tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post1395221844788380748..comments2023-11-18T03:15:19.102-06:00Comments on Straight From Hel: Character ArcHelen Gingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-61077427482667143142010-11-18T17:06:44.842-06:002010-11-18T17:06:44.842-06:00Excellent advice. I find ensuring that my characte...Excellent advice. I find ensuring that my characters have grown or changed in some way during the plot to be particularly difficult. Have they changed enough? Have they undergone enough trials to grow sufficiently? This will help, thanks :)Jamie Gibbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15168603412367448706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-82747239811022245732010-11-13T18:35:42.122-06:002010-11-13T18:35:42.122-06:00Excellent article detailing character development....Excellent article detailing character development. Thank you, Stephen!<br /><br />Monti<br /><a href="http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">NotesAlongTheWay</a>Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17417679983279135001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-64217594393829093862010-11-12T15:27:56.512-06:002010-11-12T15:27:56.512-06:00A character's arc doesn't have to be a hug...A character's arc doesn't have to be a huge change such as a committed bachelor finding love and deciding to commit for life to one woman. It could be a smaller arc. Same guy comes to understand why he is a swinging bachelor - what in his past made him that way.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-6980843429741550322010-11-12T14:30:25.677-06:002010-11-12T14:30:25.677-06:00You raise some great points about developing chara...You raise some great points about developing character so there is progress or change over time. I need to take a look at my main character in my wip, because I don't think she changes enough to make her interesting.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-33517468375339879642010-11-12T12:44:17.915-06:002010-11-12T12:44:17.915-06:00Liza, glad you could glean something from this pos...Liza, glad you could glean something from this post. I learned a lot writing it.<br /><br />Sia, great to see you again, and thanks for stopping by. I think Beauty and the Beast is a classic straight forward example of character arc that people can easily relate to.<br /><br />Hi Jean, I think of Alex Cross and how he went from a police officer to Detective to FBI agent. This is a gradual change over the life of the series. <br /><br />But I think one over-arching arc should be comprised of numerous smaller arcs. I like action and need things to move along. So I prefer to see a synergy of changes that makes up the whole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-85149778983067969642010-11-12T12:11:05.910-06:002010-11-12T12:11:05.910-06:00Very true for a standalone novel, but what about s...Very true for a standalone novel, but what about series protagonists, Stephen? The change has to be more gradual, if noticeable at all. Don't you agree?Jean Henry Meadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08146960738692672013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-10002022343697002052010-11-12T11:31:21.385-06:002010-11-12T11:31:21.385-06:00Hi Sia. You're never too late!Hi Sia. You're never too late!Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-48435692008638729592010-11-12T10:27:56.311-06:002010-11-12T10:27:56.311-06:00Stephen, sorry I'm late to the party. I'm ...Stephen, sorry I'm late to the party. I'm up to my eyeballs in NANO and have been a bit scarce. <br /><br />I do like the way you define character Arc. I do believe it's integral to know that about each of your main characters.<br /><br />I love how you broke it down using Beauty and The Beast. Made it easy to see it in action. :-)~Sia McKye~https://www.blogger.com/profile/08470562659597351033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-80025401563450001712010-11-12T09:44:12.873-06:002010-11-12T09:44:12.873-06:00Hi Hilary & Liza. Isn't there so much to l...Hi Hilary & Liza. Isn't there so much to learn? I don't care how many years you've been writing, there's always something new to figure out. It makes writing both daunting and exciting.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-43974474921205069392010-11-12T07:45:45.179-06:002010-11-12T07:45:45.179-06:00This is a helpful explanation...as an "under-...This is a helpful explanation...as an "under-educated" writer, technical terms sometimes get to me and I love when I find a good lesson.Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16170701034715108039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-65422790247377541072010-11-12T07:22:48.545-06:002010-11-12T07:22:48.545-06:00Hi Helen .. thanks for explaining .. I'd sort ...Hi Helen .. thanks for explaining .. I'd sort of gathered and realised of course that's what writers and screen writers do .. a change in character to draw the story on .. Thanks for coming back to me - HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-92218256138734024352010-11-12T06:56:36.714-06:002010-11-12T06:56:36.714-06:00Hi Hilary. For a visual, I imagine an arc, like a ...Hi Hilary. For a visual, I imagine an arc, like a bridge. It, the character, starts in one place, then over the course of the book, ends up elsewhere, at another spot in their life.