you continue plotting. Let’s get this show on the road:
List out all your characters. I suggest making a list just so you don’t forget about anyone and you’ve got them all there in front of you at once. It can be hand written on paper or on a word document - it doesn’t matter, it’s up to you. Just having the list is a good idea.
Write down next to each character’s name what drives them. What are their motivations? Why are they a necessary part of the story at all? The more necessary they are to the story the more likely they will need to be fleshed out and seem like dynamic characters. Do these characters have any secrets? Write that down too - write down whatever the character is outwardly telling people. It may be a secret or it could just be something that doesn’t come up in conversation. Either way, it’s something your readers will as the character becomes more rounded out.
Now actually think about these characters’ personalities. Don’t go too wild filling out 100 question character sheets. This could take hours anyway with only a few characters to work on. Just go with the basics: 1)Character’s name (first name or nickname is fine at this point, it can still be changed) 2) A few general concepts about what kind of a person they are (can be taken from the stuff you’ve already decided about them) 3) Personality traits (pick 4 or 5 - roughly half positive, half negative) 4) Personality type Indicators - give them a Zodiac sign and/or a Meyer-Briggs Type if you find this helpful and can do it fairly quickly. 5) Dreams and Aspirations - this can be quick, but this is important. Not only does it tell a lot about the character, but it gives opportunity to engage in character arcs and subplots.
A deeper look into those Dreams and Aspirations. The important thing here is that most characters will want more than one thing. Say the character wants to go into business. He’ll want that top job, but beyond that he’s still got a life, maybe he wants a wife and kids too - this is a very quick generalization, but you get the point. The other things that a character wants are going to create subplot. This is why it so easily takes shape as a love story, but really it could be anything.
Now character arcs: these also have to do with the characters’ dreams and aspirations. These come into play when the character’s dreams are challenged and when conflicts arise. You don’t have to know what these arcs will look like just yet if you’re not really into planning out your whole story, but here are things to think about: what happens if the dream they had is made impossible? What happens when they fail drastically? What would happen if they actually got what they wanted? Character arcs are where personality meets conflict. The character will be changed by this conflict or come out with some realization about themselves or their situation. This is the character arc.
Now you’ve got a lot going on in this novel. It’s a good thing. Now just make sure you stay on top of these characters! Don’t let any of this hard work go to waste! Happy writing!
You know that moment as a writer, when you’ve been charging through the story, high on how fantastic it is, and then suddenly…it all STOPS. The next scene doesn’t form in your head. You’ve got nothing.
Behind your characters, a string of bright and captivating scenes mark the trail of that rocket of inspiration; ahead of your characters, a foggy expanse, stretching to who-knows-where, a few shapeless blobs that should be scenes floating in the nothingness.The rocket is dead, and not refueling any time soon.
Well, to everybody who’s suffered this, or is currently suffering it, there’s a way to navigate through that fog. A map. Directions and a destination.
Or, more specifically, events that form the underlying structure of the story.
This post is going to focus on one facet of story structure: character arc. Structure is something people subconsciously recognize and expect, and if the story doesn’t match those expectations, they feel cheated (though usually can’t explain why). Every good story follows a structure. So if you know structure, you’ll always know where to go next, and won’t get lost in the fog.
So here are the 8 steps of a character arc:
1) Hero: Strength, Weakness, and Need
This happens in the setup of the story, when the main character’s ordinary world is being introduced. First, the main character’s strengths must be displayed; we must be given a reason to like them, or if not exactly “like” them, empathize with them, and be fascinated by them. The reader needs to bond with the character, feel concerned about how it all turns out for them. Or in other words, feel that the main character is worth experiencing the story. There are easy traits that do this: courage, love, humor, being in danger, being unfairly treated, being highly skilled at something, having a powerful noble goal. (Courage is the one they all need. If the character doesn’t have the gumption to actively pursue what they want, they are automatically a background character.)
