1. Introduction
2. The Importance of Character Arcs
3. Elements of a Strong Character Arc
4. Archetypes and Common Character Arcs
5. Crafting Character Arcs in Speculative Fiction
6. Writing Exercise: Crafting a Dynamic Character Arc
7. Conclusion

Introduction

The last time we talked about characters, it was regarding the Protagonist with Unique Powers. There you learned about what a multidimensional protagonist is, what power systems are, and how to develop both. Each part influenced the other, as Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories often show, where the world-building is just as integral to the character as vice versa. It’s often when you hear people talking about the setting as a character that you find the multidimensional protagonist as well. That’s great and all for the protagonist, but how do we write characters that transform?

In today’s post, we’ll look at character arcs and how transformation can happen in different ways, for the character and the world around them.

The Importance of Character Arcs

Character arcs are a powerful way to not only create better characters, but to keep your readers engaged in your stories. Non-writers might not pick up on this, but they might feel like the character doesn’t seem right or that their actions don’t match their personality. These moments are where well-developed character arcs come in. Don’t look at these as formulaic, but as guideposts through accepted human behavioral responses.

In today’s competitive entertainment industry, it’s crucial to provide readers with a relatable character they can connect with on an emotional level. Why has Harry Potter defined a generation? Because we were given characters, we can relate to on some level and understand the basic levels of the challenges the boy who lived, and his friends, went through. Or you fall in love with characters for how they inspire you through their growth, as with Prince Zuko.

These and many other characters impact our lives and that’s what we’re trying to do for our readers as well. But what happens when your characters don’t have the arc?

You will often hear about the debate over round and flat characters. Hell, most writing advice encourages you to create only round characters. If you want to review more on round vs. flat characters, check out this article. (It’s the most visited post of my site!) Why do we care so much about arced characters? Because they’re more relatable. How many Captain America personalities do you really know? While Captain America always bleeds red, white, and blue, the rest of us and our characters have flaws and exceptions that we allow to pull us in unexpected directions. But you can have flat characters as a main character in a story as seen by Sherlock Holmes. So, what’s the difference? The difference comes in between static and dynamic characters, not round versus flat.

A static character who doesn’t transform themselves or the world around them is going to be a dull character. Now, these characters are needed to fill out your story, as brought up in the previous post, but we don’t want our focal point characters to be static. A static character who does not transform is less compelling than one who evolves over the course of the story. The lack of transformation doesn’t mean static characters can’t be interesting, as they are a key construct that many readers relate to as they explore the struggles with your dynamic characters. These characters often appear as supporting roles and the story doesn’t focus on them.

A dynamic character can be summarized as one who goes through a significant inner change across the story. Most of your main/major characters will be dynamic characters. The reason you find dynamic aspects in your main/major characters is because you need them to be the most interesting characters for your readers to engage with. They are the most likely characters to go through an external and internal change. These changes aren’t always clearly stated, but are a central part of the story. Dynamic characters are also where you find recognizable character arcs layered into the plot of the story. This is not to be confused with round, which is just a well-developed character who exists on more than one plane. If you’re unfamiliar with consciously creating a dynamic character, then character archetypes are a great tool. You may realize you’re naturally hitting many of the points that check the dynamic character check boxes.

Character arcs drive the story forward and keep readers engaged, so what makes a strong character arc?

