How to Identify and Write Character Arcs

Character arc is the change a character makes throughout a story.

Maybe they change for the better (we hope!) and overcome demons from their past. Maybe they refuse to succumb to temptations and grow stronger in their beliefs.

Or maybe they instead change for the worst and become even more ruthless, selfish, cruel, evil, etc. (Hopefully that’s the villain!)

No characters (or people in general for that matter) exist in a vacuum without ever changing.

Our characters should not be static.

Characters are a central part of stories. We want them to be engaging, fun, likable (to some degree anyways), and relatable.

This means our characters need a developed story arc where they change over the course of the story.

So what does this change look like?

Today we’re looking at the major types of character arcs and how to write them.

3 Types of Character Arcs

Not all characters will fit these arcs… but many will.

The Positive Arc

A positive character arc is when a character overcomes their inner flaws/lies/baggage in order to be a better person. You may hear this referred to as the “hero’s journey” and it is the most common character arc seen in a main character.

Throughout the story the hero will face challenges and overcome their flaws in order to succeed. They will change by the end of the story to be a better version of themselves.

The Straight Arc

A straight arc can also be called a “flat” arc- but this in no way means it needs to be a boring or flat character.

Instead of learning *new* truths or overcoming flaws, the straight arc is about a character who already knows what is right and will be tested in it.

During the story they will need to cling to the truth when surrounded by things that would challenge it.

The Negative Arc

Sometimes a character doesn’t overcome their inner flaws. Sometimes we don’t get happy endings.

This is sometimes called the tragedy arc and it can be powerful when done well. This is about a character that is faced with their inner flaws or lies and fails to overcome them. By the end of the story they will have changed for the worse.

How To Write Character Arcs

Simply identifying a few core elements of our character arc can provide us with a solid foundation to work with.

Identify:

• Your character’s goals (this is what will drive them to change)
• Your character’s faults/lies they believe/baggage to overcome (if any)
• The truth your character believes (or will need to learn)
• Whether your character will succeed or fail in learning the truth/clinging to the truth/overcoming faults

These elements provide the backbone of our character arc.

If your novel follows the typical 3 Act Structure, we should see the character change tied to the overall plot of the story.

• Act 1: introducing a character’s beliefs, goals, and faults
• Act 2: character discovers their faults/lies or the faults/lies in the world around them
• Act 3: character either overcomes their faults (positive arc), stays strong in the face of challenges (straight arc), or fails to overcome faults/lies (negative arc)

Following this structure isn’t required of course!

Yet these arc types have elements that resonate with us because they can demonstrate a character’s inner struggle in a relatable way.

I hope we can use these principles to create our own dynamic and engaging characters that drive our stories and make them come alive!

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For further reading on character arcs:

How to Write a Compelling Character Arc– Reedsy

The 3 Types of Character Arc- Change, Grow and Fall – Veronica Sicoe

How to Write Character Arcs – Helping Writers Become Authors

Ten Movies with Strong Character Arcs – Mythcreants