Writing a book is a mammoth of an undertaking!
It’s many a person’s dream, but the formula for an engaging story can be a difficult thing to master or even learn about in detail. Thankfully, virtually anything can be found online (half-hearted pun accepted). Information has nowhere to hide!
The week’s webinar was for all the aspirational writers and analytical readers amongst us. It was an introduction to character arcs, hosted by Jennifer Lam, a writer, Gr 11 IB student and pharmacist technician hopeful. She is currently part of Squid Ink Stories, a group of friends who are collaborating to make a Webtoon comic called “Dare to Dream”. In her webinar, Jennifer mostly focuses on positive character arcs (when a struggle is overcome and changes the character for the better) and the three intricate acts of a plot. Her presentation is heavily based on K.M. Weiland book, Creating Character Arcs, and as a result, so is this blog post!
Character components
As the director Michael Haneke mentions in conversation about his movie The Piano Teacher, books afford authors the luxury of flattening and typifying a character in a way that films simply cannot. Film personas aim to have more nuance and complexity, resembling actual people, because the creative medium is infinitely more visual. For example, movie characters will have physical mannerisms or ticks a viewer can notice if they look closely.
Books on the other hand, cannot possibly encompass all that makes up a person, especially when the point of the book is to push a narrative/a storyline. So instead, written stories prioritize. When creating a character arc you must outline your character’s lie, flaws, want, need (a.k.a. truth) and ghost.
The Lie
The lie colours your character’s reality. As the name suggests, it is a deceitful presence/misconception that keeps them from reaching their full potential. Your character deeply believes this lie, they have internalized it. For an analogy down the line, we shall consider the lie poison.
Examples of the Lie:
Draco Malfoy, (from Harry Potter) clinging to/believing in his destiny as a death eater, a follower of Voldemort
Raya, (Jennifer’s character from "Dare to Dream") believing that the best career choice is one others will approve of
A character believing that all relationships and things worth having will be procured for them through their good looks/attractiveness.
Jennifer clears up, that while your character should have flaws, these flaws do not equal the lie. Essentially, character flaws are the side-effects that stem from believing the in lie. Some flaws of the attractive character (example #3 above) could include very little self-accountability, an inability to maintain deep friendships or romantic relationships due to self-centeredness, and maybe a shopping addiction. As I write this, I feel the character could in some ways be attributed to Cher, the preppy high school socialite in Clueless.
The Want
The want is simply what your character thinks they want based on their belief in the lie. It could be a topical solution to the lie (which they may find distressing) and that’s why the want is so deeply felt. In our analogy from before, where the lie is poison, we can add that the want is a band aid.
To try and fix the problem caused by the poison/the lie, our character applies a band aid. Naturally this isn’t an effective fix. The outcome is the character’s reality and it’s often bleak or dysfunctional.
Poison + band aid = reality :(
The Need (The Truth)
The truth is what your character truly needs. It’s hard to come to terms with, hard to reach and may require sacrifices. Your character goes through the arc to reach the truth.
Examples of the Truth accepted:
Draco abandons the death eater life despite his parents disapproval and the extreme danger he puts himself in
Raya chooses a career in which she personally feels fulfilled
Cher develops a true relationship and is less entrenched in vanity and ego-centricity
The Ghost
The Ghost is the root of the lie, what the lie stems from. It might be a shocking revelation, an unexpected trauma or secret, or something more common, like heartbreak (which can be equally as painful). This ghost can be uncovered little by little, with hints throughout the story, or it can be exposed all at once.
Jennifer wrapped up all these components really nicely, showing how every aspect works together to help you understand your character on a deeper level.
Your character will be repeatedly aiming for what they want, struggling through their lie, eventually discovering the truth, claiming it and living out their happy ending.
The road map/ Timeline
While the previously mentioned concepts are important in constructing the base and background of your character, the road map is what actually plots out their arc’s journey.
The Characteristic Moment - On this wild ride, the first stop is the characteristic moment. We only have one chance to make a first impression, so whether you’re planning out the first sentence of your story or the scene introducing your character, you must be strategic.
