Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure (Helping Writers Become Authors)

There is a debate among writers and readers alike, if the success of a story is determined by plot or characters. You'll often hear the phrases character-driven or plot-driven to describe a story. However, if one of these is more apparent in a story than the other, then the story isn't balanced. As K.M. Weiland teaches in her latest craft book, you need both character and plot in addition to story structure. However, it's not just any character, or any plot. She specifies the arc that both have to take simultaneously along the structural line of story. In her latest book she goes through each step of the structure and shows how the plot and character arcs seamlessly fit each beat/point on the storyline. K.M. Weiland has a wonderful way of teaching through examples for each point she is trying to convey. She has an easy to understand manner as if she were simply explaining a subject over coffee in a cafe. She is sharing her insights into the often frustrating world of story structure by making it all click together in one masterful plan. Plot, character and structure all rolled into one fantastic book. After each section she has questions to lead the reader into deeper understanding and ways to relate to the readers work in progress. She begins in part one with the positive change arc, taking the character through each act and plot points. In part two she continues with the flat arc through three acts. In part three she expands with the negative change arc in three acts. Part four explores minor characters, impact characters, character arcs in series, and more. K.M. Weiland is a fantastic teacher of all elements of writing a novel. Creating Character Arcs is her next installment in her arsenal of books teaching writing in both beginner and advanced techniques. This book is for both the novice and the accomplished as it has deconstructed the character arc to improve anyone's writing. Be sure to visit K.M Weiland's websites helpingwritersbecomeauthors(dot)com and her fiction site K.M.Weiland

I read Truby's The Anatomy of Story, and while it was outstanding, I wanted more. This book has some overlap, but focuses less on overall plot and more on individual character arcs. I found the section on flat character arcs most useful, as Truby mainly covers positive and negative arcs in context of the larger plot, and flat arcs tend to work well if you're writing for games. This book is also useful in that Weiland covers different example stories than Truby. That said, I have a nitpick: On page 238, I think Weiland missed the mark in her analysis of Guardians of the Galaxy. She claims that for Quill (Star Lord) his Lie and Truth are: Lie: "The only way to survive is to look out for Number One" Truth: "The only way to be a complete and fulfilled person is to care what happens to others" That may be true, but it doesn't interact with the antagonist at all, nor the underlying question the main characters are trying to answer. A more appropriate set would be: Lie: "The answer to loss of family is to pursue a hedonistic, selfish life" Truth: "The answer to loss of family is to form a new family and move on" With that set, it interacts with all the other main characters in the story: Ronan (antagonist): "The answer to loss of family is to seek vengeance on a planetary scale" Yondu: Already knows the Truth, but hides it due to his position as the boss of the Ravagers Gamora and Nebula: "The answer to loss of family is to seek vengeance, subversively" Drax: "The answer to loss of family is to seek direct vengeance" Rocket Raccoon: "The answer to loss of family is to lash out at those around you" After they lose the Stone at Knowhere, Quill grasps the Truth, and begins to convince the other Guardians of it. Nebula remains as a reminder of what Gamora would have been if not for Quill. It further interacts with the climax of the story: Ronan sets out to destroy others (Xandar) for his family. The Nova Corps. unites to protect others and for their duty to each other, but they fail. The Ravagers unite for themselves and their shared interests, but they fail. Yondu was really doing it for Quill (his family), and survives. The Guardians unite to protect others and for their new familial bond to each other. That bond allows them to share the burden of the Infinity Stone and prevail, even though in the moment it seemed suicidal. None of them would have done that at the start of the movie, and it's based in their new answer to the story's underlying question, in direct opposition to the antagonist's answer. It's why Gamora offers her hand, and when Quill looks her way, he sees his mother and takes it. It's why Drax and Rocket join in. It's why Ronan can't understand how it's possible for them to hold the power: It's not just what they're doing but *why* they're doing it. And that's why that scene is so powerful. In that moment, the Truth triumphs once and for all. When you hear "We're the Guardians of the Galaxy", you believe it in your Soul. So yeah, other than that, I highly recommend this book. 9.5/10

