Crafting the Character Arc

by Jennie Jarvis

  Harry Potter faces many obstacles in his pursuit to prove himself at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape and even Voldemort are characters who serve as obstacles standing in Harry’s way. The trials set-up to guard the Philosopher’s Stone (in the book, these include the three-headed dog, the poison bottles, the chess match, etc.) all serve as physical obstacles. But Harry must overcome more conceptual obstacles as well, including his own self-doubt, his lack of knowledge about the Wizarding community and the way that his classmates view him as a result of his past.

  In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s biggest obstacle is that she doesn’t know the way home and must rely on other people. In Toy Story, Woody has to avoid being seen by humans as he tries to get Buzz back to Andy’s bedroom. Everything from orcs to elves to bipolar former Hobbits stand in Frodo’s way of saving the Shire. Mikey has to find a treasure that’s been missing for centuries with little time to defuse booby-traps because the Goonies are being pursued by the Fratellis. Elizabeth has to operate under a very strict code of behavior expected from young women of her age. All of these characters must overcome these obstacles if they hope to win their goals.

  In a good story, there should be at least as many obstacles as there are tactics, plus a few more thrown in for good measure. The obstacles need to be challenging, and we, as a reader or viewer, need to doubt whether or not the protagonist can overcome them. If the obstacles are too easy or if it’s too obvious what tactics they will use to win, we will lose interest in the story and respect in the character. We will say, “Why didn’t she just call the police when she knew her sister was kidnapped?” or “Why didn’t he just use the money to leave town?”

  Readers want the characters they fall in love with to really need to work hard for their goals, otherwise, they don’t feel like the ending is “earned.” I’ve seen so many films and read so many books where the characters get a happy ending, but they really didn’t deserve it. Usually, this happens as a result of a “dues ex machina.” Literally translated, this term means “machine of the Gods” or “Gods from the machine.” A more modern day translation is “the hand of God.” This expression comes from ancient Greek theater where sometimes, when a character is really in trouble, the Gods will swoop down and smite the villain – just because they want to. Therefore, the hero wins but not because of anything they did on their own. They won their goal, but they didn’t earn it.

  For many years, Stephen King had a reputation for not writing the endings of his story very well, and one of those endings happens to have a great example of dues ex machina. In The Stand, mankind struggles to survive in the wake of a terrible plague after it has wiped out most of the planet. In the United States, all of the “good” people have gathered together in Boulder, Colorado, whereas all the “evil” people have gathered in – where else? – Las Vegas, Nevada, under the direction of the Crimson King, Randall Flagg. Over the course of the book, Flagg’s people obtain a nuclear warhead. Their plans of launching this warhead to take out the “Free Zone” in Boulder is thwarted when – quite literally – the hand of God drops down from the heavens and detonates the nuke in the middle of the downtown Las Vegas, killing all of Flagg’s army. The build up to this 900 page ensemble piece is thrilling, and we are rooting for good to destroy evil. And in a way, it does, but not in a satisfying way. The reader (or watcher of the mini-series) feels cheated by this underdeveloped ending that works on a thematic level but not in terms of character.

  While not quite so obvious as The Stand, the ending of The Goonies also feels a bit like a dues ex machina. Mikey and his friends were forced to ditch the treasure they found when the Fratellis show up on the pirate ship. When the cave begins to collapse, and they are forced to flee without the gold, it feels like our heroes have lost their goal of saving their community. They have undoubtedly changed as people, and we respect the journey they have gone on. This respect gets a bit tarnished however, when the very random ending takes us in a new direction. For some odd reason, the owner of the country club shows up on the beach asking for the final signature, ensuring the neighborhood’s demise. Then, the Spanish speaking maid finds an assortment of jewels in Mikey’s jacket pocket. “It’s my marble bag. The Fratellis forgot to check it.” Forgot? The viewer is happy for this turn of events, but it doesn’t quite feel like an earned win for the protagonist. A much more satisfying ending would have been if “Mouth” had been successful in his tactic of trying to sneak out the jewels in his mouth.