A characteristic moment is a scenario in which an aspect of your character is showcased, made memorable in some way. Jennifer recommends you think big! If you want to present your character as eccentric and caring, have them put on a semi-professional one-person musical for the finicky toddler they babysit. If they’re brave, have them run into a burning house to save the pet tarantula left behind; if they’re funny, have them kill people with jokes.
A great example of a characteristic moment in pop culture can be found in the introduction of Azula in the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. The scene opens up to her firebending, which in itself shows a viewer that she is powerful and intimidating. Her two elderly advisers soon point out a misplaced strand of hair that sullies her “perfect” routine. For Azula, almost perfect isn’t good enough. This creates a striking characteristic moment, for now the audience sees that she is strong, determined and a perfectionist. This base of characteristics sets up the way she acts throughout the series.
2. The First Act (Setup)
The following components take place in the set up of your story, up until around the 25% mark.
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Reinforcing the Lie:
You remind the reader that there is a problem, that something is having negative consequences on your character’s life. You can show side effects of the lie without necessarily telling the reader or the character what the lie is.
Showing Potential for Change:
You want your reader to be engaged by the story, to be invested in the characters. In order for them to maintain interest in the character’s evolution, you must show them that the character has the capacity to change in the first place! The direction of the change depends on the character arc and what you want the final outcome to be.
Making a Choice:
At this stage, your character stops acting passively and simply reacting to their surroundings. For the first time, they respond, they make a conscious choice that gets them over the initial hurdle of overcoming their lie.
The First Plot Point (25%):
This is the first big event, it disrupts your character’s life for better or worse. It creates a goal they aim for throughout the rest of the story, this goal currently being their want, not their need. The plot point creates a moment of reflection for the reader, who from their vantage point may notice that the ambitions of the character won’t exactly improve their situation. The character may have benefitted from an opportunity to escape the lie, perhaps through the wise words of a supporting character/mentor, but they have not yet heeded the advice. They still have lots of growing to do!
3. First Half of Second Act
This entire second act is the largest section of your story, roughly half of it. It’s first half takes us from the 25% mark to the 50% mark.
Gathering the Tools to Overcome the Lie:
The character wants to overcome the symptoms of the lie. They may gather or recruit the necessary skills and supporting characters to do so. As with all writing, it's better to show this acquisition of tools rather than explicitly tell it.
Experiencing Challenges:
While your character wants their situation to improve, they still believe in the lie. They’ll make lots of mistakes in the effort to get what they want. Where the truth may have seemed close-ish to their awareness previously, the challenges they experience at this point may push the truth farther away. Having the truth pulled away doesn’t mean your character hasn’t progressed at all, remember a character is most engaging when they have the potential to change somehow. If they’re stagnating and not really doing anything by the half-way point of your story, readers may lose interest and give up.
Getting what they Want:
The way your character “progresses” after the challenges, is by getting what they want, not yet what they need. This is a false victory and crucial to the direction of the story. Now that the character has reached their goal they can see it’s disappointing shortcomings. So they look for something better while STILL believing the lie and STILL ignoring the truth.
4. 50% - Midpoint
The AHA moment! A Glimpse of the Truth
The midpoint is satisfying. Your character says Eureka! and finally uncovers the truth with the tools they’d previously acquired to overcome the lie. They can imagine a truth-filled life and feel as though things are looking up.
5. The Second Half of the Second Act
Your character sees the world in a whole new way after finding the truth. They are empowered.
Enlightened Actions
To show your readers how far they’ve come, your character commits an act that takes into consideration their truth/new reality.
False Victory
So, amidst all this talk of truth and empowerment, your character remembers that they still have what they initially wanted. They’re put in a situation where they have to choose the want or the need and they’re torn, they’re doubtful. What side will they choose? Even a character arc outline can be suspenseful!
. . . They choose the lie! Were you expecting that??
Choosing the wrong thing is the false victory, and no one, reader or character feels completely at ease with the decision.
