When I think about something I want to write, I generally want to have an idea of where I’m going. I’ve heard many people in the writing industry talk about the Character Arc, but unless you have a degree in Secondary English Education or Literature, that term is something that will be very unfamiliar to you. So today, I’m going to simplify it as I do for my middle school students.

Many of you are familiar with the lovely triangle shaped plot chart.

The way a story is laid out, we have an exposition (where we meet the main character, we get to know the setting [time period, where, etc.], and we are introduced to the problem or conflict. In order for our story to move forward, our character needs some type of motivation. They need to want something. Sometimes it is as simple as finding a solution to their problem. We want this character to reach the peak of that little mountain in our chart.

The first time the character doesn’t get what they want is the initiating conflict. It sets off a chain of events that prevent that character from achieving their success. At the top of that mountain is the climax. Some in elementary school teach that this is the most exciting part of the story. Not true. Not always. It’s the turning point for our character. They will get what they want or they will not. Because of this, they will change in some way. (We want a good dynamic character that changes. They learn a lesson, and it adds to the theme.)

At the end of this climax comes the falling action and resolution. Perhaps the character makes that realization of change. This could be drawn out and reflected by the following:

Notice that it looks a lot like our plot chart, but it is more simplified.

To get a character from point A to point B, we want to plot out our story. Some prefer not to plot and just wing it. I like to have an idea, basically because if things get bogged down, I need to be reminded where to go. Trust me. It will happen. Writer’s block will start to take effect, and if you have an idea of what is going to happen next, you can continue to write (even if it isn’t well, and I will talk about that in the next blog post). When you plot or plan your story, you can choose to write it in scenes, an outline, or as I do: chapter blurbs. When I start, I write Chapter 1, and then underneath, I write a sentence or two about what will happen in this chapter. I try to keep my scenes inside a chapter. One scene. One chapter. I will do this for the entire book. I need to know where I’m headed. I may make a note that I want this character to change because of a certain event. This helps me to remember my character arc. Sometimes, the characters take over the story, and I go with it, and I change up my plot line as needed. I enjoy when this happens because then it seems more character driven rather than event driven. The more realistic I can create my characters, the easier it seems to write.

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