I’m writing a novel which is written in 1st person, alternately from the POV of the two main characters, Chloe and Kate. It’s about mental illness, Kate has borderline personality disorder and Chloe falls for her and they start a really unhealthy, codependent friendship. What I worry about is I know that characters are supposed to have an arch and grow so they are different by the end. And that doesn’t really happen with Kate, but that’s kind of the point of the story. Because Kate refuses to get help and instead relies on Chloe to try and fix all her problems, it begins to affect Chloe’s mental health and so she has to end the friendship. So Chloe changes, but Kate doesn’t. Having said that, as I currently have it, Kate comes to a crisis when Chloe leaves and she takes an overdose. There is then an epilogue which does draw attention to the fact that Kate has changed after the main novel ends. So my question is, does this sound acceptable? Or should Kate changing actually be part of the novel instead of an epilogue? The reason I’ve done it this way is the novel is about their relationship and if I continued it after the overdose then the characters would have to have separate lives and I didn’t really want to do that. But I’d be interested to hear people’s thoughts.
Think about what the point of this story is. You don't have to tell us, but it's something you should be able to tell yourself. Characters don't need to go through big changes, but something in the story should shift them. Really think about the point of the story. That helps me focus and the character shifts and changes seem to come naturally when I have that focus and know the point.
Actually characters don't have to have a character arc - they call it a "Flat Arc". And the arc doesn't have to be huge, it can be just changing from one mind set to another.
Thanks! Yes I do know the point of this story, and will happily tell you whether you’re interested or not! It’s unusual actually as often I struggle with my endings because I’m not entirely sure of the point of it. But in this case the ending was one of the things I wrote first. The story is called ‘Fix Me’ and the point is that at the end Kate realises that she can’t rely on anyone else to fix her, it has to come from herself. And Chloe realises that she can’t fix Kate and that actually the kindest thing is to leave so she can work on herself. But Kate realises this in the epilogue whereas for Chloe it comes earlier.
I was typing my last message before this came in. I’m not sure whether my explanation of the point of the story changes your view or not. I certainly see what you are saying, but a lot of what I’ve written is about Kate’s feelings and why she acts as she does and the realisation that she needs to fix herself, even though that doesn’t come until the epilogue. I guess you could say there is some growth for Kate in that when it begins it’s made clear that Kate doesn’t really have friends because she’s too afraid of them leaving, but then she starts the friendship with Chloe.
It sounds like there is character growth and change. That's going to come out through the story. It's not just a punchline at the end. It's a journey. It sounds like you have focus so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think as you're writing you'll end up showing a progression that leads to your conclusion. And it seems like there will be character growth to me.
Sometimes the changes don't need to be monumental, especially if you're writing a story about real, regular people. A small, but noticeable change can be perfectly sufficient.
Protagonist needs to grow. Antaganist does not. If Chloe is your prota and Kate anta, then you don't have any kind of problems with this issue. You even have the setup for conflicts and Chloe's growth ready.
What I think you have here is a excellent idea with a topics and themes that are not well understood. Mental illness and codependency is something people don't understand and tend to stigmatize. With that said, I think it's fine the way you have it. Not every character needs an arc where he or she shows drastic change. In fact, sometimes it's better when they don't. In the Walt Disney film Beauty and the Beast you have this story that's centered around the Beast. The Beast is the one that changes. Belle doesn't change, despite being the protagonist, but since the story isn't really about her, it's fine. Gaston doesn't change, and that's precisely my point. Gaston and the Beast are essentially the same character in the beginning. They both try to dominate. They both have anger issues. They both bully the people around them. However, the Beast changes and Gaston doesn't. This is important because it makes an important statement about masculinity. By not having Kate change, you can make an important statement about mental illness: a person has to want to recover. They have to want to try. And ultimately they may have to cut people off who are holding them back. Otherwise, you do get stuck. So long as this is made out as a difficult decision, accompanied by loneliness and perhaps some regret until things start to turn around for Chloe, I think you're fine.
Thanks so much! It’s nice to know you think it’s a good idea. I’ve experienced it myself- I was Kate, although she’s worse than I was- but I lost a friend as I was relying on her to fix me. So I have relevant experience and I don’t think it’s tackled much in fiction so I hope it has something important to say.
Also, I’m aware I’ve been referring to a ‘character arch’ instead of ‘arc’. Sorry about that- I hate spelling mistakes too!
Great point, and this theme may need more research than most. Take your time and absorb the information, let it marinate a bit even, so that your unique characters not only come out authentic, but that you may enlighten your readers on the subject as well.
Thanks- I have direct personal experience of the themes, so that’s a start. The thing I worry about is that I’ve been doing an online YA writing course and they keep saying about not pushing a message- my current draft is probably already too message-heavy...
You're very welcome. I think I understand your "message-heavy" dilemma except from a different vantage point. One of my WIPs has a college freshman as the MC and her best friend, also a freshman, reveals ("discloses") to her one evening that her father sexually abused her as a kid. Add to that that when her best friend told her mother about it at the time, she didn't believe her (that's a whole nother story in itself) so she's been dealing with this in silence for years. The MC embraces her best friend and, never doubting, believes her (it's going to be intense, but in a good way). My concern, too, is that my WIP will be message-heavy and I've got to think my way through that. But here's the thing -- this is where these two characters are. Like in real-life, her best friend's sexual abuse doesn't define her but is something that she will have to deal with (silent no more!). And it doesn't define their 'best-friends' relationship either, but it is now a part of it (the MC embracing and supporting her BF). There's some dynamics there that, properly played out, can be enlightening to the reader on a topic that the world needs to learn more about but in a truthful, honest and no BS way. So, yeah, I understand your dilemma from a different vantage point. Embrace your character(s) and everything that they are. While their mental illness and/or codependency doesn't define them, it is a part of them. I agree in don't "push the message", but don't let that stop you from "pushing the characters" like you would in any other story. Best wishes!
Thanks for your reply and the encouragement! One of my MCs also has sexual abuse in her past but it’s not the main theme of my story as it’s one of the causes of her BPD and the story is mostly about that. Best of luck to you too!
