6: Developing Character Arcs
- Page ID
- 277400
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- Understand the importance of developing character arcs for characters’ personalities.
- Recognize how the Dawn, Dusk, and High Noon traits contribute to designing a character arc.
- Map out a character’s transformation from beginning to end.
Change is Constant
Nothing stays the same. Life and death are a never-ending cycle, and the universe is constantly expanding. The idea of something being “static” is a misconception, as everything is moving and evolving from one state to the next. However, in some cases, the progression is so minor or indiscernible that we tend to believe it is motionless when that is not the case. In terms of characters and people, we sometimes believe that certain individuals have remained the same their whole lives, but that is not true. People, like all things in the universe, are constantly changing—being big or small. As an author, it is important to have your characters change throughout your story, but to do it in a way that seems natural.
Dawn and Dusk
As mentioned in Basic Format, the most important character that experiences change is the Protagonist. If that particular character does not change, the static appearance will make the audience bored and disappointed. When I mentioned that in the Middle of the story that Change should occur directly in the Middle, I was being a bit misleading. Instead, because characters are constantly changing, it should be a gradual progression instead of an instant flip. The best way to describe this is called a Character Arc:
The gradual change of a character that occurs from the Beginning and concludes at the End.
A character should transform, just like how the day moves from dawn to dusk.
Think of a character arc as the cycle from day to night. Daytime does not occur automatically. Instead, the sun rises gradually with gentle rays of dawn, shines brightly during the day, and dusk slowly invites darkness until the world becomes black. Imagine your characters like the arc of the sun—at first their personalities are in their “Dawn” stage, but by the end they have entered their “Dusk” stage.
The personality traits of a character toward the beginning of the story.
The personality traits of a character toward the end of the story.
Take for example the character’s arc in this paragraph:
Even though Canary was jamming to her playlist on her headphones, she still managed to hear the audible ding alerting her that she had an email. She dialed down the music and clicked on her email tab. Canary froze when she saw the message that popped up on her screen. She stared at the computer screen—focusing intently on the bold, unread message. It was from her mother with the subject title: We Need To Talk. She dragged her mouse to the trash icon and hovered her finger over the left button. No, she could not come back into her life. It was over. No forgiveness should be given to this monster. However, instead of clicking the mouse, Canary lifted her hand and pounded on the desk instead. Her body tensed, and all she wanted to do was break everything around her—just like her mother had done. Canary grabbed the tiny trash barrel next to her desk and threw it across the room. The barrel made a loud sound but did not dent the wall. This angered Canary even more, so she grabbed her stapler and chucked it. The stapler dented the drywall, but she needed something larger to destroy it. She lifted her wooden chair and threw it with all her might. The drywall exploded, leaving behind dust and exposed insulation. She screamed.
While developing character arcs make far more sense in long-term creative writing, in this paragraph we witnessed the character transition from relaxed at the beginning to completely unhinged at the end. If we continue with the sun example, the Dawn of her personality is relaxed and calm, but as the story progresses, she gradually becomes more and more stressed. The Dusk of her personality is a wild and dangerous persona who clearly has some unresolved issues regarding her mother. While designing characters, try imagining how they will evolve, what are their Dawn traits at the beginning and what might be their Dusk traits at the end. Here is a breakdown sheet that may help:
|
Character Name |
Dawn Trait |
Dusk Trait |
|---|---|---|
|
Santiago |
Uncomfortable speaking at parties and often hides in the crowd. |
Becomes more sociable and confident when interacting with strangers. |
|
Zara |
Disinterested in politics and often changes the topic whenever controversial issues are discussed. |
Proactive and concerned citizen who runs for a position in her local government. |
|
Michelle |
Overly generous and always wants to see the good in people. |
Less open toward strangers and is defensive when in public. |
Character arcs do not need to go from Bad to Good or Good to Bad. Instead, they are a transition from one personality, trait, or viewpoint to another. Instead of focusing on Good or Bad, focus on determining whether this transition is realistic and suitable for the character that you designed.
Creating a Catalyst
People rarely change overnight. Change occurs gradually and it may not be noticeable in a person until much time has passed. Continuing with the Dawn/Dusk analogy, if you took two pictures of your backyard, one at 10:00 AM and another at 10:30 AM, would anyone be able to spot the difference in time? Probably not. However, if you took a picture at 10:00 AM and then another at 7:00 PM, the differences would be quite noticeable. Think of your character arcs as people who transition so slightly that it may not be noticeable from page to page, but it is somewhat evident from chapter to chapter, and it is obvious from beginning to end.
