So, I think writing is the only artistic skill, so to speak, that I actually enjoy. However, I haven't ever written actual original stories. Thus far, I've only written a couple of fanfiction oneshots and an alternate history timeline (think The Man in the High Castle). Nonetheless, I have all these ideas about character arcs and moments in my head. I'm just writing for myself for now, but still, I'd like to hear some thoughts regarding the character arcs of the five main characters. The story is a simple mundane romance between two people, but I want the focus to be about how people yearn for acceptance and a sense of belonging, but need to love themselves first, accept their own flaws, and become better. So, the focus is the characters' feelings, their relationships, and their development. That's why I need to create strong arcs for everyone of them, but one of them has me stumped because her personal arc is too similar to other characters'. The main five characters are the following: James. The main male protagonist. A moody guy who struggles with a constant feeling of being worthless and just a burden for everyone else. Nonetheless, he is a sweet and supportive friend who merely wishes for someone to care for him as he cares for them. Loyal to a fault, he often gives his all for other people even they aren't worth it. Throughout the story, he learns to accept his flaws and mistakes and becomes a more content and confident person. He studies law, though his real passion is something else. Besides his personal problems, he has to be an example to his little brother, who is really affected by their parents' divorce, and also tries to become a successful lawyer without the help of his mentor. The point of his character is accepting your own flaws and becoming a better person. Ale. The main female protagonist. Can be rude and arrogant, but underneath she's a really caring person. It's just that she has trust issues, believing that most people don't care for her, and thus she shouldn't make any effort for them either. I want to note that she shows mostly her positive side towards her friends, so she isn't rude towards the other protagonists, nor do I intend her to the stereotypical "tough girl". Her arc is about understanding that pushing people away isn't healthy, and that if she wants the meaningful relationships she craves, she also has to do her part. She is an English major with a real passion for writing and other forms of art (theater, mainly). She often worries about whether she can really do it, and has a bad relationship with her mother, who insists she study something else. The point of her character is accepting other people's flaws and realizing that you can't demand perfection, neither from others nor from yourself. Lily. A cheerful, but oftentimes naive girl. She's very friendly, but wants to prove to others and to herself that she's capable and smart, instead of being seen as simply someone to protect. She's actually the oldest protagonist, but she's led a sheltered life and as such has the most trouble "adulting." Her arc is her maturing and learning which people deserve her love and friendship without becoming jaded or cynical. She's a lesbian, but I don't want that to be her only defining trait. I was planning to only raise the point of how she has to hide her identity from her prejudiced grandmother, but otherwise her sexual attraction would be only part of who she is rather than the whole. She studies engineering and has concerns over if she's really capable to succeed in such a competitive and male environment. The point of her character is accepting that you can make mistakes, and that forgiving yourself, learning and maturing is what truly matters. Nate. A reserved, but reliable and smart transman. I believe positive representation of transmen is sorely needed, though I need to tread carefully since I don't belong to the community (this is partly why I continue to write for myself for the moment). He has accepted who he is, and his friends accept him as well. His arc involves his father, who wants to support and connect with his son but needs to overcome his own prejudices first. Since I do not want this to be his entire character, he also struggles with finding where he belongs and where he wants to be. Though he studies computer science, he doesn't really know if that's what he wants to do for the rest of his life, and sometimes can't help but wonder if other people truly accept him for who he is. The point of his character is finding a place where you belong and taking the reigns of your own life. A lot of work is still needed, and I'm afraid most characters are probably unoriginal. Nonetheless, the point is seeing how people who struggle with relatable issues (self-confidence, trust, where they belong, what they want to do) find support and learn to love themselves and others. James and Ale are the main couple, but I want the both of them to also develop independently as well. Anyway, the character I'm struggling with is: Julie. Ale's best friend, a very sarcastic girl who has trouble expressing her feelings and showing the people she cares about how much she actually cares. Now, I had an arc planned about how she needs to realize that it's okay to give up on some people, with Julie realizing just how bad a person her narcissistic sister really is. But I don't have anything about Julie herself. I thought about making her unwilling to ask for help from friends, but that would be just the same problem as James, just from a different angle. If I make it about learning to trust other people, that's Ale's arc. Basically, I'm looking for an angle that would fit with the others, be relatable, and focus on three areas of development: herself, her relation with a family member, and her relation with her friends. I think the main problem is because I usually use Julie as the person who helps others, so I find it difficult to come up with personal conflict for her.
Hi, So one thing that immediately springs to mind is that all your characters have similar issues. It's not unusual that young people all have the same problems, at least in one aspect of their lives. But usually there are issues specific to their social status, too. As for your representation: Homosexuality is widely accepted in western civilization, even more so considering the fact that sexuality as a whole is rather a private concern that people rarely speak about. Transgender is a bit more nuanced: Is Nate after a surgery, i.e. does he look like a man? Most people infer gender from appearance, so if he is not misgendered, he should be fine most of the time. That is, unless he has invented some special pronouns he wants people to use. As for your arcs: A good rule of thumb is to let people go from one extreme to the other or "from zero to hero". Of course, it doesnt always work like this in real life, but a novel isnt a depiction of real life.
Stigma If writing about stigma, don't focus too much on the shock factor like in Transparent, which feels like a step backwards into submission to norms. Do like X-Men and Lost by showing how to overcome challenges, which is more bad-ass and inspiring. Writing about writers "She is an English major with a real passion for writing" Done to death a thousand times over. Making characters from plot, then plot from characters A good story writes itself once you know the characters, but writing a pilot is a good way to see which characters are needed and get more diversity. You might discover that all the must-have characters (teacher, parent, doctor...) won't give much room left for additional side characters of the same age. Few main characters gives time to know them The simpler you keep it, the better the characters will be known in depth by the reader. More reader empathy for characters then increase the threshold for how much drama you can use.
You know, the best vacation I ever had when I was a child was when my mom got all us kids in the car and just pointed it into a direction and just drove. No real plan. No real idea. We just drove for four days. It was pretty cool. I saw sand dunes for the first time. The Great Lakes. Tried home picked cherries. Got to the northern tip of Michigan. That's what you need to do right here. Just drive. Take the wheel and just drive in the direction that you're pointing. And if it doesn't work? That's what rewrites are for. A lot of people say, "I don't have an arc.: "This character doesn't have flaws." "I don't know what the story should be." Well of course you don't. That's what you're trying to figure out. Just write some things that could happen in the story and take it out if they don't work.
I dont know why this advice is so popular. Just write. Sure, it prevents you from getting stuck in meticulous planning and you get to do what you actually signed up for. But: If you dont know where to go, dont be surprised if you arrive somewhere you didnt want to be. Having no plan is the fastest way to completely derail your story and end up somewhere you never imagined. Is that ways bad? No. But, the more complex your story the harder it is to keep track of everything and avoid logical inconsistencies, plotholes, etc. And not everything can be fixed by rewrites. If you realize, your midpoint scene is illogical and the character makes a decisionshe shouldnt have made, you can throw away half your book.
