Character Development

July 25, 2014

When I look at my protagonist’s story arc, the arc had direction, but the conflicts did not support the protagonist’s growth. I had let my protagonist get involved in the wrong conflicts in the wrong sequence. The conflicts should propel the character through his story arc, and shape his transformation. To tell a complete story, the author should walk the protagonist through a series of conflicts where the opposition is logical, emotional, moral, immoral, supportive, stalwart, and skeptical. The intent is to show the main character has experienced his flaw from a wide range of perspectives. These battles provide the backdrop for the protagonist’s decisive moment. A rich and diverse array of conflicts yields a vivid moment of truth, and greater reader satisfaction.

The issue is my protagonist if fighting the right battle, but his conflicts are unfocused, and do not support his growth. There is another issue I need to resolve. The protagonist starts out too weak, and flawed to complete his transformation by the end. Both of these issues add to the confusing character story arcs.

I know how to strengthen the protagonist early in the story, but I need to sharpen the nature of his conflicts. Dramatica and its Story Mind Theory could help (See my March 2, 2014 post). I fear going back into Dramatica with its arcane language and focus on micro-detail. I’ll try it.