Home Page › Forums › Fiction Writing › General Writing Discussions › Character Development Theme List!
- This topic has 12 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by Karissa Chmil.
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November 3, 2023 at 12:35 pm #162747
I have no idea how helpful this will be, so we’ll see! 🤪
I was trying to come up with several mini arcs for my character to go through over multiple books, and I wondered… do we have a list for this? A list of theme prompts to possibly be inspired by?
Basically, if you have an idea for a character arc, post it here! Even if it’s something you’re using in your story, themes are used again and again across literary history, so someone else may use it in a different, unrecognizable way. And it may be just the thing to wake up a dead brain, even if it isn’t used.
These can be positive arcs, negative, foil ideas, flat character ideas, anything!
I’ll post some ideas in a bit to give you an idea of what I mean 😉
“Everything is a mountain”
November 3, 2023 at 1:48 pm #162757I think every one of these can be categorized with each other in certain ways, because some of them stem from the same core beliefs. But this is just more specific ways the beliefs can manifest, ya know?
…
The most popular, at least that I’ve seen:
Learning to trust
Accepting that you are loved
Overcoming mental illness
Loving yourself/overcoming low self esteem
Other ideas I had just now:
Overcoming pride/learning to humble yourself
Accepting your own accomplishments are no more important than others’
Losing one’s prejudices
Learning to take initiative
Facing the fear of death
“Everything is a mountain”
November 3, 2023 at 3:32 pm #162767Oh, tags, duh.
@loopylin @freedomwriter76 @godlyfantasy12 @euodia-vision @smiley @esther-c @savannah_grace2009 @lydibug @hybridlore @highscribeofaetherium“Everything is a mountain”
November 3, 2023 at 3:40 pm #162770Awesome! Thanks for the tag and the topic! You’re right, I don’t think we do.. but this is really important. It should be pretty helpful!
WE ARE REVIVING THE PROTECTION SQUAD! *steals Joseph, Julian, and Sabina from Ellette*
November 3, 2023 at 3:54 pm #162772Cool topic idea! (Again)
I really struggle with simplifying my characters’ arcs/development into a single phrase or sentence, but here’s some attempts. (I wont say which characters they belong to)
- overcoming guilt/living like someone who is forgiven
- letting go of anger and bitterness
- overcoming fear of the future/ the unknown
- Learning that your future isn’t entirely in your control and that that is ok
- letting go of jealousy and learning to be happy with your own life
“Nothing says autumn like slurpin’ apples.” -my uncle
November 3, 2023 at 4:23 pm #162798The only one I could think of is “breaking bad habits”.
But this is an interesting topic! Thanks for the tag!
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333November 3, 2023 at 4:23 pm #162799This is a really neat idea!!
Here’s a few of mine: (some of them are kinda similar to each other or are from the same character)
- Accepting the fact that you’re not perfect and you don’t have to be
- Learning that you don’t have to please everyone
- Standing firm in what you know to be true and right, even when those around you are trying to convince you otherwise
- Not letting your past define you (guys, that sounds so cheesy XD)
- Learning to let go of bitterness and forgive those who’ve hurt you
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
November 3, 2023 at 5:31 pm #162844One of mine coming up is Nahim forgiving someone who betrayed his entire family and hundreds of refugees. It is a great struggle for him.
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)November 3, 2023 at 5:32 pm #162845It sounds like a common arc said like
Forgiving your worst enemies
That’s why I explained it above.
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)November 5, 2023 at 4:11 pm #163285Anonymous- Rank: Chosen One
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@whalekeeper Amazing topic!!! 😀
Here’s a few I could think of:
- Learning that grief isn’t a weakness: grief is a symptom of loss and love
- Not letting yourself become who everyone has always told you you’ll be
- Realizing that you’re not who your father, mother, friend, etc. says you are
- Learning to trust others
- Letting yourself lose your moral compass bit by bit (for a negative arc…); beginning to believe in gray morality
- Learning to forgive even when the other person isn’t sorry
- Learning that unforgiveness is a poison that only hurts you and the people you love most, not the person you hate
- Learning that nothing in this world will be able to satisfy the hole in your heart other than God
- Learning to admit that you’re wrong
- Letting yourself succumb to the desires of your heart
- Continuing to be who you were made to be even when everyone else tries to change you (flat)
- Learning that love is an action much more than it is words and feelings
Ok, I need to stop for now XD
November 7, 2023 at 2:37 pm #163534Cool topic. I will add a few ideas:
- Growing past prejudice
- Coming to terms that your hero isn’t who you see them as
- Growing beyond indifference
- Learning to forgive
Through darkness,
light shines brightestNovember 9, 2023 at 2:32 pm #163789Nice ideas guys! 🥰
“Everything is a mountain”
November 10, 2023 at 8:52 am #163930@whalekeeper Thanks so much for starting this thread – these are amazing. xD I don’t have anything to add at the moment, so I’ll just lurk around taking notes. xP
wonder | beauty | truth | love
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