The Beginner’s Guide to Character Arcs (The Three Character Arcs and How to Implement Them)

By Chelsea Hindle

There comes a point in the life of every author where they, earth-shatteringly, realize they don't know what the heck a character arc is. For some of us, this moment may come early in our writing career. A reread of your latest draft, or some feedback from a fellow writer might have prompted it. For the less lucky among us (like myself), this moment didn't come until you'd been writing for years. I remember being struck by the realization that I had no idea how to write a good character arc. I didn't even know what a character arc was.

At whatever point this feeling strikes you, it's disheartening. You may feel like you have no idea what you're doing, and it can shake your confidence. You might struggle with developing characters, self-conscious because of your perceived failures. It can result in draft after draft, your novel reincarnating time and time again--and not always for the better. All this because you simply don't know how to make the character arc work.

Trust me, I've been there. And never fear, there's both a silver lining and a way out of this situation. Awareness of our writing failures is a good thing, without it we'd never know how to improve. This is why we beg beta readers to give us their feedback--so we can identify our weak spots. Of course, it's a shock to wake up to pages of feedback from your American readers in your inbox, all pointing out your shoddy character arcs. But ultimately, it's for the best. Awareness of flaws is the first step to becoming a better author, and we need to embrace that. There's no space for shame in the writer's life.

But changing our mindset will only get us so far without any practical advice. So, let's turn our minds to that. If, as in the scenario above, you've woken up to feedback telling you that your arc needs work, this is the article for you. Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into the world of character arcs. We'll be looking at Positive, Negative, and Flat Arcs in particular. And then we'll be examining several subtypes to discover how to implement them in our own stories. Are you ready? This is going to be a wild adventure and the beginning of your own positive arc as an author!

Category #1: The Positive Character Arc

This is the character arc we all know and love. The beloved "Hero's Journey", in which a young, naive character takes on the world and grows in the process. They begin the narrative by believing a Lie. This Lie can be about themselves, their values, or the world they live in. They could believe they're unlovable (Jane Eyre), or that they're a bad person (Tony Stark). That they need to be powerful (Loki), or that they're insignificant (Luke Skywalker).

Whatever this Lie is, it's confronted after they set out on their adventures, and a Truth is introduced. Over the course of the story, the Lie breaks down and the Truth slowly replaces it. At the culmination of the story, the character discards the Lie once and for all to embrace the Truth.

Subtypes of the Positive Character Arc

Despite the seeming simplicity of the Positive Arc, there's are hundreds of ways to write it! Characters are all different and their arc should reflect that. But we haven't got infinite time here, so we'll focus on two subtypes in particular. First up...

The Growth Arc: This is the positive arc you are most familiar with. It’s the arc that your generic farmboy goes on after he discovers that he isn’t really the farmer’s son. It’s the arc of famous characters like Jane Eyre, Luke Skywalker, Jo March, and Elizabeth Bennet. In theory, it's a simple creature, but in practice, it's difficult to execute correctly. Conjuring up an arc that captures the imagination and, better yet, the emotion of your readers is hard.

In the Growth Arc, the character starts out as a good person, though a misguided one. They believe a Lie, about themselves or the world, and they base their life on that Lie. At their heart, of course, they are good people, doing their best to do good things. As the story progresses, they grow, leave the Lie behind and become better people as a result. As an example, let's look at Jane Eyre's character arc, from the classic Bronte novel, Jane Eyre:

The Redemption Arc: Again, almost everyone will be familiar with the Redemption Arc. Indeed, most writers have a few which are dear to your heart. This is the arc used to great acclaim with characters like Loki, Zuko, and Natasha Romanoff.

In this arc, the character starts off bad, as well as misguided. They might be truly evil, or they might be antagonistic or unpleasant. Either way, they are not seen as "good" people. Over the course of their arc, the character must confront the Lie embedded in their psyche. They must challenge it, overcome it, and become good, heroic characters. These arcs, when well done, are emotional stories that readers can connect with. We love seeing characters redeemed! As an example, let's look at Boromir, from The Lord of the Rings:

 Tips for Writing a Positive Arc

1. What is the lie your character believes and why do they believe it? Jane Eyre, for example, believes that she is unlovable and doomed to spend the rest of her life alone. She believes this because of the rejection she received from her family as a child.

What lie does your character believe? Do they believe that the world is unjust because they’ve seen innocent people suffer? Do they believe they are unworthy of grace because they’ve done bad things in the past? Do they believe God is cruel because they’ve suffered at the hands of Christians?

2. Don't be afraid to let your character backslide. While your character should have a "eureka!" moment, discovering the truth should take time. And being human, they should backslide. They should make fear-based decisions before they finally accept the truth in the end. If we return to Jane, we see that when she falls for Mr. Rochester, her Lie begins crumbling. But, at the revelation of Rochester's terrible secret, she returns to the Old Lie. She doesn't fully embrace the Truth until later in the novel. The truth is, we're fickle creatures, we humans. Recognizing that we often return to comforting lies adds depth to our characters.

