SWRT 261 | Arcless Protagonists

July 28, 2022

person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

Alida, Robert & Kathryn discuss the merits and pitfalls of writing a hero without a character arc. It has been done to great success, so why do so few people suggest it’s even possible to write an arcless protagonist?

This episode previously aired as episode 007.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

Is it even possible to have an arcless protagonist? What is an arcless protagonist? After diving into some famous and beloved arcless protagonists, we dive into how to make it work. How can you use your secondary characters to create emotional resonance? And how can you keep that emotional buy in through a series? Do you need the same supporting characters around your arcless protagonist? And what are some of the drawbacks to using one? Just remember: an arcless protagonist is the exception, not the rule!

What we talked about:

What is an arcless protagonist? (4:00)

What are the advantages of writing an arcless protagonist? (9:05)

If your protagonist is arcless, what about your secondary characters? (12:48)

How does an arcless protagonist effect your emotional resonance with the reader? (15:38)

How can you use secondary characters arcs to gain that emotional resonance? (16:25)

Can you vary the secondary characters and use different supporting characters to create that depth from book to book? (17:24)

What are some drawbacks to the arcless protagonist? (20:20)

What about a middle ground character arc? (26:40)

The importance of an on-going character readers are emotionally attached to in a series. (29:25)

So must there be a character arc in every book? (30:47)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things we mentioned:

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Jack Reacher books by Lee Child
James Bond by Ian Fleming
Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie
Book Architecture Method by Stuart Horwitz
Murder She Wrote
Sherlock series on BBC
The Dark Knight
Star Wars: A New Hope
Bosch

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Three times nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she is also a notable in Best American Essays and winner of the Page Turner Award. Author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series, Alida lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com