Character Arcs: What They Are and How You Can Use Them

Writing a story can feel like an overwhelming feat when you don't know where you want it to go. This is why breaking your story down and exploring different character arcs can be extremely helpful with story development. 

In this article, I will explain the different kinds of character arcs, giving examples and some suggestions on how to use them. 

Positive and Negative Character Arcs

Let's first define a character arc. A character arc is the change your character goes through over the course of your story. This means that everything your character goes through must serve a purpose, whether it's to further the plot, further their character development, or to establish relationship between two or more characters. 

The two most popular types of character arcs are the positive and negative character arcs. A positive arc, usually used for protagonists, is when a character progresses in a positive way throughout the story, becoming a better version of themselves and typically resolving an internal conflict. A negative arc, usually used for antagonists, is the opposite. A character experiencing a negative arc will become a shell of their former self, ending up in a place that is morally wrong in the reader's eyes. 

So, knowing this about character arcs, let's look at some specifics. Here are some examples of positive character arcs. 

The Reluctant Hero

This arc usually consists of a character that does not want to be a hero. They are typically forced into the situation for reasons such as: having a special talent or ability that makes them an asset, being directly connected to the situation through a family member or friend, or being in a "chosen one" type of situation. 

The reasons this character may not want to be a hero may include, but of course are not limited to, past traumas, feeling weak (whether in general or in specific scenarios), or general pessimism and a negative outlook on life. These are not the only reasons that a character may be a reluctant hero, but it will almost always be due to a past experience the character has had. 

If you choose this arc for your character, you need to make sure that their backstory is consistent and believable. The reason they don't want to get in touch with their heroic side must be realistic and relevant; this kind of character can not be flat. 

The Villain's Redemption

This arc can be difficult to pull off, but when done well a story like this can be incredibly impactful for an audience. Redemption arcs are incredibly human and show that people are never just one thing, and they are never too far gone to return to the good side. 

Now, for this arc to work your antagonist can't be wishy washy or easily swayed from their evil views. The character has to be completely okay with- or even proud of- their evil actions. Otherwise, it's not really a redemption arc because they were never truly evil in the first place. 

If you decide to try this arc in your own story, make sure that you give your antagonist a good backstory- a reason why they are so evil. Perhaps something that the protagonist can change their perspective on?

The Underdog

Ah yes, a classic. Everyone loves a good underdog story. However, we do not love a cliche underdog story where said underdog isn't really at any sort of disadvantage. Many stories that claim to have an underdog protagonist actually just have "pick-me" characters that feel like the world is against them even though it isn't. 

If you're going to write an underdog story, make it good. Make your underdog a loner with no allies. Make your underdog a completely ordinary person with no special abilities. Make your underdog antisocial, or bad at teamwork, or absolutely clueless about what they're doing. But, make your underdog determined. Make them fearless. Make them willing to do what it takes to win. It makes the story much more impactful. 

The Washed-Up Hero

If you don't know what I mean by this, allow me to explain. 

This arc has also been called the "second chance" arc, but I find my description to be more descriptive. This arc essentially refers to someone who was once considered a hero and either failed, or succeeded and then never managed to do anything significant ever again, causing them to become a disappointment. 

This arc has a lot of potential for comedy while also being really emotional, especially if the character is middle aged with no hope for themselves. 

When writing this arc, you'll want to create an extensive and descriptive backstory for your character. How did they used to view themselves? Why were they such a hero? Why did they fail? How did they become the washed-up loser they are today? 

The Sacrificial Hero

This arc refers to a character who is willing to sacrifice anything for the greater good, even their life in some cases. 

If you like inflicting pain on your readers, consider using this arc in your story. 

This arc is especially effective when it is used for a plot twist. When an author builds the story up so well and makes the reader think, "wow, they're really going to win," and then...pain. The character has to give something up; like their powers, or a beloved object, or even their life, in order for good to prevail. 

Finding Love Again

This arc contains a character who has sworn off love for any multitude of reasons. Maybe their past lover was killed, or died of an incurable illness, or betrayed them so heavily that the thought of love disgusts them now. Whichever reason you may choose, this character does NOT want to find love. 

Little do they know...

Someone will sweep them off their feet and teach them that the past doesn't dictate their future. This arc is the perfect opportunity for grumpy x sunshine. Just saying...

Overcoming A Fear

Last but not least, we have the overcoming a fear character arc. This arc contains a character who is afraid of something (or multiple things, perhaps a hypochondriac), and overcomes that fear over the course of the story. 

Now, overcoming this fear can't be simple. That would be boring. Make it difficult for your character. Give them a terrifying backstory that created a phobia in them so great that the thought of facing this fear is terrifying, but they have to in order to save the day. 

Don't be afraid to have your character face setbacks as well. Make the reader think the character is going to overcome their fear, and then put something in the character's way. This happens in real life, it can happen in your story. Progress in this sort of thing isn't always easy. 

