SWRT 287 | Crafting Character Arcs
December 21, 2023
person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

This week, Alida and Kathryn talk about creating character arcs. Most characters won’t utterly transform from villain to hero, like our friend Scrooge, but shift needs to happen. Our character and plot arcs are married. The internal character arc is played out in the external plot arc. Identifying your character’s shift is a great way to engineer your arc.

 

 

VIDEO

 

 

AUDIO

 

 

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

Using Scrooge’s Character Arc as an example. (0:54)

How do you express that change in your character? (2:05)

How has your character shifted? (5:20)

Use children’s stories to help visualize that character arc. (6:20)

Relate your character arc to your plot arc. (12:00)

 

 

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

 

Things we mentioned:

Kung Fu Panda 

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group

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About Your Hosts

Alida

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. Two of her short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is the author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series. Alida lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. 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
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
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