PolyProse

In Part 1 of our series, we laid the groundwork by exploring the core components of character depth. We then built on that foundation in Part 2 by focusing on character believability and authenticity. Now, in this final installment, we’ll bring all of those elements and discuss how a character transforms.

The Journey of Transformation

Understanding Character Arcs

A character arc refers to the transformation a character undergoes throughout the story. This journey can involve changes in beliefs, values, feelings, circumstances, and relationships. Character arcs can be positive, negative, or flat. The choice of arc should align with the story’s theme.

• Positive Change Arc: The character learns a valuable lesson and improves as a person in the audience’s eyes.
  • Example: Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol starts off as a miser who transforms into a generous man.
• Negative Change Arc: The character leans into negative character traits or the darkest parts of themselves.
  • Example: Walter White in Breaking Bad starts as a commendable chemistry teacher and ends as a drug kingpin.

• Flat Arc: The character remains unchanged but impacts others.
  • Example: Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird remains consistent in his characterization. However, his interactions with others impact the plot.

Creating a Compelling Arc

A compelling arc requires a clear starting point, a catalyst for change, a believable transformation, and a clear endpoint.

• Establishing a Baseline: Show the character’s initial state.
  • What does your character believe about the world? What is the “lie” they believe?
  • What are their core flaws?
  • What do they want, and what do they need? Often, these are two different things.
• Introducing a Catalyst: A conflict, challenge, or event that disrupts the character’s pre-incited life.
  • While still in the formulation phase, it may help to brainstorm various conflicts that could tap into your character’s lie. This event should force your character to question their beliefs.

• Showing Gradual Change: As the character embarks on their journey, introduce conflicts that compel the character to make challenging decisions, leading to their transformation.
  • Show, don’t just tell, their internal struggle as much as appropriate. There should be an inner push and pull between their old way of thinking and their new path. They should make small choices that accumulate over the story.
• Define the End: Show the character’s endpoint either through actions, dialogue, appearance, or processes they would have never had originally.
  • Decide how they have changed. They should commit to an action at the end that they would not have done at the beginning. They may return to a place from the start of the story and view the area with a new perspective.

Supporting Cast

Secondary characters can also undergo their own arcs. They can be negative, positive, or flat. You ought to use these as a mirror to enhance or impede your main character’s progression.

Example: Mai and Ty Lee were Azula’s best friends in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The two were initially antagonists, but during a pivotal moment, they switched sides. They were initially loyal to Azula but decided that love was stronger than fear.

Theme Integration

• Arcs should also reflect and reinforce the major theme of your story. If your novel questions the cost of revenge, a character’s journey through the desire for revenge will resonate with the theme.

• Ask yourself: What does the character’s arc reveal about the layered message of the story?
  • Example: In Joker (2019), Arthur Fleck begins as a mentally unstable man. At his core, he yearns for kindness and is not a full-fledged villain. As he is continuously neglected and harmed by society, he transforms into the Joker. His arc underlines the film’s warning that a society abandoning the vulnerable leads to monsters.

Arc pacing

To pace your character’s metamorphosis, I suggest studying your plot structure. For instance, the character’s belief in the “lie” often appears in the first act. Around the midpoint, there is a considerable challenge to their assumptions. In the climax, the final choice emerges that solidifies their arc.

The “Lie” and the “Truth”

This is a powerful and well-known technique that sits at the heart of most character arcs.

Finding the “Truth” (Positive Arc)

In a positive arc, your character begins with a false belief, a “lie,” about themselves or the world. Throughout the journey, they discover a significant “truth” that dispels their initial misbelief.

In The Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum believes societal acceptance will bring him happiness. However, throughout the film, he learns to accept himself. That spills into the acceptance of others, as his performers are no longer “freaks” but exceptionally talented individuals. His “truth” was finding love in a small community.

Believing the “Lie” (Negative Arc)

In a negative arc, your character starts with a flawed belief and embraces it, believing the “lie” even more deeply.

Example: Light Yagami, from Death Note, believes the “lie” that he has the right to act as judge, jury, and executioner. He leans into his lie, leading to tragedy.

How to Find Your Character’s “Lie” and “Truth”

1. Define the “Lie”: What is the core, often subconscious, false belief that your character has held onto for years? This is often a blanket statement. The lie functions as a blanket to cover up a deeper wound. This lie functions as a filter, coloring information as it comes in, and a modifier, altering actions going out.
   • “I must be the strongest to be safe.” = Possibly a fear of being small.
   • “No one will ever truly love me.” = A state of low self-esteem.

2. Define the “Truth”: What is the ultimate lesson your character needs to learn? This is the opposite of the lie. The easiest way to find it is by understanding the deeper fear or negative state. You then reframe it into a positive understanding.
   • A fear of being small -> “Safety comes from the strength of community.”
   • A state of low self-esteem -> “My self-worth doesn’t depend on others.”

3. Connect the Lie to the Plot: Design the story’s main conflict to challenge your character’s lie. The plot should force characters to recognize and question their beliefs. 
4. Connect the Truth to the Climax: The climax of the story should be the pivotal moment when your character must either embrace the “truth” or cling to the “lie.” They must have a clear choice that serves as the final assessment of their growth. This choice determines whether their arc is positive or negative.

Genre Considerations

Be aware of the genre conventions you write in. A romance must end in a positive arc for the main characters. It must have a happy ending. Tragedies trend toward negative arcs. Satirical content, on the other hand, often utilizes flat arcs as a way to critique society.

Writing Exercise

Choose a character from your current work-in-progress or from a story you love. Answer the following:

• What is their lie (the false belief they start with)?
• What is their truth (what they learn by the end)?
• What is the theme of the story?
• How does this arc reflect it?
• What challenges did the character face that forced them to question their beliefs?
• Did the character have a positive or negative arc?
• What final choice did the character make, and why?
• How was the character’s arc paced throughout the story?

Conclusion

Character development is a delicate balance of depth, consistency, and authenticity. A writer must embrace imperfections, establish motivations, and construct compelling arcs. These characters must have unique voices and inner conflicts that impact their external objectives. Characters must be enriched with life, or they may flatline in the audience’s mind. The task is challenging, so I would appreciate your thoughts. Please share in the comments what information you’ll incorporate into your writing process. I’d also like to know what “lies” and “truths” you are exploring. 

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