By Andrea Vanryken
You’ve crafted a main character any author would be proud of. He/she is as tough as nails yet lovable, clever yet vulnerable, admirable yet flawed. And now, that character is about to embark on quite an adventure. Obstacles are met and overcome. Friends are gathered along the way and villains vanquished. Get that book on the shelves—you’ve surely got a bestseller on your hands, right?
Not necessarily.
Let’s take a second look at that main character. Yes, challenges are faced (in other words, the main plot). And yes, other characters cross his or her path (your secondary characters, your antagonist, and so on). You’ve checked those boxes. But what about that protagonist? How has their journey changed them? How have they evolved?
If you’re not sure whether you’ve baked in a great character arc, ask yourself this question:
Is your character the same as they were when the book started?
If the answer is yes, your book could be an otherwise flawless piece of fiction—except for that one crucial element: the character arc. What happens during your story should be truly momentous—enough to not only be worth your reader’s time but also to significantly change your main character, for better or worse.
Ask yourself: Would you be the same after an enormous, life-altering event? Probably not. The character that sets out at the beginning of your book shouldn’t be the same one that appears at the end of it. Remember: Readers aren’t just expecting to “witness” a physical journey as they read but an emotional one as well. As your plot unfolds, your main character will be affected—and this should be reflected in their emotional arc.
Not sure how to create a character arc? Here are a few basic (bare bones) steps to help get you there.
Building the “Arc” (in three basic steps):
1. Establish your main character (personality and traits): Your character should be fully fleshed out as soon as he or she appears in your novel. Like all of us, this character should have a past, inner demons, hopes and dreams, and a full range of emotions. This should all be established at the onset. Readers should know the character as well as they would an old, close friend.
2. Incorporate some revelations: Betrayal, love interests, death, plot twists… Your character will likely get rocked back on their heels more than once during their journey. Their spirit will be tested as they overcome emotional or physical obstacles, causing them to despair or rise to the occasion—and thus learning something about themselves along the way. Such trials and revelations will gradually lead them toward the upper curve of their arc.
3. Show the emotional aftermath: Your character’s world just got turned on its head. Nothing will ever be quite the same. Remember Darth Vader’s big reveal to Luke Skywalker? Luke’s father! Stunning! But the movie doesn’t end there. This moment alters Luke Skywalker forever, turning him into a solemn Jedi Knight and cementing him as a powerful, penultimate force of good in the Star Wars universe.
But enough famous space-opera references. Your book need not contain spaceships or planet destroyers. All that’s required is that, by story’s end, the world looks different through your protagonist’s eyes. Your readers will see and sense that difference, having accompanied that character through their life-changing journey.
f you’ve accomplished that, you’ve built a great character arc—and your readers will be invested in your novel from start to finish.
Good luck, authors!
When writing a novel, writers should create living people; people, not characters. A character is a caricature. –Ernest Hemingway