After this, still in the beginning of your story, let the character exhibit what needs to change. Show their weaknesses of character and self awareness. And lastly, hint at what they NEED to learn. Sometimes this is even stated to the character, and they don’t understand it, refuse to believe it, or condemn it. Like “A Christmas Carol”, when Scrooge’s nephew says his speech about Christmas and how wonderful it is, and Scrooge replies “Bah Humbug!"
2) Desire: This is the moment when the character knows what they need to pursue, in order to obtain what they inwardly want. It is not the inciting incident or catalyst, the event in a story that disrupts the ordinary world and calls the hero on an adventure. This is a separate step entirely, occurring after that catalyst has shattered life as the main character knows it. They believe obtaining this goal will calm whatever inner turmoil or conflict they’re battling. And always, they’re not quite right. Think of Mr Fredricksen: His goal is to get the house – a symbolic representation of Ellie and the life he shared with her – to Paradise Falls, which he believes will heal his grief and guilt. It won’t. Once he obtains it, the achievement feels hollow. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So on we go!
3) Plan: Once in Act Two, the character is going to scramble for a plan of action. The inner want has solidified into a tangible goal, but they need a strategy to achieve it. This also spells out for the reader what to expect in that second act.
4) Conflict: What’s going to try stopping them? A hero with a goal is one thing, but to make it a story we need something that stands in the way. An obstacle. A force of opposition. If we didn’t have obstacles, books would be as interesting as "Harry Potter and the Trip to the Grocery Store.” (Although honestly, I’d probably read that.) After the catalyst has changed everything, after the character crosses the threshold into Act Two, everything from here on out will be laden with conflict. This is usually when enemies, or more accurately forces of opposition, begin to appear. Everything is accumulating to complicate the main character’s pathway to achieving what they want. The forces of opposition come from not only the villains, but from the actions that have to be taken to achieve the desire. Whatever this action is, it’s exactly what the main character is not suited to do, an action that pressures their flaws, exposes them to exactly what they need to become but can’t right now.
Like Stitch being forced to be the family dog. He’s not suited to this task.
5) Battle: The forces of opposition are amping up, growing stronger, fighting with greater intensity. The main character is taking the punches and working around them, relentlessly plowing forward. Hero and allies are usually punching back too.
6) Midpoint: This is the event where they first encounter what they need to learn, what they need to become. Something happens that forces them to behave in this new, life-saving way. But once they’ve seen it, they don’t know what to do with this knowledge.
7) Dark Night, Revelation, Choice: This is always the darkest point in the story, where all seems lost, and death – of a literal or spiritual nature – is in the air. And in this moment, something usually happens that makes the main character wake up to what is wrong, and what they need. More often than not, this revelation will arrive from the “love story” or relationship of the plot, and will be the thing that helps them pull themselves out of despair and see the light. And once this is uncovered, once the revelation of the truth about themselves is recognized, they are faced with a choice. Of course, they’ve been faced with choices in every beat of every scene, but this is the big choice that is going to determine if their story has a happy ending or a tragic one. The choice is this: “You are being faced the truth that you need to heal. Are you going to choose what you need, let your old self die, and become someone better?” And always, always, always this is a hard choice. The revelation must be significant to them. And it’s never easy. It can’t be. We don’t write stories about heroes who make easy choices. Villains have it easy. Are you going to adopt this new way of living, adopt this truth, and let your old self die? Or are you going to stay the way you are (which feels safer and is much less challenging) but end up stuck in a sort of living death? Most of the time, of course, they choose the right thing.
This moment is usually always the saddest scene in the thing. Like this scene with Stitch.
8) New Life: This is their changed life. After experiencing the trials of the story, after realizing what they need and choosing to be reborn, they are going to be different people – and are going to live a different life. This is what follows the statement “And every day after …” What has changed? Show the audience how things are different, how things are better, because they want to see that. This is the resolution, the wrapping up of everything we’ve been through with the main character, and having this in the story is often what gives that feeling of satisfaction after seeing a really well-told story.
