forum Advice on building character arcs

Started July 27, 2018 by @Paperok

tune

?

Some questions to ask yourself:
-What is the character like now?
-How will they have changed by the end of the story and how do I show that?
-How will I get them to that point?
-How does this change impact their life and how do I show that?
-That's literally it.
Also, remember that the character changes gradually. There can be a "moment of realization" or something like that, but you have to make sure to include signs throughout the story that the character is changing.
Sorry the advice was so vague; maybe with context I could help more?

what also helps is asking yourself what the character wants.
-what is their short-term goal?
-what is their long-term goal?
-what or who stands in their way and why?

Short-term goals may support the long-term goal. for example, their short-term goal might be finding out who killed their parents so they can realize their long-term goal of becoming an amazing detective.

I've been using the seven questions of character development. I think it was in a book, but I first saw it on a video. They are:

1. What does your character want more than anything?
2. What does your character need more than anything?
3. How do their wants and needs clash to create internal conflict?
4. What is their conflict with the world, and how does it play into their internal conflict?
5. What are their conflicts with other characters, and how does it play into their internal conflict?
6. How does your character change?
7. What impact does this change have on the world/characters around them?

1. What does your character want more than anything?
2. What does your character need more than anything?
3. How do their wants and needs clash to create internal conflict?
4. What is their conflict with the world, and how does it play into their internal conflict?
5. What are their conflicts with other characters, and how does it play into their internal conflict?
6. How does your character change?
7. What impact does this change have on the world/characters around them?

This is a good list. Those are all questions that are easy to forget about and give writers an opportunity/ doorway into developing characters even further.