Characterology 3 Character’s Arcs 1

Greetings, Neophyte, Timmy! Let’s dive deeper into our exploration of characters. Today, we’re delving into Character Arcs. In fiction, a character arc refers to the journey or transformation that a character undergoes throughout the course of a story. It’s all about the development, growth, or change in the character’s personality, beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Character arcs often follow a trajectory from an initial state to a final state, with the character facing challenges, conflicts, and moments of self-discovery along the way. These arcs can be positive, like a character overcoming obstacles and evolving into a better person, or negative, such as a descent into darkness or corruption. Ultimately, character arcs are crucial for crafting dynamic and compelling characters that readers or viewers can truly connect with and root for.

Now, let’s talk about why people often refer to these arcs as “Character’s journeys.” There’s a significant difference between external conflicts and inner conflicts. You can embark on an adventure, sure, but if that adventure doesn’t change you in some profound way, then you might as well have spent your time at a cookie-cutter beach resort, where you relax and do nothing of real importance.

Yes, it’s been a while! Apologies for the absence, but even this teacher has a life outside these lessons. Now, back to our topic. Building upon our previous discussion, Character Arcs don’t involve decorative arcs in characters’ bedrooms; rather, they refer to the internal journeys characters undergo. These journeys involve struggle, growth, maturation, and evolution—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But what’s crucial is that readers or audiences perceive a change and understand that it mattered.

Remember when we talked about the differences between flat characters, round characters, and the rest? You might think that the main distinction lies in whether characters grow or not. That’s partially true, but it’s a bit more nuanced than that. Even static characters can have their own arcs.

Now, let’s get to the point. Nearly every kind of character can have a character arc—it depends on what the story demands and what you can effectively write. From the most minor characters to protagonists and villains, everyone’s fair game.

Let’s consider an example from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Take the character of James “Rhody” Rhodes, also known as War Machine. While he’s significant within the Iron Man movies, he’s not as crucial to the larger storyline. His main internal struggle revolves around his trust in the government and the military, it could be said that they are the pillars of his life. However, as the main conflict unfolds, with the government and military opposing the heroes, he comes to accept that they can be obstacles and detriments. He joins the heroes in their fight to save the world, realizing that he must go his own way. His personal struggle is resolved before the final confrontation, although there’s still plenty of plot to navigate through.

That, Timmy, is a character arc. Now, about that purple paint… oh, no, there aren’t any more Thanos movies. I’m sorry. Let’s refocus and continue our discussion

A Character Arc operates in a similar fashion, representing the inner conflict within a character. While it may often be related to the main plot, there’s always a chance that it’s not. Keeping with the example of “Rhody” his inner conflict revolves in his utter trust of the institutions that he built his life upon, bu the people of said institutions are trying to enforce treaties and rules that put the world in danger, his struggles within is knowing which is the righteous and correct path but still clinging to what he has believed whole life. The resolution to that minor yet important conflict for a relative minor character is gives the audience satisfaction, a conflict that is tangential to the main plot.

When you’re developing your characters with their own arcs, don’t tie them too tightly to the plot—at least not in a way that restricts your writing. Allow me to clarify with an example.

Imagine you have a crucial exam coming up at the end of the year—one that requires extensive studying, personal sacrifices, and a significant financial investment in the course and for a right to sit for the exam itself. Added to this pressure are your own fears and insecurities. Leading up to the big day, you’re putting in countless hours of studying, sacrificing socializing and leisure time. When the day arrives, despite standing at the examination office’s gate, you’re still terrified, with little sleep and sky-high stress levels. However, as you cross the threshold, you somehow come to terms with the situation. Your insecurity melts away, not necessarily replaced by confidence, but by acceptance that you’ve done everything in your power to prepare. Everything else is just anxiety-driven stress out of fear. With that, your character arc is complete, and you just need to wrap up the plot.

In fiction, characters often need to deal with their internal struggles before they can confront external challenges and that is the most relatable part of the entire thing. People can´t related with the struggle of the Chosen one that needs to fight the Big Bad to save the world but with the human underneath the title? The very human fears and securities and hopes? That is what the audience can relate to. Sometimes, the main battle is the internal one, while other times, it’s caused by the plot itself. The combinations are endless.

I’ve noticed many commentators and well-meaning influencers discussing plots and character struggles as though they’re inseparable partners. While it’s true that they often intertwine, it’s not always a toxic relationship. Just like with my exam example, the inner conflict caused by something external can be resolved before the external issue is resolved. I know it might sound confusing, and unfortunately, we’re out of time for today. We’ll continue to explore Character Arcs in our next session.