Elements of a Strong Character Arc

• Flaws, weaknesses, issues
  • You’ve probably heard this piece of advice a million times, so why is it constantly repeated? Because even though readers may use your story to escape their struggles, it’s also a bonding moment for the reader to understand, compare, or learn of new flaws, weaknesses, and issues the character has to overcome. Writing stories in the fantasy and science fiction genres can offer a way to present mental illness, physical weakness, and interpersonal issues through different names. A fantasy species of elf fighting the disconnection with nature can be a representation of depression without calling it that. Your readers will naturally associate traits with what they understand or experience. They or someone they know may have the flaw of arrogance and when they see how other characters interact with them, they relate because they know how they’ve interacted with those people.
• Triggers
  • The buzz word here is an inciting incident, but I’ve always mentally struggled with that term. So, I like to call the moment in the story where the character kicks off the transformation of the story the trigger. Imagine the trigger of a gun when you pull it. There’s an initial spark that propels the character forward. This can be a small thing like a firing pin, or an event, depressing the collection of powder, in this case the character. The results are the character driving toward a goal that things may get in the way, but the character isn’t stopping until they reach their goal. Don’t forget that the initial goal can always change.
• Tests, conflicts, setbacks
  • No path is completely smooth. Even when you drive down a paved road, you’ll eventually find pot holes, whether that’s because of time, weather, or mechanical causes. Your characters will run into pot holes, severe weather, angry drivers, or breakdowns as they work toward their goal. Your readers will appreciate this as they can relate to being on the way to something important and somehow everything that can go wrong does. Make your character face tests to measure how strong their resolve truly is.
• Mirrored Moments
  • Using mirrored moments is a great way to show the character has learned from earlier challenges. The lessons learned becomes the most important in the climactic moments of your story. Your character’s climax is recommended to be the culmination of all of their lessons, failures, and challenges up to that point of the story. By using mirrored scenes, you can help build references for your reader to understand where the climax stemmed.
• Growth
  • We’ve hit on this a lot already, so I’ll keep this simple. Readers are more likely to immerse in your world if they can see the character go from point A to point Z, and experience a transformation along the path.

Archetypes and Common Character Arcs

One tool you can use for developing dynamic character arcs is different archetypes. An archetype is a literary device used to create characters based on a set of established qualities or traits that readers can easily recognize. I recently finished “Writing Archetypal Character Arcs: The Hero’s Journey and Beyond” by K.M. Weiland. This is a phenomenal resource that gives you positive, negative, and flat character arcs to use in your writing. To call out the obvious, The Hero’s Journey is one of the most popular and recognizable character archetypes. But not every character can go on the Hero’s Journey again and again while maintaining reader interest. So what are some other archetypes you can use?

While these archetypes aren’t in the book mentioned above, I recommend researching the ones that are most interesting to you. Here are a few archetypes you can look into:

• Lover: This archetype guides a character with obsessions around emotions and passions of the heart. You can find examples of this archetype in stories like Kiya from “A Fire Upon the Deep” by Vernor Vinge, Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series, and Orpheus from Orpheus and Euridice.
• Hero: The protagonist will take on the main story problem. Find examples of the Hero Archetype in stories like Egwene al’Vere from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Paul Atreides from “Dune” by Frank Herbert, and Jamie Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.
• Magician: The Magician is your character who fully wields their power and uses universal forces to complete their story. Explore this archetype through characters like Yennefer of Vengerberg from The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski, the Bene Gesserit witches from Dune by Frank Herbert, and Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Series.
• Everyman: The everyman is often recognized as average, relatable, and found in everyday life. I’m sure there are a few people you can think of from your own life that fall into this archetype, but you find more examples in literature for a more solid arc. Examples include Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
• Ruler: This archetype is for characters with power over others in a literal or metaphorical way. Look at the following examples for a better understanding: Emperor Maud’Dib in the Dune series by Frank Herbert, Queen Elizabeth I from The Virgin Queen by Alison Weir, and T’Challa from Black Panther.
• Redemption: This arc is for characters that you want to take from the bad side of the page to the good in the readers’ books. You’ll often find these are the unfavorable characters becoming the loved characters. Find examples of this archetype through characters like Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

You may notice that some of these names appear on multiple archetypes and multiple archetypes appear in the same story. If you remember from earlier conversations about character arcs, they can span a book, a series, even chapters. Some archetypes, like the everyman are only intended to be the introduction just before the trigger sets the character onto their next path. I highly recommend taking the time to research as many archetypes as you can as you build your writing toolbox. Will you be adding any of these to your toolbox? Or have you already been using them?

How do the above archetypes apply to science fiction and fantasy writers?

