Character Arcs

Could you give me some more description on these teens?

And most of that you probably already knew, but there it is. You said “character arcs” and I got excited. XD Sorry.

@trailblazer

I have a couple ideas that might not work with your story and charries, but I’ll pitch them anyways

Since Ellie has good discernment, I’m not sure how much her emotions would run her, but many times woman, especially woman with strong emotions towards something (like the subject of trafficking), are easily overcome by their emotions.

For Cole, perfectionism would be interesting to explore. My idea may be pride. It’s something many struggle with. Other than that, I’ve got nothing.

I’m sorry I wasn’t much help. If I think of another suggestion, I’ll let you know.

@trailblazer

I love that story idea! It sounds super interesting, and I would totally pick it up. Elishavet had some great advice. Let’s see… what do I do for character arcs?

Honestly, it takes a while for these things to come together in my writing. I don’t sit down to write for the first time and already know all the details of my plot and character arcs. It usually flows as I write the story, and then later (I’m planning) I’ll go back in and rewrite to match my new knowledge. Of course, that will change for everybody, and maybe you want to spend more time up front figuring out all this stuff to save time later.

I would recommend checking out 16 Personalities online. Their personality overviews have been really helpful for me just to see what my character’s flaws and strengths (likely) are, and to implement those into their character arcs.

My main character, Sara, is an INFJ-T. She’s pretty insightful and has a deep longing for purpose in her life. She’s passionate, especially for the truth. However, some of her weaknesses are sensitivity, perfectionism, isolating herself, or being prone to burnout.

For her character arc, I’ve mostly played off her passion for the truth and her longing for purpose. She feels a deep emptiness inside of her, but tries to distract herself with dreams of becoming a successful journalist, and using her passion for the truth to accomplish things and benefit others. Sometimes people will say that your character needs a “Want” and a “Need.” In Sara’s case, her “Want” would be to be successful and find purpose in her job. Her “Need”, though, is finding satisfaction in Jesus, because that’s the only way she’ll find true purpose. In her character arc, this manifests as she becomes a Christian and risks her job (Want) because of the hope she’s found in Christ (Need). Does that make sense?

In another example, let’s say your character Ellie has the character arc of… looking at her summary, I’m going to go with this: She feels compassion for those who are suffering, specifically trafficking victims, but struggles to actually step out and act on her values. This could stem from a desire for others’ approval, in which she might believe that she has to try to be as “normal” as possible for others to like her. (Sounds cliche, but if done subtly, this could be really powerful.) In that case, her “Want” might be for others to approve of her, or to fit in. Her “Need” would be to act on her convictions and step out in faith without worrying about what others think. Or, to put it another way, she needs to find enough strength in God’s love for her to stop worrying about others. In the story, this could manifest itself by Ellie struggling to fit in with girls at her school. When she’s given the opportunity to help Declan’s dad find the information, and uncovers the trafficking ring, she begins to wonder if this is too “big” and if she really wants to be a part of it. How will she go back to normal life after this? But she has to make the continuous choice to speak out and act against the evil she sees.

I don’t know if that arc works the best for your plot, but I hope that helped you somehow. If you’ve got more questions or more information about the characters, I’m happy to try again.