3. Consider what your character’s goal is and how it plays into their arc. Jane Eyre’s goal is to become independent so that she doesn’t need to rely on anyone, since she’s always been alone. She achieves her goal toward the end of the novel but discovers that a successful life alone isn't her true desire. What she actually wants is a life with Mr. Rochester.

Does your character's goal contradict their eventual arc? Will they have to give up their goal to become better people? Is their goal fulfilled in an unexpected way as they progress on their arc?

Category #2: The Negative Character Arc

There is something so tragic, and yet so satisfying, about a well-written negative arc. Over the course of this arc, we watch a character as they grapple with a Lie, only to fall prey to it at the last second. This is the arc of memorable characters like Magneto, Anakin Skywalker, and Lydia Bennet.

As with the Positive Arc, the character believes a Lie, but instead of defeating the Lie, they give into it. They fall back on the comfort of the Lie, embracing it as their new Truth, thus sealing their fate forever. Obviously, this makes them a worse person than they were before the story began. It's also usually a precursor to becoming a villain or antagonist.

Subtypes of the Negative Character Arc 

While you might think there's only one way to go bad, there are actually three main subtypes of the Negative Arc. We'll be looking at each of these subtypes in more depth, and examining some examples.

The Fall Arc: Possibly the most well-known subtype arc, the Fall has seen use for thousands of years. In this arc, our character believes a Lie which, despite the appearance of a contradictory Truth, they cling to. The character may want to change, but they are unwilling to abandon the comfort of their Lie. This ultimately leads to a tragic ending, where they walk away from the Truth altogether. A perfect example of this arc lies in Loki's arc from the first Thor movie:

 The Disillusionment Arc: This is one of the most interesting arcs, as it requires the character to discover the Truth and to find it tragic. As with most arcs, they begin by believing a Lie, which is then confronted by Truth. The character faces the Truth, and accepts it, but finds it to be even worse than the Lie. As a result, they fall further into tragedy. One of the most brilliant examples of this arc is Javert, the main antagonist of Les Miserables:

The Corruption Arc: In the Corruption Arc, the character begins by knowing the Truth, or living close to it. They live this Truth, but then the Truth is confronted with a Lie. How "taken in" the character is by this Lie depends on the narrative, but at some point they must make a choice. And in the Corruption Arc, the character always chooses the Lie, turning their back on the Truth. Saruman, the secondary antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, is a great example of the Corruption Arc in action:

Tips for Writing a Negative Arc

Category #3: The Flat Character Arc

Finally, we reach the last category of character arcs—the flat or static arc. The fact that the character does not change is the defining feature of this arc. The character is the same person at the end of the story as they were at the beginning.

This arc is difficult to do well, as many characters with flat arcs end up boring and uninteresting. But, in the hands of a skilled author, the flat arc can be as riveting as the positive and negative arc. Characters with flat arcs end up as cultural icons and heroes all the time. Consider for a moment the enduring popularity of Captain America, Sherlock Holmes, and Pollyanna. But how can we create our own interesting flat arc characters? Well, let's take a look!

Subtypes of the Flat Character Arc

The Action Character Arc: This is the arc that is often applied to the lead-in-action and mystery stories. Think about Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. Neither of them goes through a character arc, they stay the same, and that's why people love them.

In this rendition of the Flat Arc, the defining feature is that there really is no arc. And yet, audiences love it. But why? Because these characters have strong, likable personalities, and engaging storylines. We writers can get so wrapped up in themes and arcs, that we forget that enjoyment and engagement are incredibly important. These stories and characters offer exactly that, and therein lies their appeal.

But this doesn't give you a free pass on characterization. In fact, creating a strong character is more necessary than ever! Take Sherlock Holmes, one of the most enduring Flat Arc characters, as an example. Why do people love him? Because he’s given flaws, strengths, hobbies, an interesting job, and a keen mind that the audience admires.

The Assailed By Doubt Arc: This is the other type of flat character arc and the more “meaningful” of the two. In this arc, the character begins the story already knowing what the Truth is. The hook relies not on the character overcoming the Lie, but on holding fast to the Truth. The character must stand firm, despite the doubts assailing them and their beliefs. We root for the character to defeat these doubts, and it inspires us to do the same. For a classic example of this arc, let's turn our gaze to Marvel's Captain America:

Tips for Writing a Flat Arc

In conclusion, character arcs are an essential part of a good novel, and I hope that--beginner or not--you’ve managed to learn something. Character arcs can be difficult to understand, and even more difficult to learn how to write, but like all things, it comes with practice, practice, practice. You won’t get it right on the first go, or maybe even on the seventh (I know I sure didn’t), but eventually, you will get it right. There’s no need to stress. So get out there, start plotting character arcs, experiment with different types, and, in the immortal words of the beloved Ms. Frizzle (who has a flat character arc, in case you were wondering), take chances, make mistakes, get messy!

What is your favorite type of character arc to write? Which character do you think has the best arc? And do you have any tips for developing well-written character arcs?