But how do we start changing a character? What motivates a character to start changing in the first place? To start, we need to develop a catalyst for the character:
A significant event or moment that directly impacts the character—resulting in some sort of change.
When discussing The Middle in Basic Format, we talked about The Problem, which is just another way to say a catalyst for the protagonist. In the story example, Susie is dared by her friends to explore the barn. That is a catalyst because it is a movement that forces that character to change throughout the story. At the beginning, Susie is scared and timid, but at the end of the story, she has conquered her fears and climbed to the top of the loft. Earlier in this section, we focused on Canary undergoing a significant transformation from calm to frantic. What triggered the change? The catalyst was receiving the email from her mother.
Read the example below and try to spot what the catalyst is for Marcus:
Marcus sat down on his desk, raised his arms, and gave himself a deep stretch. Everyone else in the classroom was scrambling to cram any last-minute information before the exam. He tried not to laugh. Everyone was taking this way too seriously. After all, didn’t Ms. Stewart say that it was only 5% of their grade? Even if Marcus scored a perfect zero, that would mean he would still get a 95% in the class. That’s still an A. He’d ended up playing video games late into the night instead. Sure, he was still a bit groggy, but with such little consequences, it didn’t matter.
“All right everyone,” said Ms. Stewart, “you have fifty minutes to complete the exam. Good luck, and remember this is twenty percent of your grade, so take your time and double check everything.”
A tinge of panic rose inside Marcus. He calmly raised his hand.
“Ms. Stewart, I thought you said this was five percent of our grade.”
The class laughed, and Ms. Stewart gave him a smirk.
“Nice try, Marcus. But you know that was for class participation.”
Marcus weakly smiled back and tensed tightly on his pencil.
The catalyst is Ms. Stewart clarifying that class participation was 5%, which triggers a change in Marcus. In this example, Marcus is calm and cocky. He doesn’t study the night before because he’s a straight A student and realized that mathematically it’s irrelevant whether he does well or not. However, the moment he realizes that the class participation was 5% and not the exam, change begins. It’s not a sudden shift in mood, but if this story were to continue, it’s likely that Marcus would become more and more panicked as the exam continued—being woefully unprepared for the exam.
Building off of the character arc chart we made previously, we can add a new section that explains the catalyst:
|
Character Name |
Dawn Trait |
Dusk Trait |
Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Santiago |
Uncomfortable speaking at parties and often hides in the crowd. |
Becomes more sociable and confident when interacting with strangers. |
Joins a tabletop gaming community and develops confidence through a fictional character. |
|
Zara |
Disinterested in politics and often changes the topic whenever controversial issues are discussed. |
Proactive and concerned citizen who runs for a position in her local government. |
Directly impacted by programs that were cut by the government and struggles financially with these new hardships. |
|
Michelle |
Overly generous and always wants to see the good in people. |
Less open towards strangers and is defensive when in public. |
Was robbed one night and never managed to bring the person to justice. |
Reaching High Noon
In Basic Format, we mentioned how somewhere around the half-way point of the story, the protagonist should experience Change. This doesn’t mean that the protagonist suddenly changes immediately in the Middle, but rather that by the time the halfway point is established, there is a clear and noticeable difference in the character compared to the beginning. After the catalyst has been established, the character must gradually be affected by it. Over the span of the story, the effects of the catalyst have caused the character to change. It may not be immediate, but at least by the halfway point, it is at least evident that something new is appearing from the character. This change midpoint is not their inevitable Dusk trait, but is a hybrid of the Dawn qualities that were previously established and the Dusk traits that will inevitably become the character. Continuing with the sun analogy, we’ll call this the High Noon.
Somewhere in the middle of the story where a character has transitioned away from their Dawn traits but has not reached their Dusk traits—creating a hybrid mixture of the two.
|
Dawn Trait |
High Noon (A mixture of Dawn and Dusk) |
Dusk Trait |
|---|---|---|
|
Mei is deathly afraid of spiders and runs immediately when seeing them. |
Mei stares at a spider for a few seconds before finally running away. |
Mei is nervous around spiders but will no longer flee when seeing them. |
|
Aisha eats nothing but junk food |
Aisha tries a salad but struggles to finish it. |
Aisha is more mindful of what she eats. |
|
Diego never disobeys his parents. |
Diego talks back to his parents but immediately apologies |
Diego sneaks out of the house to see some friends. |
Again, there is no exact science when determining High Noon, and it is unrealistic to assume that it will always be a 50/50 split between Dawn and Dusk. Percentage wise, your character could be 40% Dawn and 60% Dusk at the halfway point. Imagine some sort of middle ground that best reflects how your characters are evolving. Just try to avoid zero change or instant change. A gradual transition from beginning to end is very satisfying for the reader to experience.
