Character Emotions- Creating the Arc

Okay, so you know that characters in any novel need to be unique and one-of-a-kind. They need to have specific qualities that either help them or deepen the conflict.

You also know that a good novel should have a theme, or something that can be taken away from the story and effect lives. For themes, dig deep inside yourself- keeping in mind what sets your blood to a boiling temperature. Do you hate it when people mistreat people of different skin colors? Is abortion particularly abhorrent to you? Do you threaten to call the cops when you see teenagers road-racing (a novel on taking the things God gave us seriously, maybe?)? Or perhaps you want something more spiritual. Salvation happens to be a favorite among the Christians. In this case, you should have your lead go through a rough, bumpy time that draws him or her to God. No reader will relate to a lead who follows God without a second thought!

But how can you tie your theme and your character(s) together as do some of the most successful plots? By the journey the character takes- by the plot events themselves.

Perhaps the best and most widely used example of this is Charles Dickens's The Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge is a lean, mean, money-making machine (and not to mention selfish and crabby) until The Ghosts visit him. These three individuals lead him through his past, present, and future. But there is a catch- the future can still be changed! As you probably know, the future changes and so does Scrooge. As I stated before, this is a very good example of something every writer should understand. Something known in our business as the "character arc".

Note in our example how the story is constructed. It revolves around the theme (the virtues of being a good person). Indeed, the conflict is the theme itself! All plot points strive toward one goal- making Scrooge a better person.

In the beginning, we are presented with a character, Ebenezer Scrooge. From the get-go, we're told that he's unpleasant and selfish, and soon Dickens backs this claim up with sufficient glimpses of Scrooge interacting with the people around him. By the end, Scrooge is a different man. Where did the change happen, and how did Dickens accomplish this?

The answer is simple- through the plot. That's the character arc. It's using your character's weaknesses to create further conflict, then using the plot to somehow create a change in your character. But be careful you don't go right out and tell your reader what the change is! This is exposition in the extreme, and it can be a big damper on the sales of your book. Since your character is the one doing the changing, show it in the actions and choices your character makes while catching on to the lesson in play. If done right, this should produce a beautiful, clear combination of character, conflict, and theme.

Okay, so how do you create the character arc? First, get a theme in mind. The rest is a duet between the plot and the character in question. For the best kind of character arc, think about your character's weaknesses. Is she proud? Does he think honor is to be sought above all else? Does she think she can live her life without God? Is he calloused and uncaring? Abusive? Impatient? The possibilities are endless.

Now, pick a weakness you want to have changed by the end of the book. What's the opposite of the weakness? For the girl who believes she can live her life without God, the opposite is living her life following in God's footsteps. What plot events drive her towards (and through) that change?

If you've already planned your plot, examine how you challenge your characters. The best authors corner their characters- they attack them from the outside-in and the inside-out, only providing an outlet for escape once the story has run its course. Consider the conflicts that attack your character's inner soul, question their morals and everything they've every believed in. How does your character reply to these attacks? Through attack and reply, your character should battle her way through the arc until you reveal to her an outlet, the light at the end of the tunnel. And when she comes out of that tunnel, she should be changed.

The character arc will make or break you. It has to be (simultaneously) subtle, stamped in bold letters over everything, and realistic. Moreover, it has to come from two sources- the plot and the character. Creating inner conflict (the stuff in the plot's chemistry that churns the wheels of the character arc) will be discussed later. Good night!

An Insight on My Latest Work....

Night cloaked the earth in a robe of darkness. Creaking in protest, the trees swayed beneath the blow of the wind. Branches protruded into the path, their arms reaching for anything in their way. Lucrious fitted an arrow to his string, breath puffing at his lips. It would not be long now...he could hear her footsteps in the distance....

So begins my latest work, The Blood of the Lamb. It is one of my favorite plot lines so far and probably the best I've produced in a while.

While I'm explaining to you a bit about this book, I want to show you a little bit of what I do. By now everyone should know that writing a novel takes more than just sitting down to write. It also takes dedication, perseverance, adn the ability to survive the arduous tasks of creating characters as well as a good story.

First, as a fledgling novel, this book was just a certain snapshot of two lovers, brought together by some divine providence to a woodland path in the middle of the rain. That's how many of my story ideas come to me- very random scenes that just happen to pop into my head and say, "Hey! I'm your next bestseller- write me!"

But sometimes I don't begin work right away because I'm writing another book. However, sooner or later, something convinces me to write my novel idea.

This time, it was a bit more dramatic than others. My friends and I went to the midnight showing of Prince Caspian, and, naturally, that fired my desire to begin work on the very fantasy/adventure/romance idea that had been brooding in my mind for weeks.

The next step I tried (which works well for individual scene-plotting), was setting dialogue to that particular part. At this time in the process, the writer gets to begin experimenting with the whys and hows of the story. Why in the world would a girl and boy be crazy enough to be getting their elegant clothing sopping wet?

It's not exactly an intellectually intelligent question, but it's a start. And you'd be surprised at what can happen. For instance, one of the answers to a question aroused by an early-on scene was that my hero should find out that my heroine is engaged to his evil brother. And that would lead me to the question why is she engaged? How did he find out? Or even, why did she hide it from him?

A whole new list of possibilities opens up. Of course, I won't use every possible answer (and by the time the book is hopefully out into the world, that part may have been edited out), but I will pick what I believe is best for the story and interests the reader.

That brings another important topic to my mind- interest. It's vital to the survival of many books, since readers are less likely to finish a novel which holds no interest for them. How do you supply that interest?

Let's think about it this way. My hero and heroine, who fall in love even though they are prince and princess of two countries who are at war with one another, are on a mission to destroy a brooding evil that is silently preparing to devastate both countries. How would you like it if, on the first try, my two leads achieved their goal? It most likely wouldn't be the book you'd be telling all of your friends to read, would it?

Of course not! Readers read to experience the hurdles of life and worry how the characters are going to get over them, not to have the full story served on a platter in chapter 1. So, what I try to do in my stories is heighten the tension with each advancing plot part. What if my heroine is trapped in a cell awaiting her execution and her only hope is her best friend...who betrays her by giving away the plot to free her, as well as valuable information, to the enemy?

See how it works? Now the poor girl is in a cell all alone, her plans discovered, awaiting her execution, and not knowing who she can trust. And on top of that, her opponents are about to crush everything she's worked so hard to gain! So, what does she do about it?

That would be my next question, but I think you get the point of this little lesson. I hope that through this you have had a glance at just some of the hard work that goes into writing. Well, it's late and I should go. Hopefully, I'll be getting some more about this book on here. See you then!