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-34312696697728471252010-11-12T06:19:36.104-06:002010-11-12T06:19:36.104-06:00Hi Helen and Steve .. I love what I'm learning...Hi Helen and Steve .. I love what I'm learning from the blog tour - and now "character arcs" .. something I had to find out about ... as the others have said - really well set out for us readers to get to grips with - thanks .. HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-88798135451997384942010-11-11T19:03:38.241-06:002010-11-11T19:03:38.241-06:00Morgan, I think characters surprising me is one of...Morgan, I think characters surprising me is one of the really fun things about writing.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-58217786852852805182010-11-11T16:54:17.847-06:002010-11-11T16:54:17.847-06:00Morgan, you bering up a great point. Our character...Morgan, you bering up a great point. Our characters often surprise us. The develop as we fill out the manuscript. Example: In Breakthrough the assassin extraordinaire Staci Bevere had a relatively small role, appearing only to make the kill, then simply being in the room with the master mind antagonist Nicky Fischer.<br /><br />But as I continued to work the material, her role continued to grow until she had the most "face time" seconf only to the protagonist Chase Manhattan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-40334246270462363902010-11-11T16:18:22.916-06:002010-11-11T16:18:22.916-06:00I don't chart my characters' progress, but...I don't chart my characters' progress, but I have an idea of how they start out and how they're supposed to end up. Still, sometimes they surprise me.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-40412705014706532352010-11-11T15:39:27.402-06:002010-11-11T15:39:27.402-06:00Good point, Lynda. You're secondary characters...Good point, Lynda. You're secondary characters have arcs, especially in how they are involved in the story.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-36184199608517628302010-11-11T15:31:24.860-06:002010-11-11T15:31:24.860-06:00I definitely chart the character arcs of a number ...I definitely chart the character arcs of a number of my characters...not just the main character. It makes a massive difference to the story.Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-57225731900956296932010-11-11T12:08:25.273-06:002010-11-11T12:08:25.273-06:00I'm learnign a lot just researching the materi...I'm learnign a lot just researching the material for the blog tours. Reading examples from movies can help us frame character arc for our own characters. I'm having a lot of fun as I write Opening and Escalation and involving these concepts into the character development.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-27663676449798848772010-11-11T12:00:37.376-06:002010-11-11T12:00:37.376-06:00I agree with everyone. Great post.
Character arc...I agree with everyone. Great post. <br /><br />Character arc is essential is just about every type of writing - mystery, romance, thriller, horror, fantasy, and so on.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-1994918394001587952010-11-11T11:52:55.301-06:002010-11-11T11:52:55.301-06:00Awesome!
I like the comment about character "...Awesome!<br /><br />I like the comment about character "growth" as opposed to change. My characters do not change radically, but they do grow. I don't chart it, but as I'm writing - and re-reading - I make sure that growth is perceptible. I have certain events that make that possible, that force my characters - and the reader - to confront themselves.<br /><br />Great post Stephen. Thanks for hosting Helen.<br /><br />.......dholedolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-56850092353300277302010-11-11T11:34:59.000-06:002010-11-11T11:34:59.000-06:00Stephen's book just sounds awesome. I love the...Stephen's book just sounds awesome. I love the blog tour, too!<br /><br />Character arc is indespensible, yes? Great breakdown of how it's done--Thanks Stephen & Helen! :o)LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-40530220547098626842010-11-11T11:22:41.587-06:002010-11-11T11:22:41.587-06:00Yes character development is so important. This po...Yes character development is so important. This post was great and taught me how I need to be more clear about my characters evolutions. Thanks.Laurihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11112458658109887868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-46266387904137126342010-11-11T10:52:06.126-06:002010-11-11T10:52:06.126-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-72521152258299400972010-11-11T10:32:45.213-06:002010-11-11T10:32:45.213-06:00Great insight. Thanks.Great insight. Thanks.Southpawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539290964546504171noreply@blogger.com