CharacterFoundational
Character Arc
The internal change a character undergoes across a story.
Principle
An arc is the gap between who the character is and who they become.
Takeaways
- Positive arc: the character learns and grows.
- Negative arc: the character refuses to learn and falls.
- Flat arc: the character does not change but the world does.
Overview
Character arc is the trajectory of internal change. It is built by pressure: the world refuses to let the character hold their old self, and they either evolve, break, or hold the line.
Examples
- A coward learns courage through repeated cost.
- An idealist hardens into the cynic they once despised.
- A truth-teller refuses to lie even as the world changes around them.