  The device of the Dues Ex Machina is used so often in modern storytelling that the 2004 film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story even plays with it to enhance their comedy. In the film, Peter La Fleur owns a struggling gymnasium frequented by an eccentric group of losers. To save their gym, they form a dodgeball team who come together to compete in the National Dodgeball Tournament. In an act of desperation, Peter sells his gym to his competitor White Goodman. At this point, he thinks his team has no chance of winning, and he thinks his gym is as good as gone anyway. He almost leaves the city before a pep talk by a celebrity cameo convinces him to go back and play. Peter’s team rallies to win the National Dodgeball Competition, but since he has already sold his gym, it looks like it was all for naught. However, at the last moment, the casino sweeps in with a treasure chest full of money, congratulating him for his gambling winnings. It is revealed that Peter took the money he received from White and gambled it on his own team winning the Competition. This money allows Peter to not only save his gym but to buy out White’s gym as well. Written on the side of the Treasure Chest filled with money are the words “Dues Ex Machina,” which shows the screenwriters knew they were ending the film on a cheap trick that would ensure a happy, albeit unearned, ending.

  To avoid these cheap, unearned endings, the obstacles of the Rising Action should get harder and harder. Make things difficult, but not impossible. Screw your characters, but not yourself. At the beginning of the narrative, the protagonist should not possess the skills he or she needs to overcome all of these obstacles. However, as the protagonist experiments with various tactics, he or she learns skills or knowledge that will result in his or her ability to beat out the final obstacle in the end.

  Just be sure the lessons the character learns aren’t too close to the obstacle that it is used to overcome. We want the reader/viewer to almost forget about the lesson until it’s important for the character to use it later on. For instance, in Monty Python and The Holy Grail, King Arthur learns there are two different kinds of swallows in the beginning of the movie. This knowledge seems just like another bit of absurd silliness at the time. The audience laughs but forgets about this joke. Later, however, when King Arthur uses that knowledge to pass one of the final obstacles toward the end of the film, the audience remembers and laughs instead of groans.

  As writers, it is important to realize there are two levels to this interplay of tactics and obstacles: one for each scene and one for the narrative overall. Within each scene, the character needs to have a goal for that scene. To win that goal, they need to have a number of various obstacles they must overcome. This scene goal is, in turn, a tactic towards winning their larger, narrative long goal.

  A great example can be seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book). His goal is to survive the newest threat from Voldemort. This starts at the Quidditch World Cup and ends when Dumbledore prevents Barty Crouch Jr. from murdering Harry in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. As Harry journeys through his pursuit of his goal, he encounters multiple tasks. One of these tasks is the hedge maze, in the middle of which the Triwizard Cup is hidden. His scene goal is to get to the Cup. Some of the tactics he uses to win this goal are to run through the maze, to solve the Sphinx’s riddle, to avoid the Blast Ended Skrewt and to avoid his competitors, one of who happens to be controlled by the Imperius Curse. His obstacles in this scene are the various magical creatures and spells he comes across, his fellow competitors, his own fear, his inability to leave an unconscious competitor behind, and — t
hough he doesn’t know – it a Death Eater who has turned the Cup into a transportation device which will deliver him directly into the hands of Voldemort. Overall, his scene goal of getting to the Cup is a tactic towards his overall goal. Winning that Cup will end the Triwizard Tournament, which is the most obvious threat against him. His other overall tactics are similar in nature: passing the Underwater Challenge, getting the golden egg from the Dragon Challenge, and, of course, surviving the Yule Ball.

  As you approach writing your Rising Action, it’s important you keep in mind the relationship between those scene goals and the overall goal. In a well-crafted story, those pieces should work together to form the overall story. If a scene goal does not, in some way, contribute to the overall goal, then perhaps that scene isn’t needed and can be eliminated. Similarly, if you find one scene goal is reached too easily, then perhaps more obstacles need to be added to help increase the overall difficulty of the character winning his or her goal. All of these pieces should fit together nicely, creating a solid build as you move into the last two elements of the Major Dramatic Curve: the crisis and the climax.

