Characters are the key to a story. They must behave in a manner consistent with their surroundings and, in addition, they must be correctly drawn to be believable. One of the strong points when creating these characters is the character development arc
But… What exactly does this concept refer to? Next, we will try to explain what it consists of and what are the different types of development arc that we can find.
What is the character development arc?
We call the character development arc the evolution that the character experiences throughout the story
That is to say, a character will never be the same at the beginning as at the end of a story, since the same plot exposes him to a series of transformations. In other words, the story subjects him to an obstacle course, and it is the character’s response to this race that will determine his evolution.
Story elements that draw the development arc
Obviously, a character who has a happy life and nothing happens to him will not be able to evolve. Let’s think about our own life. What makes us different at 40 than at 20? Evidently, life experiences, everything we have learned as we live
The characters are living creatures. This means that, like us, they respond in certain ways to changes in their environment. Let us point out, then, some of the key concepts for the transformation in the character.
1. The personality of origin
At the beginning of our story, the character must be correctly drawn. This means that, beyond his physical appearance, which is not so important when facing the transformation, We must make clear what his personality is
Why is this important? Because only if we correctly establish what the character is like at the starting point, that is, in the first chapters of the plot, will we be able to assess what his evolution has been throughout the story.
2. The character’s environment
It is as or more important than the personality of origin, since it is the world in which the character develops. In other words, It is your comfort zone, it is the context to which you are accustomed Let’s take an example.
Let’s imagine that our protagonist is a farmer who lives very happily with his wife and children on a farm lost in Australia. If we do not remove our character from that farm and from that context, no change in his personality will be triggered. He will simply continue doing what he has done until now.
3. The obstacle
Once we have drawn both the personality of origin and the context of the character, it is time to pose an obstacle. This is the most important element, since It will be this obstacle that will set it in motion, that will activate it
Let’s go back to the case of our farmer from Australia. Let’s imagine that, one day, he receives a letter informing him that his land is going to be expropriated to build a road. It is very likely that this news will come as a shock to him, since it means the destruction of the world he knows, of his home, of life as he understands it. In a word: it means the end of his happiness. At this point, the farmer will move to respond to this “aggression.”
This movement, by the way, does not necessarily have to be positive. We will see this in another section, when we discuss the different types of character development. But first, let’s mention one last indispensable element when it comes to the character’s development arc.
4. The final personality
We have the character moving driven by that obstacle that has taken him, let’s put it this way, out of his comfort zone. Along the history, the character has undergone a series of internal transformations, in parallel to his actions If we have built the entire process well, the final personality of our character will be different from his original personality.
Is not always that way; There are flat characters who barely evolve, and it does not mean that the story is poorly constructed. We will simply have to take into account the very nature of the story and what each of them asks for. For example, a superhero story (which, by definition, do not usually evolve too much) is not the same as a plot that revolves around a teenager who must learn to live without her father, for example.
Types of development arc
KM Weiland, in his book Creating character arcsdistinguishes 3 Types of Character Development Arc :
1. The upward or positive arc of development
As its name suggests, this arc of development marks a positive evolution. That is to say, the character’s character improves and, with it, their way of interacting with the world and with the rest of the characters.
2. The downward or negative arc of development
In this case, the character suffers a negative evolution, which causes him to end the story worse than he started it. That is to say, the character has not been able to adapt to the changes or overcome obstacles that have been imposed on him.
3. The arc of neutral or flat development
The character hardly suffers any alterations in his original personality. This type of development It is very common, as we have already mentioned, in archetypal characters as is the case with superheroes or evil people in stories.
The intensity of evolution
There is another classification of character development arcs, based in this case on the intensity of the change that occurs. Antonio Sánchez Escalonilla, in his book Film script strategiesproposes the following classification:
1. Flat development
Evolution is minimal and it barely alters the personality of the character.
2. Moderate development
Although the evolution is still very slight, we are no longer facing a flat character. Sometimes, the final personality can be very different because, despite being a low intensity evolution, If it is sustainable over time and lasts throughout history, it can cause considerable changes
3. Radical development
In this case, when the story ends the character has undergone very profound changes. Obstacles have taken a toll on his personality to the point of causing an important change inside This radical change can be positive or negative.
4. Traumatic development
The latter is the most radical of all, since we obtain it by subjecting the character to a very acute crisis In this case, the character who ends the story is someone radically different from the one who begins it.
5. Circular development
There is one last type of exchange, and it is circular. As his name indicates, the character does not follow a linear evolution, but rather returns to the starting point, then moves away again, and so on until the end of the story. Despite being called circular development, The character who ends the story is not the same one who started it As in the other evolutions, it has undergone changes; The difference is that his path has been much longer and more complex.
This is perhaps the most credible type of development, since, in real life, our evolutions are not linear, and we are constantly subject to advances and setbacks. Therefore, this type of development is highly recommended for realistic stories.
We hope that this brief summary of what character development arcs are and their typology helps you better understand the evolution of the characters in your favorite stories and, why not, encourages you to write one (or many!).