Actual rating 4.25. This book was really good. From a writer's point of view, the information within these pages is invaluable. From the reader's perspective, I have a few small issues that kept me from loving it. Despite that, I will definitely read this book again and use it as a reference moving forward. So, as a reader and writer, I try to take both perspectives into consideration even when reading nonfiction. As a reader, I expect to be entertained and educated at the same time, but perhaps I expect too much. Still, don't let me paint the wrong picture for you. This book was not boring in any way. For me, it lacked entertainment value in that the author never really gets personal with her delivery. It would have been nice to see some of the author's tips and tricks put into practice, using her own work as an example. I've read a few writing books, now, where the author has done this, and it's made all the difference for me. I really appreciated the depth and variety of examples provided to clearly explain the various steps to creating certain types of character ARCs, but I felt like a few more examples of "what not to do" could have been helpful too. Being an extreme planner, myself, I have no idea how pantsers get through their first pages, let alone whole novels. Still, I think a few mentions and or tips specifically for pantsers would have been nice too; but, of course, now I just feel like I'm whining. My next issue may sound a bit strange, and that's because it is. I know this author is female, but for some reason, I kept feeling a male voice while I was reading it. Again, this may sound stereotypical and just bad on my part, but I think not making the book more personal, took away from the author's own feminine voice. With that said, her voice isn't critical to appreciate the knowledge and experience conveyed in this book. If I was simply a reader who wanted to know about how writer's create their stories and characters, I think I would enjoy the knowledge to be gained from this book, but it might feel like reading a textbook, which isn't a bad thing. I will definitely recommend this book to other writers.

I appreciate KM's many, many words about the craft of writing, having first found her at helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com a few years ago. She has a gift for unpacking the concepts, theories and questions about telling stories with the written word that speaks in a clear and relatable way. She is the experienced guide that points out the trail your supposed to be following, showing examples of what works and what doesn't all along the way. I have never come away from any of her teachings, this book included, wondering what message she was trying to convey. So is Creating Character Arcs helpful to writers? Absolutely. I believe KM has done an excellent job of defining what a character arc is, what it's for, different types of arcs, and how they are woven into a story. As I worked my way through the book I realized I intuitively understood the concepts she presented and was even applying them - in limited degrees - in my own writing. But KM's book will help me apply character arcs intentionally, rather than in the half understood, haphazard way I have been. This will make for a much better story on my part, or at least one that doesn't require as many rewrites! I purchased both the kindle and audible version of this book. I simply love seeing words on a page, especially material that is educational/technical by nature, so kindle was an obvious choice for me. As for the audible version, I confess this is the first time I've listened to a book that wasn't a children's story. I wasn't sure I was going to like it or if I was going to simply tune out while the narrator (who is excellent, btw) read. I am pleased to say that both the material and the narrator were completely engaging. Many times I even opened up the kindle version to follow along. Looking back I think using both helped me better absorb what was being taught, even as I plan to go through the material again. At the end of the day I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in writing rich stories with characters readers can deeply identify with, love and even despise. Well done, KM. Looking forward to opening up your new app for writers and applying what I've learned into that.

I read this after finishing the first draft of my book when I realised I had some serious character arc problems. After reading this, my characters arcs suddenly became much clearer in my mind and it also gave me the tools to develop a new outlining method for myself, while taking into consideration theme, character and plot at the same time. The book is full of brilliant questions to ask about your character throughout the three act structure. Starting with a positive change arc, you discover the lie your character believes and the symptoms that stem from this lie. You can then figure out what your character wants, vs what they need, and then the event in their past that caused them to believe this lie, their ‘ghost’. This is the foundation of your story. Every step of the way are lots of well known examples and after every section there are around 8-10 questions to ask yourself about your character. Each section covers the basic plot points of the 3 Act structure, but from the perspective of the character arc. Rather than focusing on external events, it focuses on the psychology of the character and their internal struggle between the lie and the truth. We see how they can change from reactive to proactive as they struggle against an antagonistic force and how this creates a positive change over the course of the story. The section I found most useful was ‘creating your protagonists characterisation moment’. This gives advice on writing the introduction of the protagonist in a way that convinces readers to invest in your character and at the same time create a memorable scene. I understand this in theory but haven’t quite got this down in an actual scene, it’s super hard. I focused mainly on the positive change arc, but this book also does the same for a flat arc and a negative arc, so whatever your protagonist’s journey is you can find some great advice here. I highly recommend this book if you are a writer.

