A character arc is the transformation or inner journey a character goes through over the course of a story, as they begin as one kind of person and change, or refuse to change, in response to events.
Where the term comes from
The Wikipedia article on character arc defines it as the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. It adds that if a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to changing developments, and that because the change is often a move from one trait to its opposite, such as greed to benevolence, the geometric word arc is used for the shape. The article also describes how arcs unfold beside the plot in a three-act structure, with the arc set up in the first act. It also points to the related idea of the dynamic character, one who changes over the story.
An example
Perpetua Loom begins her novel as a lighthouse keeper who believes that asking for help is a kind of failure. In the first act she turns away a neighbour's offer of supplies. In the middle, a storm forces her to accept shelter from the very neighbour, and she hates it. By the end, she is the one who rings the village together to raise a new tower. The change is gradual, and each step costs her something. Notice that the event that tests her belief is placed where it hurts most, at the point where she most wants to be self-reliant.
Common mistakes
- Changing a character in one scene, with no earlier pressure to explain it.
- Giving the character a flaw that never gets in their way, so there is nothing to overcome.
- Assuming every arc is positive. A character can decline, and a character can stay firm while the world changes around them.
- Writing an arc that has nothing to do with the plot, so the inner story and the outer story feel like two books.
- Telling readers about the change in a speech instead of showing a different choice.
How to check your manuscript
Write three lines for your protagonist: what they believe at the start, what they believe at the end, and the scenes that push that belief. Then check that each scene makes it harder to hold the old belief. Look at the choices they make under pressure early and late. If the same choice appears in the same situation, the arc has not moved. For more on the types of change, read the guide to character arc types, and for the foundations, the character development guide.
In Musael, the plan board can be filtered to show one character's thread, so you can read their scenes in order and see whether the change builds.