The Crux of your Character Arc
Here we get to the nittay grittay, nitty gritty. Why does your character arc exist? What's the underlying message? It could be about renouncing the dark side, learning compassion and humility, choosing a direction in life, anything. This unveiling of motives is normally expressed through dialogue. As Jennifer points out, the dialogue can either be powerful or cliché. And whatever your crux is, make sure that it follows the theme of your book and isn’t random or incompatible.
6. 75% - Third Plot Point
Things here have taken a dark turn since choosing the lie back in the false victory section. Your character is in a bad place, their enemy is upon them and they don’t know what to do. Again they have to choose between their want and need. They’ve already obtained their want a while ago and it wasn’t what they thought it’d be. A reader may be frustrated with this back and forth, wondering why the want remains an option, but the clingy lie is keeping your character from advancing and fully accepting the truth. Your character wants to push through the low point and the lie, now it's a matter of strength and resilience. Will your character have what it takes to reach the truth?
7. The Third Act
A high-paced section, lots is happening as a result of the third plot point and your character is in emotional turmoil. They’re angry, depleted of energy and debating what’s worth more, the truth or the lie. The readers are meant to be on the edge of their seats!
Upping the Stakes
Because of the consequences of the third plot point, whose existence was created by the false victory, your character is a mess and is in a mess. They’ve created a disaster. They’re under the impression that they’ve been searching for the truth the entire time, and that the negative outcome is the fault of this truth seeking. They’ve got more to lose than ever before.
Proving How Far They’ve Come
We’re past 75% of your story, and although things are tougher than ever we have to maintain that progress can be made and hope is tangible. Prove how far your character has come in their journey to better themselves. This is generally done through a number of small acts that together leave a lasting impression of character improvement. Your character understands the truth and wants the truth to be their reality, but they’re still working at getting rid of the effects the lie has had on their life.
Off Balance
In the midst of all the confusion and jumbled inner dialogue, your character faces some challenges they don’t know how to address. They stay preoccupied with their choices.
Mini Climax
With time ticking away till the actual climax, you want to do all that’s in your power as the storyteller to make it as gripping as possible. You don’t want your reader to know what will happen next. To throw them off the scent, you match up your character against a smaller villain or antagonist and build up a doubt in them about which side they’ll choose. At the mini climax, the audience contemplates: will the character succeed or fail in what comes next?
8. Climax
The moment your readers have been waiting for, the moment around which your entire arc revolves: the climax. Jennifer has been describing a positive character arc all throughout her presentation, the name is self explanatory. Contrary to a negative or flat arc, your character here will choose the truth, and will fully accept it. In choosing this option wholeheartedly, they may have to make some sacrifices, like letting go of what they want to get what they need. Or, as a result of choosing the truth, they’ll be rewarded by getting what they want, which makes for a happier ending. Your climax is to be more symbolic in its actions, not words. While your character may be having an emotional inner monologue (which is mostly represented through words and thoughts) you want their actions to speak loudest of what they have decided to embrace. Have them commit an action that shows undoubtedly they’ve chosen the truth.
9. Resolution
After the climax, the fruition of your character’s change, the resolution is dedicated to tying up loose ends, supporting stories and showing a truth-filled world. There’s hope on the horizon, your story is complete!
After internalizing character components (lie, need, want, ghost) and the journey of an arc (whose steps I will absolutely not enumerate), you’ll never consume media in the same way again! You’ll be a psychic, predicting the fates of all the supporting characters, wowing all your friends and family with your spot-on-edness. If you aren’t consuming the media on your own (more common for books), be mindful not to spoil too much, lest it ruin the blissful ignorance of those around you. Happy reading, watching and writing!
Additional Image Sources + Jennifer's Info
Jennifer's Email: jennifer.lam4284@gmail.com
Her novel rough draft is called "Keychains", posted under the username JH_Foliage on Wattpad.
Clueless Image : https://pitchfork.com/news/clueless-film-remake-in-the-works/
Raya and the Last Dragon Image: https://eveningstandard.in/raya-and-the-last-dragon-review-disneys-southeast-asian-princess-warns-against-isolationism/
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