I was doing lots of research of late before starting one of my most ambitious projects yet about plot and characters and I kept hearing people all over the internet mention this book. I bought this one and the workbook. I have yet to actually go through the workbook but this one has questions at the end of every section. At times I got a little dizzy as my head spun around what my character's lie was vs what he wants/needs/the truth but that just highlighted to me that it was an area I needed to work on. I did buy at the same time (because it was on sale) the Emotional Wound Thesaurus, which made and EXCELLENT companion to this. I ended up having to stop this one and go through the other first so I could better nail down the lie, what caused it, and what kind of thinking might come from it. Then I was able to come back to this and approach the thing with more clarity. It is a little formulaic and I've always told myself I hate the three act structure, but I think Weiland makes a point throughout that things are flexible. I view it a lot like a recipe. The first time you make it, you follow what's written in the cookbook. It's a formula. After you've mastered making it and come to know the flavors and components, you're able to better tweak the recipe to what is desired. I very much appreciated the section at the end that deals with how to tackle character arcs in relation to series. So many books focusing on structure and story don't like to tangle with how the concept applies to a series. I don't blame them. Series can be sticky and a mess. Between this chapter and seeing some of her other things on her blog, I would love to see her write a book specific to plotting, planning, and applying writing concepts across a series. Though it only was a chapter about series, it was informative enough to make me go "ah-ha!" as I'd been working through the whole thing already with the understanding that I would have to adapt her method across a series and trying to wrap my head around how that would look. That last chapter brought my hazy concepts into focus on what was possible and gave me a few ideas. This is my first book by Weiland. I skipped on the plot one because I felt like I had a pretty strong handle thanks to Deborah Chester's Fantasy Fiction Formula but I may still pick it up now and some of her others now that I know that she'll provide new points of views and angles to think about things. Even if I adapt or not use every concept Weiland teaches, she's proven that I won't walk away without any new perspectives.

Being a pantser for much of my writing adventure, I struggled to rectify the issue I had when it cane to creating characters that would interest readers. I decided to add more structure into my life (not a rigid sort of structure, merely some kind of outline that contained a level of flexibility). "Creating Character ARCs" by K.M. Weiland is one of the helpful books I discovered. Written in more of a friend-to-friend rather than a textbook style, the author first explains the basic concepts, followed by examples from well-known books and movies. Depending on the initial character you have created, Ms. Weiland leads you down each of the potential paths available (depending upon what is necessary for your story). Five stars.

Creating Character Arcs is a great addition to your writing library. This is another fine book by Ms. Weiland. She opens with showing character arcs and story structure are integral parts of your whole story. But I found that character arcs also affect the theme. The reason for the character's change involves a lie, or false belief, events have caused the character to hold deeply. One of the things I liked about each section were the concept examples from popular movies. Some examples were Thor, who believed Might Makes Right, and Toy Story, where Woody believed your only real worth comes from being the favorite toy. This lie creates a desire in the character to continue the belief no matter the cost or harm. When conflict occurs and the character discovers the lie was just that, the character must make a decision to continue with the way things are, or make a change for the better. The author refers to this as the character's need. The need develops because the character finds there is more to their existence than what they now have or do. So, the character must make a decision of whether to make the change to achieve the need or just keep on going. One of the new, to me, concepts that really stuck out was the idea of three character arc types. A positive character arc is where the character will become more fulfilled by choosing to change and gain the need. A flat character arc is where the character changes little, or none, but affects change around them. The third character arc type is the negative character arc. A character changes but ends up worse than where they began the story. These arc types for protagonists and antagonists, and for support characters to varying degrees. The author also mentioned an impact character. This is the character who brings about change in other characters. The impact character can exist as a mentor, love interest, sidekick, or even antagonist. They exist to initiate change in others. Each chapter ends with multiple questions to ask yourself as you develop your characters and story. Questions in a couple of chapters helped me work out a difficult scene and how the character might react. The book builds upon earlier chapters as you work your way through the material. First understanding how characters wants and needs are related to the 'lie', the book relates this to the first, second, and third acts, and how the character arc climax affects the story climax and resolution in the third act. This is a great book if you want to learn how to create stronger stories and stronger characters.

Love it

Para quem não conhece muito a estrutura de onde começar a escrever, esse livro é o ideal, com exemplos de filmes e com 3 principais "arcos" para se trabalhar. Me ajudou muito no estudo que estou fazendo sobre roteiros.

Really good tips for storytelling and formatting

Innehållet

Finally, a useful guide for creating charater arcs.