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Last time we talked a little about Character Arc in general.
Today we’re going to look at the various aspects that shape that character arc.
I love chatting about characters because they’re the bedrock of your novel, and
one of the aspects that makes for a great story is watching these characters
grow, change, and (in HEA books) become better/stronger than they were in the
beginning of the book.
I posted a picture of Gandalf the Grey because I absolutely love his character - AND Ian McKellen does a superb job of playing him.
Again, what is a character arc? Well, it's the growth, or
decline, of a character overtime. In most of the novels we read, the character
arc is a growth from a lesser developed character to a more developed one.
I’m
focusing my discussion on character growth
instead of decline, since most books take this perspective.
Just
like "real people", characters are shaped by several different
aspects of their environment. We can incorporate one main ‘shaper’ into our
novels, or use a variety of them. Here are the primary character ‘shapers’.
1.
Circumstances
Lots of novels use circumstances to shape
characters. These can be circumstances from the past (which is a big one) or
those happening in the story’s present. For example, in my debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, my heroine struggles
with a very deep wound from her past (her father’s abuse), but is also faced
with countless circumstances in her present (jilted, Lusitania, war). These circumstances have shaped who she has become
and also continue to shape her growth.
2.
Other people
Both in the past and present, characters are
shaped by those people around them. In A
Twist of Faith, my heroine, Dee Roseland, has most of her character arc
through her relationships with the people in her present life that contradict
the distorted relationships she knew from her past. Circumstances influence her
some, but the biggest ‘shapers’ in her character arc are the people in her
life.
3.
A character’s own self
talk
This may sound weird, but it’s powerfully true –
not just for our characters but for ourselves. The voice we hear the most, is
the one in our heads. Our own. It has an amazing about of influence on our
thought patterns, actions, and growth. That’s why what we tell ourselves has
such a lasting impact on us – so filling our minds with Scripture is a mighty
weapon against the ‘lies’ that many times sneak into our self-talk. The same
thing happens to our characters. What lies are they telling themselves that
must be changed in order for them to become who they need to be by the end of
the story? In my upcoming novel, Just the Way You Are, my heroine does a whole lot of self-talking, and the reader gets to watch how her insecurity-talk changes as she moves through the story.
4.
Remember, shapers are
purposefully placed tools in the hands of an author. Usually, they’re not halfhazard designs to add a little pizzazz,
but strategically placed plot points to deepen a character’s arc. Just as God “works
all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according
to his purpose”, as authors, the ‘shapers’ we place in our characters’ lives
serve a purpose – a plan.
As a side note: Sometimes
the character arcs are very clear for the protagonist, and sometimes the greater
character arc happens in different characters than the protagonist, because of
the protagonist’s existence. I think Darcy and Lizzie grew a little as
characters because of the influence of each other in their lives, right?
So…what are some shapers
you’ve noticed in what you’re reading or writing? Do those shapers usually come
in the form of people or other things?
Share your thoughts :-)
Very nicely and succinctly expressed! Thanks!
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