So! To show off how this works, I’ve chosen the character arc of Carl from Up.
1) Hero: Strengths, Weakness, Need
Strengths: Reasons to like Carl are packed into that heartbreaking opening sequence. By the end of it, we love him, love Ellie, and are crying our eyes out.
Weaknesses: Now Carl is curmudgeonly, grumpy, cold, and won’t pay attention to a living soul. He’s also plagued by grief, regret, guilt, and loneliness. (Which we are all 100% okay with, because we already like him.)
Need: He needs Russel. The statement of what he needs to learn isn’t outright said (as it will be later) but Russel represents it.
Step Two: The catalyst was when a truck knocked down Ellie’s mailbox, Carl hit a construction worker in the head with his cane, and for this a judge declares him a public menace and orders him to go to Shady Oaks Retirement Village. The DESIRE is this moment.
Carl escapes in a flying house, thousands of balloons lifting him skyward. He even says the desire of the whole story out loud, “So long boys! I’ll send you a postcard from Paradise Falls!” The tangible goal is “live out the rest of his days in his and Ellie’s house, on the edge of Paradise Falls, South America.” (“It’s like America … but South.”)
Step Three: The plan and the conflict overlap, as they are wont to do. We have a scene where Carl is unfurling sails, setting a compass, and settling back in his chair for a smooth journey. But later on, after some conflict has arrived, we have Russel figuring out how to actually make it there. And after even more conflict has arrived, we have him telling Russel “We’re going to walk to the falls quickly and quietly, with no rap music or flash-dancing.”
Step Four: The moment he settles back into his armchair, high above the city, and here’s a knock on the front door, nothing is going to be easy for Carl. First, we have opposition in the form of Russel. Then we have a storm. Then the house lands miles away from the Falls, so they’ll have to walk it. Then we have Kevin, the giant bird. Then we have Dug. Which means they’re also being chased by a legion of talking dogs. Which brings us to Muntz, the main villain, and Carl’s shadow – the representation of Carl’s flaws, and the consequences of refusing to let go of the past.
Step Five: This is the trek to the Falls. It’s also the battle with every complication that arises. And it’s also exactly what Carl is not suited to do. He’s a curmudgeonly old guy, bent on living out the rest of his life alone. Well, the story says “Nope, Carl, that’s not how it’s going to be” and promptly gives him a surrogate grandson to take care of, a dog who adores him, and even a giant mythical bird. And he has to lead them all, if he’s going to get to the Falls.
Step Six: The moment when Russel invades Carl’s heart. Which is what he needs, but he doesn’t understand. (I have the scene beated out in the previous post.)
Step Seven: Finally, he gives in to the worst of himself and chooses his goal of living in his broken house on the edge of Paradise Falls. But somehow this doesn’t feel like victory. He’s still alone, next to Ellie’s empty chair, and she is still beyond his reach.
He picks up her adventure book, and leafs through the photographs, missing her; he pauses on the page scrawled with the words “Stuff I’m Going To Do”, lets his hand rest on it, grief and regret overwhelming him. He begins to close the book, and the page shifts … revealing the edge of another picture. Surprised, he turns the page. It’s their wedding picture.
Ellie added picture after picture of their happy marriage, the whole wonderful life they shared, all the things she did. And on the bottom of the last page is her last message to him: “Thanks for the adventure! Now go have a new one! Love, Ellie.” Exactly what Carl needs. He doesn’t need to be guilty, he doesn’t need to regret the past. The past was beautiful, and she will never truly leave him.
Choice: So, Carl can make the choice to throw everything out of the house to go save Russel.
New Life: Sitting on a curb, eating ice cream with Russel.
In the credits, we see a whole new life – or new adventure – with Carl, Russel, Dug, and even a bunch of new puppies.
