Character arc

Character's arc is the path a character takes over the course of the story. It focuses on the character’s growth and how their life changes as the story progresses.

Arc types:

TRANSFORMATIONAL - the character goes from a regular person to a hero

POSITIVE / NEGATIVE CHANGE - the character changes to a better / worse person

How to write a character's arc?

→ what does the character desire? What stops them from achieving it?

→ plan the plot in the way that allows the character to grow

→ what key events are going to happen and what effects will they have on the character?

→ if the character goes through some hardship and obstacles but isn't influenced by it one bit it's bad writing

→ make it dynamic; the character shouldn't just progress, in reality we all take steps forward and back, so keep it realistic

Planning the arc:

→ who is my character at the beginning of the story? What kind of issues do they deal with?

→ what incident is the moment they realize their desire? 

→ how do they proceed to achieve their goal? 

→ what flaws are enabling them to succeed?

→ how do they work on those flaws?

→ how does my character change throughout the story?

→ how is my character different at the end of the story compared to the beginning?

Arc examples also appear in my personal stories. In All of the lies we told Xan is leaving the toxic relationship behind and becomes a more honest person. Other story of mine, My Nepenthe, introduces Conn as he's learning how to live. There are many changes he's undergoing together with the side characters such as Nyle, Kirmi or Tessa.