Character arcs show how a character changes or stays the same throughout a story.
These changes can be positive, negative, or static, depending on how the story’s events affect the character from start to finish.
Here are the three basic types of character arcs:
1. Positive Arc (Transformational Arc).
This is where a character undergoes a positive transformation, growing, learning, or improving in some way.
This arc typically follows a path from weakness to strength or ignorance to wisdom.
2. Negative Arc (Tragic Arc).
Here, the character experiences a decline in their personal situation, often due to flaws, mistakes, or external forces.
This arc explores themes of failure, corruption, or disillusionment.
3. Static Arc (Flat Arc).
In this arc, the character remains fundamentally unchanged throughout the story.
They may face challenges and opposition, but their core beliefs or characteristics remain intact.
This type of arc often highlights the steadfastness of the character’s traits or ideals.
Here some examples of these arcs in published novels:
Positive Arc: Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth starts as prejudiced and judgmental but grows through misunderstandings and self-reflection, ultimately overcoming her biases and finding love with Mr. Darcy.
Negative Arc: Michael Corleone in The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Michael starts as a moral outsider to his family’s crime empire but becomes increasingly corrupt and morally compromised, eventually taking over the family business.
Static Arc: Sherlock Holmes in the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes is a character who exhibits a flat arc.
Sherlock remains unchanged throughout his adventures, always using his sharp intellect and deductive reasoning to solve crimes, staying logical and efficient.
These examples illustrate how character arcs can be a powerful narrative tool, shaping the reader’s engagement with the story and providing a framework for character development and thematic exploration.
Creating interesting and unusual character arcs can be a challenging yet rewarding process in storytelling.
Here are some tips to help you craft arcs that are both engaging and unique:
1. Start with Flaws.
Interesting characters often have significant flaws that are intimately tied to their growth throughout the story.
Consider flaws that are unique, deeply ingrained, and have the potential to dramatically affect the plot and other characters.
This could involve unusual phobias, misguided beliefs, or rare talents that double as burdens.
2. Invert Traditional Arcs.
Experiment by inverting traditional character arcs.
For instance, a character might start out as strong and degrade into vulnerability, not as a failure, but as a way to explore themes like the value of vulnerability, the limits of strength, or the importance of asking for help.
3. Merge Arc Types.
Combine elements of positive, negative, and static arcs.
A character could seem to be on a traditional hero’s journey only to fall into tragic flaws partway through the narrative, or they might overcome one flaw only to reveal or develop another, more challenging one.
4. Link the Arc to the Theme.
Integrate the character’s arc deeply with the theme of your story.
If your theme involves isolation, for example, the character’s journey could involve transitioning from a need for independence to understanding the value of community, or vice versa.
5. Create an Unexpected Mentorship.
Introduce unconventional mentor characters who challenge rather than support the protagonist’s beliefs and decisions.
A mentor who is more of an antagonist can add depth to the character’s growth, making their arc more complex and less predictable.
6. Try Role Reversals.
Have your character switch roles in their environment or social structure.
This could involve a leader who becomes a follower, a teacher who becomes a student, or a hero who becomes a villain.
These reversals can challenge characters in unique ways, pushing them towards unusual growth or decline.
7. Explore Different Motivations.
Delve into atypical motivations for your characters’ actions and decisions.
Beyond common drivers like love, revenge, or survival, consider more nuanced or esoteric goals such as the pursuit of a philosophical idea, the desire to forget the past, or the need to create something perfect.
8. Try Non-Linear Character Development.
Allow character development to proceed in a non-linear fashion.
Characters might evolve in fits and starts, regress after seeming to improve, or cycle through different states, reflecting the often unpredictable nature of real human growth.
9. Make Use of Cultural and Historical Context.
Use the cultural, historical, or fantastical setting of your story to shape unique arcs.
A character in a dystopian future might have different growth opportunities and challenges than one in a historical romance, for instance.
10. End with New Beginnings.
Rather than wrapping up a character’s growth neatly, end their arc with the start of another journey, perhaps even more challenging than the first.
This can leave readers with a sense of ongoing life beyond the pages of the book.
By exploring these strategies, you can create character arcs that not only captivate your audience but also add depth and unpredictability to your stories.
Find out all about story arcs in this post.
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