So, it’s actually pretty simple. And once again, it’s fun to develop your own stories like this, but it’s surprisingly fun to analyze movies and books with it too. It improves your storytelling ability, I’ve found. Practice makes perfect.
I hope this post helps somebody out. It’ll make the ten times I cried while writing it, while watching scenes from Up, worth it.
Over the past weeks, you might have gotten a pretty good idea of how to structure your character’s arc–whether it’s positive, flat, or negative. But what you may still be wondering is how to figure out which arc you should choose for your character.
Choosing your character’s arc is every bit as important a decision as choosing the right plot. Get it wrong in the beginning, and, at best, you’ll be facing massive rewrites. Some stories will pop into your brain with an obvious character arc already in tact. But other stories will require a little more forethought. Fortunately, picking the perfect character arc for your story requires nothing more than the answers to three questions.
What’s Your Genre?
Genre won’t always be the deciding factor in the type of character arc you portray, but it should definitely be a consideration.
As Harold Crick learned in Stranger Than Fiction, stories follow certain patterns:
“Tragedy you die. Comedy you get hitched.”
Positive arcs get happy endings. Negative arcs get sad endings. In The Moral Premise, Stanley D. Williams goes on to explain:
“Genre films create certain audience expectations for the protagonist. Often the protagonist’s arc is known by the audience before the movie begins. Such expectations about the construction of the genres may predetermine how the protagonist reacts to the story’s moral premise and conflict. This is because, as Thomas Schatz explains in Hollywood Genres, genre movies deal with fundamental cultural conflicts that can never be ultimately solved but yet offer a solution, if only temporary and idealistic.”
Broader “umbrella” genres such as fantasy, westerns, and historicals can tell just about any kind of story. But most romances, for example, are going to require a positive or flat arc.
Where Does Your Character’s Arc Begin?
Character arc is always the final sum of your story’s ending minus your story’s beginning. If you can figure out who your character is in the beginning of your story, you’re already halfway to writing his arc, much less knowing what it is.
Is he in a comparatively good place in the beginning? If so, then he’s either in a flat arc (in which he’ll have to leave that good place and fight for it when it is threatened) or a disillusionment or corruption arc (in which he will leave the good place and never return).
Or is he in a less-than-good place? If so, he’s either in a positive change arc (in which he’ll journey toward a better place) or a negative fall arc (in which things get even worse).
Even more importantly, what does your character believe in the beginning? If he starts out believing a lie about himself or the world around him, then he’s either at the beginning of a positive change arc (in which he’ll overcome the Lie and reach a positive Truth), a negative disillusionment arc (in which he’ll overcome the Lie and reach a negative Truth), or a negative fall arc (in which he’ll never grow into the Truth, but instead embrace an even worse Lie).
If he believes the Truth, then he’s starting out on either a flat arc (in which he’ll use that Truth to transform the world around him) or a negative corruption arc (in which he’ll fall away from that Truth).
Where Does Your Character’s Arc End?
This brings us right back to the old happy ending or sad ending question. If you know your character starts out believing a Lie, but ends up happy, then you know he’s going to be following a positive change arc. In Plot vs. Character, Jeff Gerke writes about figuring out this type of story:
“Now it’s time to imagine what the alternative [to the Lie] could be. If you are Fate in this story and you’re not going to let [your character] remain in her miserable stew, what are you going to try to get her to change to? What is the happy other possibility you’d like her to see and possibly seize?”
In other words, a story with a positive change arc will always end with the character in the opposite situation to the one in which he found himself in the beginning. The character will have changed, and the world around him will reflect that.
Same goes for a negative change arc, but in reverse. Characters in disillusionment and corruption arcs will end in a place that’s a darker reflection of their beginning, while characters in fall arcs will end up in a place that’s the same as the beginning, only worse.
Flat arc characters won’t change themselves, but the world and the characters around them will be drastically different from how they were in the beginning of the story.
