Characters And Their Arcs ����

���A story onlymatters, I suspect, to the extent that the people in the story change.���

��� Neil Gaiman

Characters are theheart and soul of every story. They bring it to life, allowing the fictionalworld between the pages to become a part of the reader���s imagination. But morethan that, characters evolve. The story is their journey.

 

It got me tothinking about the writing process and the importance of character arcs.Today���s blog post is a few words about my approach with examples from the Beyond Androva series. I should point out that I���mfar from an expert, and no two writers will have an identical experience.Characters are endlessly diverse, unpredictable, and stubborn too! It oftenfeels like they have their own ideas about the way they should be written.

 

At the start of eachnew book, I create a basic three-point plan for the protagonist: ���������

 

**In this context, planis not the same thing as a story outline. I���ve mentioned in previous posts thatI���m a pantser���someone who ���writes by the seat of their pants������which means I���mnot great at planning the story in advance**

 

Likable

I think theprotagonist should be someone the reader can root for. They don���t have to beperfect���because perfection isn���t appealing or realistic!���but having a fewlikable traits is a good starting point. My hope is that readers will careabout my protagonist(s) enough to want to find out what happens to them.

 

Matched in Magic(Serena): She���s brave, loyal, and creative.

Engraved in Magic(Art): He���s kind, modest, and determined.

Lost in Magic(Kellan): He���s smart, adventurous, and funny.

 

Relatable

Every protagonistneeds a few challenges. Some of the challenges are due to externalcircumstances while others are more internal. I guess you could call themcharacter flaws, or maybe idiosyncrasies would be a better term! Whatever youcall them, they give the reader something to empathise and/or identify with.It���s easier to become emotionally invested in a character that has room togrow, and it helps to define the starting point of their arc.

 

Matched in Magic(Serena): She���s impulsive. She gets frustrated with herbrother���s attempts to protect her. She wants to escape her past by making afresh start.

Engraved in Magic(Art): He���s been told his whole life that he���s lessthan, and he believes it. He has no autonomy. He���s scared of the future.

Lost in Magic(Kellan): He���s overconfident. He doesn���t trust anyone buthimself. He���s determined not to make any friends or to let down his guard when he gets out of the Dimension Cell.

 

Believable

The protagonist���sjourney has to be convincing. Someone shy and retiring, for example, is nevergoing to become super confident, no matter how many challenges theysuccessfully overcome. What they can do instead is learn how to take a fewrisks and trust their instincts. They can surprise themselves.

I also think it���simportant the ending makes sense. Each protagonist should get the chance todefeat their opposing villain in a way that gives them closure. It wouldn���t begreat to arrive at the end of the story and leave the protagonist stuck halfwaythrough their arc.

(The character infobelow is deliberately cryptic to avoid spoilers���)

 

Matched in Magic(Serena): The people she meets in Xytovia challenge herto think and behave differently.

Engraved in Magic(Art): He discovers something about his magic thatforces him to re-evaluate who he is and what he���s capable of.

Lost in Magic(Kellan): Everything he thought he knew about his past isturned on its head, and he has to reconsider the kind of person he wants to be.

 

If you���ve read anyof the Beyond Androva books, you may or may not agree with my characterassessments! Right now, I���m working on book four, and I have a brand-newprotagonist. Averine���s arc is interesting to figure out because she was partwaythrough her story when her character was introduced in Lost in Magic. Thatmeans I���m writing toward a fixed reference point, which is something I haven���tdone since Galen���s book.

 

Do you have afavourite character arc as a reader? I would find it hard to choose because Ilike all kinds, as long as they end well. I���m definitely a fan of happyendings. I hope you enjoyed today���s post, and thank you very much forvisiting my blog ����.