Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development

by K.M. Weiland

Questions to Ask About Your Character’s Arc in the First Half of the Second Act 1. How is your character reacting to the First Plot Point? 2. What “tools” can you provide to help your character build the first rung in the ladder that will scale his Lie? 3. What minor character can offer advice or exemplary behavior to help mentor your protagonist? 4. How can you show the protagonist the first step in overcoming his Lie, instead of just telling him about it? 5. How will your character attempt to use his Lie to solve plot problems? 6. How will he be “punished” as a result? 7. How will these failures evolve your character’s outlook and tactics? 8. How will your character’s single-minded pursuit of his plot goal lead him closer to the Thing He Wants? 9. How will his pursuit of the Thing He Wants cause him to risk turning farther away from the Thing He Needs? 10. After the First Plot Point, how will the new world or the altered Normal World provide the character with a glimpse of how life might be without his Lie?