(Laughs) You're so funny! You’re so funny, girl! Aaargh! (Cliff, offscreen) She said you’ve been working all
day! No play time! (Jenna) No play time for Butters! (Cliff, as Butters) It’s pissing me off! (Jenna) She just wants to play. Look
at her go! Look at her go!
(Music) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! Today I'm continuing our discussion on
character development with one of the most popular concepts on the topic, and that is character arcs!
A lot of you have asked me about character arcs, what are they, what makes ‘em good, are they
necessary, and so on. This is something a lot of writers stress over and the truth is they're
actually pretty simple. Calm down, you're probably over complicating it! Before we get started, I got
to give my props to Audible, who has generously sponsored today's video! If you haven't heard
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best of all, The Savior's Champion is available on Audible! If you like dark fantasy, action,
or romance, or if you want to learn more about character arcs firsthand by listening to one,
you know what to do! Check out TSC on Audible right now! You can get your first audiobook
for free, plus two Audible Originals when you try Audible for 30 days! All you have to do is visit
Audible.com/jennamoreci, or text JENNAMORECI to 500 500. You know what your free audiobook could
be? The Savior's Champion, I'm just saying! On to today's topic! I'm answering your 10 most popular
questions about character arcs in three, two, one, go! Number One (1): What is a character
arc? A character arc is the transformation of a character during the course of the plot. The
character starts off as one person, then due to the events in the story, develops and changes into
someone else. There are a bunch of different types of character arcs. I have seen some surprisingly
long lists. Is that really necessary? But the three most common types of character arcs that
you'll hear about are positive, negative, and flat arcs. Number Two (2): Which characters should have
a character arc? Pretty much any character who isn't relegated to the background can have an arc,
but the most important character arc will always belong to the main character. It's
worth mentioning that not all main characters will have an arc. It completely depends on the
story being told or the themes presented. But at least half the stories out there will include a
main character who experiences an arc. Number Three (3): Why do characters undergo an arc?
There are many reasons a person can change over time. Maybe it's a result of their environment.
Maybe it's a reaction to their trauma. Maybe they grow the fuck up! But in fiction, the character
arc is usually instigated by the inciting incident or conflict of the novel. Some kind of problem is
introduced in the story that the character needs to overcome, and they can't do that as the person
that they are at the beginning of the story. Thus, they need to work harder, learn new skills,
get a different view of the world, or whatever else it takes in order to tackle that problem.
By the end of the story, they've resolved their issue and are walking away a new person because
of it. Number Four (4): How do I write a character arc? Honestly, arcs really aren't that technical.
The goal is to introduce a character, screw with their lives a bit, and have them change
as a result of it. Simple, right? That said, there are three components to keep in mind when planning
your arc. The first is your character’s problem or motivation. What the hell are they trying to
achieve? It could be world domination. It could be snagging a girlfriend. It could be survival.
This goal or difficulty will ultimately be their impetus for change. The next point is commonly
referred to as ‘the lie.’ Your character is under some kind of false impression that prevents them
from tackling whatever problem you've created. Maybe your character believes the government
is all-powerful and good, when in actuality it's corrupt. Sometimes, but not ALL the time,
the lie is manifested as a flaw in your character. Maybe the character believes money is the most
important thing in the world, thus they’re greedy as shit. Whatever the lie is and however it
manifests in your character, it prevents them from moving forward. The last component is the truth,
which is when the character realizes they were wrong and embraces whatever they need to do in
order to accomplish their goal. (To Butters) Do you believe the truth? Oh! (To Viewer) Your character
has learned the truth about their government, embraces their vigilante training, and is ready
to fight back. This kind of transformation happens in the real world with people all the time. It's
just that in fiction, the stakes are often much more dramatic. Number Five (5): How should I
pace a character arc? Obviously, this depends on your story or structure. However, there is a
general guide for how the arc should progress, particularly if it's for your main character.
The first phase occurs in the first act of your novel, otherwise known as the inciting incident.
At this time, your character is presented with the conflict, but they can't yet successfully
manage it due to that pesky lie. Then we move on to the second act, or the rising action,
which takes up a bulk of your story. This is when the character attempts to solve their problem,
only to fall flat on their ass. Usually, the problem they're dealing with gets worse,
and thus your character starts to change in order to handle it. Lastly, there's the third act,
or the climax and resolution. This is when the transformation is complete. The character is a
new person. They solve their problem, and thus you've written their full arc. Number Six (6):
What's a positive character arc? This is going to shock you, but a positive character arc is when a
character changes in a POSITIVE way. Mind blown! Basically, the character comes out a better person
or makes the world around them better in some way. This includes overcoming hardships or personal
demons. It can include the hero saving the day. It could also include the character finally embracing
love and living happily ever after. Number Seven (7): What's a negative character arc? You'll never
guess! Positive character arc means the character betters themselves or the world around them, and
a negative character arc is the exact opposite. Either they become a complete fucking mess or
they make the world around them a fucking mess. Lovely! Number Eight (8): What is a flat character
arc? A flat character arc is when a character doesn't change throughout the story. “But Jenna,
doesn't that mean they just don't have a character arc?” You'd think so, but writers
like to overcomplicate EVERYTHING. With a flat character arc, the character in question never
believes ‘the lie.’ They've known the truth since the beginning. The truth may be tested throughout
the story. They may doubt themselves from time to time. But overall, they will always act in regard
to the truth. Because of this, they don't change internally. Instead, they change the world around
them. Number Nine (9): What if I’m writing a series? When it comes to a series, you got
two options. Either the character’s arc can happen progressively throughout the course of the series,
or the character can have one arc per book in the series. The option you choose will depend
on the characters involved and the plot they're navigating. Oftentimes if the series covers
one comprehensive story, then you'll get one overall arc, whereas if the series is episodic,
then you'll get lots of mini arcs. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. There are
always exceptions! If you're writing one character arc per book, then all you gotta do is the shit I
already listed. Bing-bang-boom. Ya done! But if you're writing one character arc that covers a
series of books, you STILL gotta do the shit I already listed, just lay it out over a much
longer period of time. Instead of dividing the transformation between acts, you'll be
dividing the transformation between different books within the series. And Number Ten (10):
What are some character arc no-nos? Typically, character arc no-nos tend to relate to two
underlying issues: intensity and pacing. With pacing, it's important to keep in mind that a
character arc should span over the course of an entire book or series. Sometimes writers forget
to give their character any growth or change, and then once the climax comes, they try to
cram every step of the arc into that one scene. Readers aren't gonna like that shit! Ya done
fucked up. The other issue is intensity. Namely, when there is none. You hear a lot of readers
complaining about stories where the resolution didn't feel earned, which essentially means that
the conflict was too easy. If your character isn't busting their ass throughout their transformation,
then the arc is going to feel weak. Make sure the stakes are appropriately challenging for the story
at hand. The last no-no is if the transformation happens off-page. It's fine for your characters
to grow or change in other ways off page, but when it comes to their character arc–the change
in their personality that DIRECTLY AFFECTS the plot at hand–yeah, that needs to be shown to
the reader. You cannot explain that away in a time skip. Put it on the page. Let your readers
see the struggle and triumph! So that's all I got for you today! Again, thank you to Audible
for sponsoring today's video! You can get your first audiobook for free, as well as two Audible
Originals when you try Audible for 30 days! All you have to do is visit Audible.com/jennamoreci
or text JENNAMORECI to 500 500. Your first free audiobook could be The Savior’s Champion! I've
heard it's a delight! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays,
and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell! And be sure to follow me on social
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