  Crafting Your Rising Action

  Instead of writing a paragraph for the Rising Action, write a two column chart: obstacles in the left column, tactics in the right column. As you write, consider these tips:

  1. Your tactics and obstacles should usually talk to each other. For example, a character’s goal is to save a princess from a dragon. The obstacles can include a) the dragon’s cave is in a hard to reach place, b) the dragon breaths fire, and c) the princess is chained to the wall. The tactics speaking directly to these obstacles can include a) the protagonist hires an expert mountain climber to help him, b) the protagonist wears a fire-proof safety uniform, and c) the protagonist goes out and learns how to pick a padlock. Make sure you don’t introduce an obstacle the protagonist never deals with.

  2. You should always have more tactics than obstacles. Your reader/viewer wants to see the protagonist try some things that fail before they succeed. Otherwise, how does the protagonist learn?

  3. Make your obstacles as hard as possible. Ask yourself this question: what’s the one thing that would make it impossible for my character to win his goal? Then add that to your obstacle list. For example, in National Treasure, Ben steals the Declaration of Independence. His goal is to get the Templar treasure. If he got arrested for stealing the Declaration, there is no way he could get the treasure. So what happens? The FBI catch him and arrest him. In Gone Girl, Nick wants his wife Amy to return. What would be the worst thing that could happen? If Amy actually got killed or kidnapped while she was out on her own. So what happens? Amy calls a creep friend who takes her to his lake house, where she becomes his prisoner. Make it impossible for your character to win their goal, and then find a way for them to get around that obstacle. This way, your audience respects the journey they have gone through and the obstacles they have overcome.

  4. Take a look at your tactics and ask this question: are your characters becoming increasingly desperate as the story unfolds? Are there things your character is willing to do later in the narrative they weren’t willing to do earlier? If not, why not? As the character grows more desperate, the reader/viewer will feel the intensity they are going through.

  Chapter 8

  Crisis Point

  As the protagonist approaches his or her goal, using tactics to overcome obstacles along the way, the reader’s investment in the character’s struggle increases. As the protagonist experiences the rises and falls of their journey, the reader/viewer too rides the same emotional roller coaster. This emotional parallel most strongly exists at the next stop on the Major Dramatic Curve: the Crisis Point.

  The Crisis Point is a difficult element to define because, depending on the genre in which you write, it is something very different. In some stories, it can be an emotional low for the character. In others, it can be the character’s happiest moment. One thing is very clear about this moment, though; the Crisis Point serves as an indicator that the protagonist has reached his or her greatest challenge (biggest obstacle) and the journey towards their goal will be ending soon.

  There are three basic ways that a Crisis Point can appear in any given narrative. It can be an emotional peak (highest/lowest moment), a crossroads where the character must make a difficult decision regarding their goal, or a final piece of information that solves a problem for the protagonist. In all cases, the Crisis Point tends to be a Point of No Return for the protagonist. Once they have experienced this event, there is no way they can go back to who they were at the beginning of the story.

  Crisis Point as Emotional Peak

  The first kind of Crisis Point is an emotional peak. To explore this kind of Crisis Point, let’s look at the traditional definitions of comedy and tragedy. The traditional definition of comedy is much different than how we use the word today. While today a comedy must make us laugh, in traditional terms, a comedy was a narrative with a happy ending. This usually meant that the protagonist won his or her goal. It also usually meant the happiness was sealed with a marriage or marriage proposal. Conversely, a tragedy, in the traditional sense, usually ends with the protagonist losing his or her goal. In many instances, this character usually has a place of authority or control that they lose as a result of their character flaws (such as pride). Today, we tend to think of a tragedy as a story that makes us sad, regardless of whether or not the protagonist wins the goal. However, in the traditional sense, the character must lose their goal in order for the term “tragedy” to be applied.

