Creating Character Arc

Today let’s look at some examples of one of the most important story elements of all: your Hero/ine’s CHARACTER ARC.

As we’ve been talking about, there are quite a few story elements that are best developed by working with your Act I and Act III at the same time, including your:

•        Hero/ine’s SPECIAL SKILLS or SUPERPOWERS

•        Hero/ine’s GHOST or WOUND

•        Hero/ine’s GREATEST NIGHTMARE

•        Hero/ine’s INNER and OUTER DESIRE

• It’s also important to note that in many stories, there’s a TOWN or COMMUNITY GHOST, (as in The Wizard of Oz, How to Train Your Dragon, West Side Story) or COUNTRY’S GHOST (as in The Hunger Games, Selma, Till), or FAMILY GHOST (The Godfather, Encanto, Coco, August Osage County), that is part of or the same as the Hero/ine’s Ghost.

• And CHARACTER ARC, which pretty much encompasses all of the above.

What we are looking at here is hugely important, but it’s also very simple:

• Where does the hero/ine start in Act I?

• Where do they end at the end of Act III?

• How have they CHANGED?

While this can involve more money, a better job, a relationship, or other more superficial changes, what we really want to look at is who they are at the beginning of Act I, and who they are at the end of Act III—and how their thinking, actions toward other people, and philosophy of life have changed.

The bigger the change, the bigger the Character Arc.