Crafting Character Arcs in Speculative Fiction

• Use the fantastical to represent change:
  • There are many ways to use fantastical elements to reflect your character’s inner change. A common trope can be seen in fantasy novels where the character cannot access their magic because of emotional trauma, their unable to let go of the past, and anything other lesson the character needs to learn. One way to use this in Science Fiction could be the lack of knowledge and lack of willingness to learn will keep the character from fully achieving their goal until they learn how to fully utilize their technology. Fantastical elements provide ample metaphors and externalizations of inner change. Find elements that you can use from your story to reflect your character’s inner change.
• Pull on your Power systems to dramatize transformation:
  • You can pull on the power systems you’ve created, as talked about in a previous post, to dramatize your character’s transformation. Think of those amazing scenes at the climax of the book where the main character has learned all of their lessons and is just about to lose the fight to the big bad. The character has that last piece of the puzzle fall into place and they access their magic, activate the advanced technology, or whatever else it is, and your reader is pulled into the moment to experience every layer of that power system’s potential. Scenes like these are usually the ones you want to share with all of your friends after you’ve read/written it. But by pulling on the power system you’ve already created to dramatize your character’s transformation, you’ve given the reader the promised pay-off, and the subconsciously promised proof of character growth.
• Analyze your world-building layers to create unique arcs:
  • Every new world created offers the chance to add original spins on traditional character arcs. Reference the layers of world-building you’ve already created and see in what way different races, abilities, and technologies can change aspects of a hero, redemption, or lover arc. Look back at the examples I offered above for each archetype and consider how the characters went on a similar “journey”, but we experienced different emotions with each of them. This piece of advice will have to be paired with your personal study of archetypes, character arcs, and reading a variety of stories to get the full impact of where you can transform your character arcs.
• Break all the rules:
  • Don’t forget that these rules are more like guidelines. If you don’t like a certain aspect, change it, and then reinforce the changes you made. I encourage you to access your power system of creativity and learn the lessons that will help you fully access your abilities. Each page you write is a new opportunity to learn, grow, and transform your talents.

Writing Exercise: Crafting a Dynamic Character Arc

1. Choose a character archetype that interests you from the ones mentioned in the article (e.g., Hero, Magician, Ruler, Redemption, etc.). Alternatively, you can create your own unique archetype inspired by your story’s world and premise.
2. Develop the core flaw, weakness, or issue that your character will struggle with throughout their journey. This should be something deeply rooted in their personality, beliefs, or circumstances that will serve as a catalyst for their transformation.
3. Identify the trigger event or inciting incident that sets your character on their transformative path. This could be a personal tragedy, a call to action, a discovery that challenges their worldview, or any event that disrupts their status quo and forces them to confront their flaw/weakness.
4. Map out a series of tests, conflicts, and setbacks that your character will face as they pursue their goal or quest. These challenges should progressively reveal different aspects of their flaw/weakness and force them to adapt and grow.
5. Incorporate mirrored moments or scenarios that parallel earlier challenges but allow your character to demonstrate the lessons they’ve learned and the growth they’ve undergone. These moments should showcase how they’ve transformed in response to previous failures or setbacks.
6. Determine how your character’s flaw, weakness, or issue will manifest itself in your story’s world and its fantastical or speculative elements. Will it affect their ability to wield magic, operate advanced technology, or navigate the unique challenges of your world? Explore ways to externalize their inner transformation through these story elements.
7. Build towards a climactic moment where your character must confront their flaw/weakness head-on, drawing upon the lessons they’ve learned and the growth they’ve experienced throughout their journey. This should be a powerful culmination of their character arc, showcasing their full transformation.
8. (Optional) If you’re writing a series or planning a longer character arc, consider how your character’s transformation in this story will set them up for new challenges and growth opportunities in the future.

Remember, this is just a framework – feel free to adapt, modify, or subvert these guidelines as needed to craft a dynamic and compelling character arc that fits your unique story and world.

Conclusion

Crafting dynamic character arcs is an essential skill for science fiction and fantasy writers. By layering flaws, triggers, tests, mirrored moments, and growth opportunities into your characters’ journeys, you can create multidimensional protagonists that resonate with readers on a profound level. Leverage the fantastical elements of your world-building to externalize inner transformations, and don’t be afraid to put unique spins on traditional archetypes. Most importantly, remember that character arcs are not rigid formulas but living, breathing narratives that should evolve organically from your story’s premise and themes.

With practice and a willingness to challenge conventions, you can breathe life into characters that inspire, captivate, and linger in the minds of your readers long after the final page is turned.

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