  To look at Crisis Point as an emotional peak, we will use those traditional definitions of comedy and tragedy to indicate what kind of emotional peak the character will experience. In a comedy (character wins the goal), the Crisis Point will be a low point for the character. In a tragedy (character loses the goal), the Crisis Point will be a highest moment for the character. (Sounds a little backwards, doesn’t it? Read on...)

  When the emotional peak is a lowest moment for the character, the protagonist often feels completely abandoned and destitute. Due to the events that brought about this lowest moment, the protagonist usually thinks there is no way to win the goal. The reader/viewer should also feel this way. In The Town, Doug MacRay wants nothing more than to abandon his life of crime and protect the woman he loves. But at his lowest moment, the seedy crime boss and florist Fergie Colm has blackmailed him. He must participate in the most dangerous robbery of his career or the crime boss will murder Claire, Doug’s girlfriend. Fergie has also destroyed Doug’s innocent belief that his mother is alive somewhere. She was a drug addict who killed herself thanks to Fergie. On top of this, the FBI is on to Doug and has alerted Claire of his true identity. When he runs to Claire’s house to convince her to run away with him, she threatens to call the police. She’s terrified of him and wants nothing more to do with him. Doug has lost everything in this moment. He feels completely trapped. He can’t escape his life of crime or else the woman he loves will die. This is his lowest moment and Crisis Point.

  In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett suffers her emotional low when Lydia and Wickham run off together. Not only has her sister ruined the entire family’s reputation, but it has seemingly also ruined Elizabeth’s chances for receiving a second proposal of marriage from Mr. Darcy. Before this time, Darcy and Elizabeth reconciled at Pemberley, and his actions were so affectionate and caring that Elizabeth believed she might once again have a chance. However, Darcy runs off almost as soon as he learns about the elopement. Elizabeth returns to her home, convinced that she and her beloved three sisters will never be able to marry.

  In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry’s Crisis Point comes in the form of Voldemort’s resurrection. Not only is Harry as far away from winning the Triwizard Tournament as possible, but now his blood has assisted the worst wizard of all time to return to full power. As a result, Voldemort has acquired the protection spell Harry’s mother cast over him as a baby. Harry lite
rally accepts his own death, telling himself that he will die fighting like his father instead of cowering behind a gravestone. Things can’t get much blacker than it does for Harry in that chapter in the graveyard.

  The lowest point for these characters usually results from the character being faced with their largest obstacle and feeling like they are losing. They are ready to give up all together, throw in the towel and cut their losses if they can. However, since these are all comedies in the traditional sense, the fight isn’t over for them just yet. Something will inspire them to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and fight one more epic battle towards winning their goal. Doug participates in the robbery of Fenway Park, narrowly escaping with his life, murdering the florist, finding a moment of reconciliation with Claire and then escaping to Florida. Elizabeth and her family are delighted to learn that Lydia was married. After this, she urges her father to accept them in the house to avoid scandal, encourages her sister’s reconciliation with Mr. Bingley, stands up to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s threats and accepts Mr. Darcy’s wedding proposal. Through a stroke of magical luck, Harry and Voldemort’s wand connect, conjuring the ghost of Harry’s parents who help him escape the graveyard. Harry then fights to overcome the final foe in the book: Barty Crouch Jr. before finally returning to the comfort of his friends. For all of these characters, their lowest moments didn’t defeat them, and we, as reader/viewers, respect them for not succumbing to those lowest moments.

  When looking at tragedies, the Crisis Points look very different. Since the characters are going to lose their goal, the Crisis Point is the moment where it looks like nothing could go wrong for them. They are on top of the world, and only an act of God could remove them from their place of privilege. In the most well known tragedy of all time, King Lear reunites with his beloved daughter Cordelia. Even though Lear disowned her, she showers him with nothing but love. On top of that, she and the King of France have an entire army ready to mount an attack against her evil sisters. At this point in the play, it looks like everything will be okay for the pride-filled king. This is his highest moment and Crisis Point.