TECH: Character Arcs (Part 4) (540 words)
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writercisesOriginal Posting 9/6/2019
Aha! In Chapter 3 of Creating Character Arcs, (another concepts behind the writing chapter) K. M. Weiland brings in a ghost! After all, we have the Lie your character believes, what they want, and what they need. But why does the character believe this lie? What is haunting him? What is his ghost?Oh, what is the backstory behind all this! The character needs to change, but why? What made him or her believe this lie in the first place?K. M. points out that we are all survivors, but often we are too tightly focused. "We rationalize our actions and convince ourselves -- rightly or wrongly -- that the end justifies the means." In other words, there's a reason for the lie! What is it? That the ghost, the haunting cause... also known as the wound. Sometimes these are shocking, traumatic secrets. Sometimes they are smaller, ordinary. But they are there...."The bigger and more destructive the Lie, the more shocking and impactful the Ghost should be! Or, to flip that on its head: The bigger the Ghost, the bigger the Lie, the bigger the Arc."Ghosts are often revealed as mysteries, bit by bit. Sometimes they are never revealed, just left as a mysterious secret. Or, on occasion, you might reveal the ghost right up front. Origin stories often do this. So. What is the Ghost haunting your character? Is it an ingrained belief, the result of a horrific event, or simple day-to-day belief?Some questions to help you with that Ghost.1. Why does the character believe the lie?2. Is there a notable event, with traumatic memories, behind the lie?3. If not, will there be a notable event in act one that traumatizes the character?4. Why does the character nourish this lie?5. How will the character benefit from the Truth?6. How big is the ghost? Would a bigger ghost make a stronger arc?7. Where in your story will you reveal the ghost? All at once in front? Slowly, through clues, with a big reveal late in the story?8. Does your story need the ghost to be revealed? Or should it merely haunt the edges?Now, we've got a chance to put together these concepts. There's the lie that the character believes, what the character wants, and what the character needs. Behind the lie, in the back story, we've got the ghost, the cause for the character to believe this lie. So, take a look at a story that you know very well with a positive character arc. You've already identified the lie, what the character wants, and what the character needs. Now look for the ghost. In this story, why does the character believe this lie? Is there a traumatic event in the past, or early in the story? Is the reason for this belief revealed in the story? At the beginning, or at the end?There you have it. Four concepts that help us build inner conflict and a strong character arc. The lie, the want, the need, and the ghost. With those in hand, in Chapter 4, K. M. turns to writing a character arc, starting with the first appearance of the character, the protagonist. We'll look at that in the next episode of the series.
Aha! In Chapter 3 of Creating Character Arcs, (another concepts behind the writing chapter) K. M. Weiland brings in a ghost! After all, we have the Lie your character believes, what they want, and what they need. But why does the character believe this lie? What is haunting him? What is his ghost?Oh, what is the backstory behind all this! The character needs to change, but why? What made him or her believe this lie in the first place?K. M. points out that we are all survivors, but often we are too tightly focused. "We rationalize our actions and convince ourselves -- rightly or wrongly -- that the end justifies the means." In other words, there's a reason for the lie! What is it? That the ghost, the haunting cause... also known as the wound. Sometimes these are shocking, traumatic secrets. Sometimes they are smaller, ordinary. But they are there...."The bigger and more destructive the Lie, the more shocking and impactful the Ghost should be! Or, to flip that on its head: The bigger the Ghost, the bigger the Lie, the bigger the Arc."Ghosts are often revealed as mysteries, bit by bit. Sometimes they are never revealed, just left as a mysterious secret. Or, on occasion, you might reveal the ghost right up front. Origin stories often do this. So. What is the Ghost haunting your character? Is it an ingrained belief, the result of a horrific event, or simple day-to-day belief?Some questions to help you with that Ghost.1. Why does the character believe the lie?2. Is there a notable event, with traumatic memories, behind the lie?3. If not, will there be a notable event in act one that traumatizes the character?4. Why does the character nourish this lie?5. How will the character benefit from the Truth?6. How big is the ghost? Would a bigger ghost make a stronger arc?7. Where in your story will you reveal the ghost? All at once in front? Slowly, through clues, with a big reveal late in the story?8. Does your story need the ghost to be revealed? Or should it merely haunt the edges?Now, we've got a chance to put together these concepts. There's the lie that the character believes, what the character wants, and what the character needs. Behind the lie, in the back story, we've got the ghost, the cause for the character to believe this lie. So, take a look at a story that you know very well with a positive character arc. You've already identified the lie, what the character wants, and what the character needs. Now look for the ghost. In this story, why does the character believe this lie? Is there a traumatic event in the past, or early in the story? Is the reason for this belief revealed in the story? At the beginning, or at the end?There you have it. Four concepts that help us build inner conflict and a strong character arc. The lie, the want, the need, and the ghost. With those in hand, in Chapter 4, K. M. turns to writing a character arc, starting with the first appearance of the character, the protagonist. We'll look at that in the next episode of the series.