Double Check Your Character’s Arc
Based on your answers to these three questions, you should be able to identify which arc you want your character to follow and start plotting accordingly. But before you rev your engines too much, stop a moment to double check yourself.
Is the arc you’ve identified your strongest possible option? Do your story’s beginning and ending contrast each other strongly enough? If your protagonist had to face the events of the climax in the beginning of the story, would he react to them in the same way he does at the end? If he would take pretty much the same action at both the beginning and end of the story, you know his change arc isn’t strong enough.
This holds true for flat arcs as well. Although the character’s personal Truth and integrity may hold fast throughout the story, he shouldn’t have the motive or understanding to act in the same way at the beginning as he will in the end.
The general question of “which character arc” is every bit as important as the specific story details of the arc itself once you start plotting. Before you ever put pen to paper, take a moment to figure out your character’s arc and make it as strong and memorable as possible.
If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to talk, feel free to drop by my ask box!
The Character Arc, from The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Ed., pg. 206.
Vogler’s diagram describes a Narrative Arc called The Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s tale is one of infinite variety and circumstance – and it is always a journey of some kind.
On page 205 of The Writer’s Journey, Vogler further compares the stages of a Transformational Arc with the process of the Hero’s Journey. (Table above) A bigger table can be found on the webpage source for this content, at rmcad.edu.
As you have probably already surmised, the goal of the transformation is Catharsis, or a purging of emotion. Catharsis is the climax of the transformational experience – it comes at the resolution of a
narrative.
In the Narrative Arc, the Climax precedes the resolution. If
we lay the Character Arc of any narrative over its corresponding
Narrative Arc, we will see that the transformation of the character
follows a different, but linked, path with the action of the narrative.
So I saw someone ask a question that I myself have asked before. I have seen the problem take place all the time with no one really knowing what the problem is and whether or how to fix it. That question was:
How do I make a character that I won’t get bored with?
I have often seen people make characters that seem really cool and badass and have plenty of backstory and are incomparably unique. Yet, they will get bored of it after a session or two and want to kill off their special character to make a new one. This will go on with people making new characters and never getting attached to one. The solution to the problem is complex with many intricacies, but the main focus of the problem for many people, I think, is that their character has no story.
Creating a Character with a Story
A story, when referring to a character, is how that character changes over time; their character arc. D&D 5e tries to solve this by forcing players to choose aspects of their character background including their character’s traits, flaws, ideals, and bonds. This is all well and dandy, but this alone won’t define a character arc. To create a character arc, figure out how you want your character’s story to begin and how it should end using those four background characteristics.
Traits: A character’s traits could change over time. They don’t have to, but it can create an interesting character. Traits make a character who they are, and in an RPG it is often a reflection of the player. So while traits can change, I would probably suggest to change a flaw, ideal, or bond before a trait.
A trait could become more specific, like from “angry” to “vengeful” once they understand why they are angry. Think of the trait as evolving.
A trait could disappear or be replaced after some moral turning point, like a callous character becoming guilt-ridden or even benevolent after they see the sort of pain they have caused firsthand.
A trait can become reinforced or strengthened based on their decisions. An antihero’s traits would likely follow this route. “Do you see what happens when you trust people? They betray you!”
Flaws: A flawed character is a great character, but a character arc involves a person being confronted by their flaws. Their flaws directly oppose their goal. When faced by their flaws, they either choose to suffer their flaw or overcome it. This is why sequels are usually terrible. A character that heroically overcame its flaw in the first movie is now un-flawed. Be aware of this in an RPG. The character should always have a flaw, even after overcoming a flaw. The only time they should ever NOT be flawed is at the very end of a campaign, facing off against the main antagonist, using all they have learned on their heroic journey.
A flaw could be worsened. Usually a good early option in a character’s arc, as things seem bleaker and bleaker for your character until they manage to overcome the flaw later in the game’s story.
