5 ways to write unforgettable character arcs

Your main characters are the heart of your novel. Without them, you’re writing about nothing happening to no one without any consequences.

That’s not a page turner.

A good grasp of character arcs and why they matter elevates your writing and keeps your readers up till ridiculous-o-clock because they have to find out what happens to your characters next.

So what is a character arc, why does it matter, and most importantly, how can you make yours more compelling?

Let’s dive right in.

What the heck is a character arc?

A character arc is where your character starts the book, where they end it, and all the things they go through to get there.

*spoiler alert*

Wonder Woman (in the movie) starts as an innocent who thinks it’s easy to change the world, only to learn that humans are corrupt and evil is everywhere. After several trials and disappointments, she learns that she can still choose love.

Scrooge starts out declaring “bah humbug” and, after three ghostly encounters, learns the true meaning of Christmas.

Samwise Gamgee starts not wanting to put a foot outside the shire, and ends up the one who clings to hope when all is lost.

Starting point + all the things you throw at your character + where they end the book = their character arc.

Why is a character arc so important?

Character arcs keep your readers interested. There are such things as flat character arcs (think Sherlock Holmes where the focus is on the case, not him as a person) but in general strong character arcs are part of the backbone of your story. The hoops keeping that beautiful crinoline in shape.

Whether you’re writing an epic fantasy arc about a dragon tamer, or a gentle small-town arc about a brand new art gallery owner, character arcs make your characters relatable. Whether your reader relates to their circumstances (how many dragon trainers do you know?) or not, they still relate to the emotions and struggles, the peaks and pitfalls.

5 ways you can build stronger character arcs

1. Start at the end

Know where you want your character to end up. When you’ve got a destination in mind, it’s easier to plot out your journey.

This is even true if you’re a pantser or discovery writer (which most of my clients are.) You know the characters might go off-road. They might take a detour to see the world’s biggest ball of twine. But if you have a destination in mind, you can keep an eye on how they’re moving towards it. Or whether you need to adjust it.

Knowing the end gives you a delicious opportunity to build some contrast in early on too. When you’re writing a character’s early dilemmas and decisions, think about how you’d want them to handle them differently after they reach the end of the book.

You don’t have to literally have them revisit the same problem. But knowing the changes they're going to go through helps you weave your scenes around those changes.

2. Know why you’re writing this book

What moved you to write this book? What do you love so much that you’re determined to write 60,000 or 90,000 or 140,000 words about these characters?

Is there a theme you want to explore? Something in your own life you want to work through?

Knowing your why means you can sprinkle your themes through your character arcs. You can write yourself a big ol’ sticky note with your theme on, put it near where you write or stick it on your laptop, and check in with yourself regularly.

When you let your own heart and emotion drive your character arc, you build an authentic and compelling voice.

3. Give your characters opportunities to grow

If you’re like most of my clients, the buggers won’t listen to you. They’ll do their own thing no matter how much you try to steer them.

But you should still give your characters plenty of opportunities to grow, if only to watch them set them all on fire. 

You might start with:

The inciting incident. That moment near the beginning of their arc where their house burns down, they find they’re attracted to the wrong person, they can’t book a wedding planner, or they find out they have to take the One Ring up Mount Doom.

Midpoint challenges. Your characters don’t know they’re only in the middle of their story, but you do. Throw some challenges and curve balls at them in the middle of your book, to keep the arc fresh and stop the middle sagging like an undercooked cake.

The dark night of the soul. It’s going well! They’ve got it figured out! They know what the fuck they’re doing. Except it’s not and they don’t, and are you freaking kidding me? Dark nights of the soul are no fun for your characters but excellent for their character arcs.

The aha moment. They’re integrating the lessons and responding differently to challenges. They’re learning and growing and the universe is setting off confetti cannons to celebrate. You can’t use these too often or it gets a little dull, but your long-suffering characters can have one or two per novel, as a treat.

4. Keep your reader in the loop

You’re the author. You know what’s going on (most of the time anyway.) Your reader isn’t in your mind, though. For a character arc to be effective, it has to work for the reader. And to work for the reader, you have to keep them in the loop.

Show your reader how your character is learning and changing. Or what they’re not learning, and how they’re still making the same damn mistakes. Whatever’s happening in your character arcs, make sure your reader knows about it.

Use dialogue, interiority, and most importantly action, to show them what the flickity flack is up with your characters.

Got a character working on better boundaries with his overbearing family? Show him starting to stand up for himself. Show him growing sense of pride as he learns to put his own needs first. Sometimes he’ll still mess it up (hello dark night of the soul), but show him learning and growing and trying.

Your dragon trainer finally learning not to be so life-riskingly impulsive? Show her asking for advice, strategising, and thinking before she flings the saddle on the Artic Hornswaggler.

5. Let your characters fall and get back up

Think of a life lesson you’ve had to learn. For me, it’s been less people pleasing and better boundaries.

Did I wake up one day and go “hey, I need better boundaries! Shazam! I will never struggle with this again!”

You won’t be surprised to learn that no, that’s not how it happened. I had to keep learning and practicing, and picking myself up when I messed up.

That’s human. And whether they’re literally human or not, if you want relatable characters, let them sort of learn, and do better, and then fall down a bit. You don’t want to get repetitive with this. But you can do a little two steps forward and one back shuffle from time to time to make your characters real.

If you want your characters living rent free in your readers’s minds, building good character arcs is an excellent starting point. Go forth and plot, or discover, or simply play. Steer them, or let them steer. But whatever you do, incorporate these five tips to make them jump off the page.

Yours in ink and magic,
Allie