Point of No Return
As mentioned in Basic Format, there needs to be an event in the story that showcases that the protagonist’s change is permanent and will simply not revert to normal. We previously labeled this change as The Point of No Return. In High Noon, there is a hybrid of Dawn and Dusk traits, but in the reader’s perspective, there is no evidence yet to show that this change to Dusk is permanent. By establishing a clear Point of No Return for the character, it signals that they have officially transitioned to Dusk and will not be reverting.
Read the example below and spot where the Point of No Return is located:
Robert tailed the lady for two blocks. On the crowded sidewalks, it was easy to avoid detection. She lazily wore a golden handbag on her shoulder with a very thin strap. If he was going to do it, this would be the best target. Time was running out, and he needed the cash by 7 PM. The designer handbag was worth something and who knew what was inside. His fingers tingled in excitement, but he smacked his thigh to regain his focus. This was stupid, he thought, he could get the money elsewhere. He could call his father, make amends, and get bailed out of this whole mess. Robert slowed, letting the possibility sink in. No, his father wouldn’t take him back—especially not after Robert pawned off the basement TV. Robert hustled to gain ground on the woman. In a few steps, she would reach a crossroads—a perfect opportunity to grab the bag and run down the alley. Emboldened, Robert brushed right up behind her. His hands shook violently. He couldn’t control them. This was a mistake. He could find another way. No, he ordered himself. Robert smacked his thigh, grabbed the handbag, and ran down the alley amidst the screaming.
Robert has put himself into some sort of compromising situation. Whatever it is, he needs money fast. Based on his demeanor, his Dawn traits were probably one who never steals and never breaks the law. However, once we read that Robert sold the family TV, that is the High Noon moment, where he didn’t exactly break the law, but he did it without his parents’ permission. At any moment, Robert could simply turn around and not steal this woman’s handbag. He could ask his father for forgiveness and revert back to his Dawn traits. However, once he grabs the bag and runs, it is the Point of No Return. There’s no going back now. Robert has fully transitioned to his Dusk trait and is a criminal.
If we were to map out Robert’s character arc using the character sheet, it may look something like this:
|
Character Name |
Dawn Trait |
Catalyst |
High Noon |
Point of No Return |
Dusk Trait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Robert |
A person who never steals or breaks the law. |
Robert gets involved in some sort of shady situation and needs money quickly. |
Robert pawns his family’s TV and gets kicked out of the house. |
Robert resorts to stealing a bag from a woman. |
Robert has stolen an item and is now a criminal. |
The importance of the Point of No Return is to leave no room for doubt that this character has now completed their arc. If High Noon was a 50/50 split between Dawn and Dusk, the Point of No Return has a 10/90 or a 0/100 slant towards Dusk. The transformation of the character is complete.
Does Every Character Need an Arc?
While I highly recommended that the protagonist has some sort of character arc, it isn’t required for every character to undergo some sort of transition. First, it would take a considerable amount of time to develop arcs for every character—especially if the story is limited in length. Second, some minor characters simply do not need to be fleshed out to have arcs. Finally, forcing a character to change for the sake of change may come off as insincere and fake. If you believe that a particular character needs or will benefit from change throughout your story, then consider developing arcs. Otherwise, it is fine to have characters remain static.
At the same time, having too many characters who do not evolve their personalities—especially if they are integral to the story—might drag the story down. The more interesting the character, the more likely the reader will be interested in seeing how they influence the world and how the world influences them. If their personality is impervious to the events that unfold, it may leave the reader dissatisfied. Therefore, make sure to analyze all your characters and see who would best benefit from change.
Check In: Put The Following Story Beats In Their Correct Sequence
Resources – Full Blank Character Arc Sheet
|
Character Name |
Dawn Trait |
Catalyst |
High Noon |
Point of No Return |
Dusk Trait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 6.1: Reading Exercise – Dancing with Silverware
- This short story is a companion piece to the guide Developing Character Arcs.