Have you heard of the Heroic Monomyth? Yes, no? If not, good! Because we’re not discussing that today.
Today, we’re talking about what your characters are going to be doing. What is their arc, their plot?
(Spoiler alert: Most of this post will be a mix of “context matters” and “for the love of god COMMIT to what you’re doing”.)
Character development is IMPORTANT and you’re allowed to change your character! Please. Let your character undergo change.
That said, STICK WITH IT.
It can (and should, most often) happen over time, but it can also happen quickly due to big plot events! Trauma does a lot for a character. We all know it.
Some development should be commented upon in-story—be it through other characters, narrative voice, or though plot developments—but some should not. It’s tricky to tell the difference, but in general, aside from ending feelings, try to not…
Unless it’s “character is growing more evil”, then characters should probably comment on that, because it sounds like a moral event horizon is on the… well, horizon. Then it acts as foreshadowing!
If you’re the type of writer to plan things out all the way to the end, think about what kind of character you want at the end of your story. How does the plot change your character? How would your endgame character deal with the beginning of the story, and how would the newbie character deal with the end? What happened to get them this far, what needs to happen?
If you’re the type of writer who likes to wing it, then go for it! You can still have a goal in mind—maybe your story is about a descent into darkness so you ultimately have to have them become a villain—or you can totally just go with the flow. It depends on your writing skill, plot familiarity, and more. But it can be done!
Not all character development has to be IN YOUR FACE. Let it be subtle. It’s okay if not everyone notices. Not everyone will, and that’s okay, even if it makes you want to crack open a bottle of wine and a pint of ice cream. Readers are both sharper and more obtuse than you will ever comprehend.
Now for a very important, very vital part of committing to characterization. Mother, I’m sorry for the following paragraph.
LET YOUR CHARACTERS FUCK UP. God. Please. Just let them fuck up. Let them fuck up little things and big things and catastrophic things. Let them knowingly fuck up, or accidentally fuck up, or fuck up because they had to. Tumblr’s problematic olympics is not how characters should be viewed. Characters, like people, can and will fuck up!
Think about what’s important to your character. Think about the big things and the small things. Would your character kill for their favorite flavor of ice cream because they have a massive sweet tooth? Would your character literally kill in order to protect their best friend? Important things to know—and prove in-story.
Not every goal your character has should be reached. Let them fail. (Failure is different from fucking up, too!) Whether it’s part of an open-ended ending, or outright failure, or something in between, let them fail, along with getting the wins.
These can be big or small things, but it’s kind of easier to have them be big things, unless it’s a running joke that your character is the butt monkey of the universe.
Keep in mind that a character’s narrative tone can vary from scene to scene and chapter by chapter, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect a change in the character. They could be processing grief, they could have a really good day, they could have found out something totally shocking. And then… they kind of bounce back to their “default” state. Their default might shift because of this plot happening, but no one’s angry or sad or shocked all the time.
Even/especially in grief—even in abject grief, after the initial crying fest/numbness/grieving takes place, it comes and goes! People can have a really nice day a week after they lose their parents. They can be at the grocery store and suddenly burst back into tears because their dad always made dumb jokes about the bananas. Grief fluctuates.
Also, a lot of emotions are exhausting. Let your characters be tired! Actually, that’s important. Let’s expand.
Let your characters be tired! Whether it’s tied into literal fatigue, or they’re tired of plot happening, or they’re tired of some other character’s bullshit, your character doesn’t have to be a perpetual moving machine. Let the cracks in their armor show and you’ll have a better character for it. Readers love flaws as well as strengths.
Keep in mind that characters and readers can’t deal with tragedy angstfest 2k21 ALL THE TIME. You need the breather episodes, otherwise you’ll ruin your own emotional journey due to straight-up oversaturation.
Let characters have the good moments and the bad moments. Both will tell your readers a lot about them.
