Creating Compelling Character Arcs

8 July 202017 June 2020
by Emilie Morscheck

I’ve been planning a new trilogy (Bleed For Me), and for the first time, I’ve really delved deep into character creation. A new area of interest for me is in planning character arcs.

There are a few kinds of arcs that a character can go through: transformation, growth, fall and static. In all of these arcs except for the static arc, the character will change in some way. The transformation and growth arcs are very similar, but the transformation arc requires the characters core beliefs to change. With a growth arc, the character can become stronger, more powerful or more skilled, but their beliefs don’t necessarily have to be challenged. The fall arc involves the character losing their way and is often associated with the antagonist.

To help me work out a balanced character arc. I’ve developed a method which involves choosing the kind of arc, and determining the narrative purpose for the character. After that, I work out what I want my character to look like at the end of the book (or series), and work backwards to the beginning of the book. Working backwards helps trick your brain into making sure each step is logical and will help reach the end goal.

It looks a bit like this (downloads at the end):

This worksheet assumes that the character will go through a transformation arc.

Filled out, it looks something like this:

Claudine is one of the main characters in my new series. I decided that I want to give her a transformation arc over the course of three books. The image above includes her arc from the first book in the trilogy.

My first step was to determine her narrative purpose – why I felt compelled to write her, and what I hoped to use her to illustrate. This could be expressed as a statement or question. In Bleed For Me, the question I want to use Claudine to answer is:

How do you become strong enough to face your past?

I used this question to inform the larger themes of the book as well as suggest the journey Claudine will go through. It also helps suggest the end state for Claudine. As you can see in the image, Claudine needs to learn to trust others so that she can become strong enough to face her past. I set the initial state as the opposite of the end state: Claudine is someone who believes she can only trust herself.

The next steps are easy to fill out. What transformation does she have to go through in order to learn to trust others? Well, Claudine will need to see that her old belief is harmful and change her ways. Keep asking these questions until you fill out all of the boxes. Each step should be logical.

In order to allow the change to occur, the character has to make a choice. This can be physical, mental or spiritual, but it should reflect the transition between each of the states. More complex arcs will have more points in between and possibly combinations of arc types.

From here, I will need to integrate these points into my outline. It will help me determine which chapters might be good to show from Claudine’s perspective. It can help me come up with scenes. It will also help me determine how I can continue to develop Claudine in books 2 and 3.

It can be fun to develop these for your other primary characters. How does the antagonist reflect the protagonist? Do other characters play a part in the main character’s arc?

How do you create compelling character arcs? What’s your favourite kind of arc? What tools do you find useful for plotting?

Download the worksheet here:

Creating-Compelling-Character-Arcs_EMorscheck Download

Writing Tips

YA Analysis: Seafire

24 June 202014 June 2020
by Emilie Morscheck

This post is a part of a series for my blog where I break down YA novels. It’s not a review, but rather an analysis of what I liked and disliked within a YA context. This post’s analysis is about Seafire by Natalie C. Parker.

What I liked:

Female-led cast
- Why it worked: There are women of all kinds of ability in the main cast showing a diverse range of ‘strong’ female characters. Strength is represented in many ways and provides some great examples for building female characters. Seafire also provides stellar examples on female-female friendships and the power of sisterhood.
Fast-paced plot
- Why it worked: Pulled me through the story. There was a strong sense of momentum without being overpowering or overwhelming. Chapters are short and sharp with their own conflicts. A few slower chapters balance the pacing and provide reflective moments.
Setting details
- Why it worked: In a story mostly set at sea, Seafire does a great job at adding texture to the ocean environment. The descriptions rarely feel repetitive and each part of the sea has its own flavour.

What I disliked:

Worldbuilding
- Why it didn’t work: The world feels hollow. Every piece of information was to further the plot or enhance a conflict. While this is normally good, there was foreshadowing. This leaves the reader knowing that the next location is there to further the plot, rather than being a part of a fleshed-out world. Locations exist in silos. Could have used a little more detail.
Character Histories
- Why it didn’t work: For the same reason as the world-building, the character histories and motivations felt hollow. It was hard to get a sense that any of the characters existed before the plot of the book begins. Motivations are one-note and tied into defeating the villain. I think the book starts too late and could have given a bit more space to understanding the journey the character has been through.
Action scenes
- Why it didn’t work: The action scenes, while fun, lacked a certain punch. Reactions often aren’t realistic and serious injuries are shrugged off. The stakes never really feel that high as the characters move on quickly from the pain. There are minor character deaths, but these feel underused, and mainly service the main plot, rather than developing an emotional response.

Writing Tips

YA Analysis: Six of Crows

20 May 202020 May 2020
by Emilie Morscheck

This post is the first in a series for my blog where I break down YA novels. It’s not a review, but rather an analysis of what I liked and disliked within a YA context. This post’s analysis is about Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

What I liked:

Multiple perspectives
- Why it worked: The multiple perspectives were all unique and gave multiple viewpoints into a complex world. Each character had a strong motivation for why they were a part of the story.
Fast-paced plot
- Why it worked: For a surprisingly large book (130,000+ words?) the plot did not slow down. There was lots of action the whole way through with enough moments of reflection to not exhaust the reader. A great example of pacing for YA.
Worldbuilding
- Why it worked: The Grishaverse is a diverse world with lots to explore. There are cultures, races and class systems that are unique. The strength of this book is that there are no info dumps to explain these aspects of the world. The important aspects are shown or briefly explained. The characters feel like they’re moving through a real world.

What I disliked:

The first two chapters
- Why it didn’t work: There is a lot of information thrown in here (not an info dump) with lots of characters, some who are inconsequential to the rest of the plot. Perhaps the second chapter would be an exciting scene in a film or show but I was left confused and overwhelmed.
The withholding of character backstory
- Kaz, the leader of the heist team, doesn’t have his key character backstory revealed until over halfway through the book. I would have like to have seen it sooner to build empathy for his character and explain his motivations upfront.