A flaw could evolve or become more specific, much like a trait.
A flaw can disappear or be replaced, especially later in the story once it has been challenged by the game’s story.
Ideals: A character’s ideal is what they believe in. Maybe it’s a religion, moral code, or instinct. A character’s ideal is a great concept that can change in a game. This is where you see tragic falls from hero to villain or redemption arcs from villain to hero. In an RPG, a good player will have strong ideals and a good GM will recognize those ideals and challenge them. This is the moral quandary, and it’s the player’s job to identify it and make a choice that will affect their character forever. Changing an ideal should always be some sort of turning point in a story.
Bonds: A character’s bonds in D&D 5e are their ties to the in-game world. It’s a fabulous definition because it’s sort of like asking “why are you playing this character?” right to your face. If your character has a family, then your character probably cares for them. Or not. If your character had a mentor, you are probably on a sort of hero’s journey from nobody to somebody. If you have no ties to any person in the game world then you are (or should be) finding a reason to belong, maybe a team of other heroes, perhaps? Your bond can affect how your ideals, flaws, and traits change, and they can change your bonds, in turn. Your character makes new memories, meets new people, and experiences new things all the time.
Update all of these things at the end of every session. Whether or not they ended up changing that day, making a habit of checking each session will keep you invested in your character and help to create a character arc. In addition, know where your character begins their arc and how it will end. Talk with the DM about your plans, and they should add some moral and character quandaries to test your character’s… character!
Examples of Character Arcs
Coming of Age: The character begins the game morally or psychologically immature or inexperienced. They grow into a more mature and experienced character by the end of the campaign. A ridiculously blunt way to put it is going from an angsty teen to a true hero. Such an angsty teen could be either a rebellious murder hobo or a distant brooding loner that when a turning point happens, they grow a moral backbone and answer the call to action. Look at Spirited Away, Dead Poets Society, or The Karate Kid.
Redemption: The character begins as a legit villain with evil intentions but finds a reason to change their ways after a turning point. Maybe they find a moral line they won’t cross and then start to wonder if what they have been doing all along is right. The character is not truly redeemed until other players and other people see them as a changed person, which should finally happen at the end of the campaign. Look at Wikus in District 9, Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List, or Prince Zuko from Avatar, the Last Airbender.
Disillusionment: The character believes in one thing at the beginning of the campaign but slowly discovers that what they believe in is morally wrong, utterly pointless, or a flat-out lie. They may go back and forth between believes a few times before making a transition, or they might be in denial. But by the end of the campaign they have realized the true path. Look at movies like Office Space, The Graduate, Conspiracy Theory, or Fight Club.
Tragic Fall: The character follows the hero’s journey only to make the wrong choice at every turning point. Their morality comes into question, and they just don’t have it in them to change or become a hero, usually thanks to a “fatal flaw.” At the end of the campaign, this character should either retire, die, or be killed by their flaw to be a true tragedy. Look at Hamlet, Tom Powers in The Public Enemy, and McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Corruption: Unlike the tragic fall, this character is not destined to die. They are destined to become a villain. Rather than refuse a call to action, they have moral quandaries which they make the right choice at first, but then they start to question their choices. They start to think evil is easier or better than good. Then they start making the wrong choices and eventually join or become the villain they were trying to stop in the first place. Look at Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars, Michael Corleone in The Godfather, or Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight.
Cynic to Participant: This character is a loner and cynic and is miserable because of it. They eventually realize that they cannot accomplish what they set out to do without help. They become less selfish and more cooperative with the rest of the adventuring party. Look at The Incredibles, every buddy cop movie where the buddies don’t get along, and every Batman team-up ever.
These are the more common character arcs, but there are plenty of different changes that your character can go through to grow, change, or fall over the course of a D&D campaign. Again, talk with your DM about where you are starting and where you want to end up. That way they can insert those pivotal turning points and put pressure on your flaws and ideals!
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