Now that we've gone over positive character arcs, let's explore some popular negative character arcs. 

The Sacrificial Villain

We read about the sacrificial hero earlier, and the sacrificial villain is pretty much the opposite. This character is willing to sacrifice everything good in order to get what they want. 

This arc is the most devastating when the character is close personal friends of the protagonist, perfect for a betrayal. 

A character with this arc usually feels overlooked by everyone else, and therefore desires for things to go their way all the time. In this case, when things don't go their way, they're willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if it means betraying those close to them, or committing other evils. 

Corrupted By Power

This arc contains a character that is persuaded into evil because of the benefits it gives them. 

Maybe this character has been poor their entire life, but siding with the villain gives them a life of luxury. Or perhaps this character has never felt significant to anyone, and now that they've joined the dark side people see them for the first time. 

Whatever it may be, this character probably has an incredibly tortured past. Have fun breaking your readers hearts. 

Vengeance

This arc is pretty self explanatory. It's literally when a character wants vengeance for something a character did to them in the past. 

This is a really common villain trope, so for that reason I would be careful when using it in your story to avoid cliches. Perhaps use a different motivator than the, "this person killed my family so I'm going to kill theirs," trope. 

Make the backstory unique. Maybe two characters were rivals in school and one character beating out the other for an opportunity sent the other down a sad path in life. Maybe your two characters were both trying to be heroes, and when only one of them got the glory the other turned against them. 

Lesser Of Two Evils

Time to gaslight your readers, everyone. 

This arc can be a really good opportunity to explore morality. This is when a character who has experienced hardship after hardship decides that their way of solving the problem is okay as long as it isn't that bad. Morally gray characters are perfect for this arc. 

Justifying Sin

This doesn't necessarily mean "sin" as in religion, although it could if that's what your story is about, but instead refers to anything that is widely perceived as wrong. 

A character with this arc "justifies" their wrong-doings by using the excuse that bad things have happened to them, or that they did it for the right reasons, or that what they did isn't morally wrong because it was effective. 

This arc can make for a really terrifying villain because you can play with morality. Just how far is this character willing to go in order to accomplish what they feel is "right"?

Flat or Transformational Character Arcs

These kinds of character arcs are not as popular because, truthfully, they can be kind of boring if not executed in an interesting way. There is a lot of opportunity for arcs like this to be really unsatisfying, so if you decide to use any of these arcs in your story, make sure that the way they are executed are unique and purposeful. 

A flat character arc is when a character does not go through any moral growth or character development over the course of the story. 

A transformational character arc in when a character goes through changes that have nothing to do with morals. 

Let's explore some of these arcs.

Playing The Hero (Flat) 

This arc is when a hero character is a hero throughout the entire story. Their morals don't change and neither does their desire to save the day. 

This arc is considered flat because there is no moral growth in stories like this. The character doesn't change their mind about anything, or face any hardships that affect their morals. They stay exactly the same. 

This is an example of a flat character arc that isn't necessarily bad, but it can get old. Readers prefer when a hero is flawed rather than perfect. 

The Mentor (Flat) 

This arc is exactly what it sounds like: when a highly knowledgeable character's only purpose in a story is to pass information to the main character in a way that is annoyingly hard to decipher. 

This arc isn't bad either, but it can sometimes feel unnecessary. There are other ways to add elements of mystery into a story that aren't an old person giving vague information to the main character in hopes that they're good at riddles.

Rising To The Occasion (Transformational)

This is when a character wants to be a hero, but they just don't have the natural skills to do so. Usually this character just needs some training and a good mentor and they're ready to go. 

This arc is considered transformational because there is no moral change in the character, only physical changes. Sometimes, this arc can be boring or unbelievable because it can feel unrealistic, but if an author makes this character complex in ways that aren't moral, the story can still be effective and interesting. 

Embracing A Revelation Or Experience (Transformational) 

The last character arc of the day is this: when a character embraces the new information that is offered by an experience or a realization.

As with all transformational arcs, this information has nothing to do with morals. 

This arc can be extremely effective when writing mysteries with a lot of plot twists. New information being uncovered in situations like this can make for a fun reading experience, and will have your readers feeling like they are part of the story because they are learning these new things at the same time as your characters. 

Just make sure that this information creates no moral change within your character, otherwise it would be a completely different arc altogether (not that that would be a bad thing, it just wouldn't be this kind of arc). 

Conclusion

Knowing all of this about character arcs, I hope plotting your next story will be a little bit easier. Hopefully, you can use some of what you learned in this article to develop your characters. 

Exploring and knowing the different kinds of character arcs is very important to effective storytelling. If you aren't absolutely sure of what you want your characters to become, your story can end up feeling jumbled and confusing, with no concrete path or plot. 

Knowing your character's arcs is just another step in writing your story to it's fullest potential.