Crafting the Character Arc

by Jennie Jarvis

  Conversely, however, the way the Major Dramatic Curve operates in the texts changes. While The Hunger Games has its own, fully developed Major Dramatic Curve, the second and third books share a Curve. When President Snow shows up at her house, Katniss is incited to protect the people she loves, including Peeta. Her goal continues through the Tour and into the Games, where she does everything she can to make sure Peeta lives through the Games. Her goal is never reached, however, because the Games end suddenly. Peeta is taken to the Capitol, and Katniss has no choice but to wait before she can continue to fight for her goal. That goal isn’t won until the very end of Mockingjay, after the deaths of many people including several major characters. While other goals surface along the way, Katniss has always been a selfish character, wanting to protect those she loves more than wanting to fix the world around her. As Suzanne Collins adapted from episodic to serial, she made sure to adapt the Major Dramatic Curve as well.

  Create Your Own Exception

  The Major Dramatic Curve is adaptable to any kind of narrative structure you are interested in using. It can be altered and manipulated in order to fit whatever form of framing you wish to put around your story, regardless of format. The only real rule you want to remember is that the Curve must exist in some way, shape or form in order to fully encompass Aristole’s notions of beginning, middle and end and develop your complete Character Arc. As you move forward with your own writing adventure, ask yourself how you can creatively adapt the Curve to fit in with any narrative you wish to create.

  Chapter 13

  Your Inciting Incident

  We have discussed how to build a character’s personality and dialogue mechanics, and we have, at length, discussed how to formulate a fully developed Major Dramatic Curve. We have looked at how you can apply the Curve and how you can manipulate it to fit multiple protagonist and other non-traditional narrative structures. In short, I’ve done all I can to assist you in building a fully realized character arc.

  You may still have lingering doubts about whether or not this structure will work for you. As we questioned in Part One: is it really possible for the artistic pursuit of writing to be compounded and regulated using such strict writing guidelines? Won’t using the Major Dramatic Curve hinder my writing instead of enhancing it? Yes, it may have worked for thousands of stories in the past, but my story is so unique and so different, there’s no way it will apply to me!

  All I can say to these lingering doubts is this: you might be right. This Curve may not work for you and your story. You might be writing a film like Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers that ends at the crisis point. Or you might be writing a novel like Justin Cronin’s The Passage that covers such a large expanse of time that it’s hard to limit the story into one Arc. Or you may be writing a play such as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), which is more about summarizing a number of other stories instead of just telling a single one.

  However, most writers who are interested in any kind of commercial success know it’s best to learn and practice the rules of good storytelling so you can break them later on. I’ve taught so many beginning writers in my workshops and classes who have wanted to be unique and different. They wanted to come up with something no one had ever seen before. While I applaud their ambition, I often find this desire to be different comes less from the need to be original and more for the desire to be a bit lazy. Instead of learning the “proper” way of writing, they want to just write from the heart and then collect their $1 million dollar advance.

  Sadly, the industry doesn’t work that way. Often, a novice writer needs to prove their ability to write a marketable work just to get their name on the shelves at their local bookstore. Once that first book is on the shelf, their agent can use that existing title to help promote the author’s more experimental work. Similarly, most beginning screenwriters have to prove their ability to work within industry guidelines (formatting, genre conventions, etc.) before they are ever trusted with the creation of something more original. Theater tends to allow a bit more creativity from their beginning playwrights but considering that most playwrights usually see their first shows produced at smaller theaters – often community theaters – they usually find more success with great characters acting within a more traditional narrative structure.

  In studying the craft of writing, I’ve come across many theories of writing. Some of them really didn’t sit well with me. Blake Snyder’s overly formulaic approach to screenwriting happened to be one of them. But I still gave it a try – mostly because it was a requirement in my formal education. As much as I hate to admit to the professor who forced me to use Snyder’s Beat Sheet, using those guidelines increased my skills as a writer. I learned valuable lessons about pacing my story that I still use today, even though I have long since abandoned the notion of making sure specific events happen in my story on a certain page. Exposing my writing to new theories has always made me better, even if I didn’t believe in the concepts themselves.

  So even if you aren’t entirely convinced that the Major Dramatic Curve structure is right for you, I give you this inciting incident: keep an open mind. Study the novels, films, plays and short stories you love most and see how the Curve operates in those narratives. Try applying the concepts discussed in this book to your own narratives and see if they give you clarity or inspiration on how you can make your stories stronger than they already are. The worst thing that can happen is you will grow as a writer. And that’s a goal worth fighting for.

  Appendixes

  If there’s a [story] you really want to read,

  but it hasn’t been written yet,

  then you must write it.

  — Toni Morrison

  Appendix A

  Studying Character

  Throughout this textbook, we dived headfirst into a practical, step-by-step guide to creating a fully developed Character Arc. In order to help clarify the various concepts discussed, I referred to a number of narratives from varying formats. I have tried to be as well-rounded as possible in my narrative choices with the hope than anyone utilizing this text will have read, viewed or played at least some of the stories I mentioned. I will admit many of my choices look at films. This is not due to any prejudice against literature, plays, games or web series. This is simply because, in our modern culture, films have the widest reach, and I find many of these examples to be the most identifiable and relatable.

  Below, you will find a complete list of the narratives I used throughout this text, accompanied by a one to two sentence description of that story. Feel free to use this list to give you a broad overview of the stories I examined. You may choose to view or read a few of these as a supplement to this textbook in order to cement the lessons covered.

  21 Grams, Film, Screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga

  A nonlinear story the focuses on three people affected by an accident that kills a young man and his daughter: the grieving widow/mother, the man who received a heart transplant from the deceased man and the Born Again ex-con responsible for the deaths.

  The 40-Year Old Virgin, Film, Screenplay by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell

  A 40 year old nerd befriends his colleagues at work. Once those colleagues discover he’s a virgin, they will do anything to get him laid, including steering him away from a girl he actually cares about.

  Atonement, Film and Book, Novel by Ian McEwen, Screenplay by Christopher Hampton

  A young girl witnesses a horrible crime but makes an accusation against the wrong person. Years later, she realizes the horrible thing she has does and seeks to make amends in any way she can.

  Avengers, Film, Screenplay by Joss Whedon, Based on characters from Marvel Comics

  After a power-hungry alien steals a top secret weapon, a team of superheroes must find a way to overcome their differences in order to save Mankind.

  Big, Film, Screenplay by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg

  A young boy wishes to be an adult, but when his wish comes true, he wants no
thing more than to return to his life as a carefree youngster.

  Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Film, Screenplay by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon

  Two rock and roll wannabe teenagers travel through time in a magic phone booth in order to gather information that will allow them to pass their high school history class.

  Breaking Bad, Television Series, Show Runner Vince Gilligan

  A brilliant yet passive and prideful high school chemistry teaches gets diagnosed with lung cancer. In order to pay for his medical treatment and to take care of his family after his death, he begins cooking crystal meth. His meth is considered so pure and desirable, he quickly becomes a target of the more dangerous drug dealers in New Mexico.

  Brokeback Mountain, Film, Screenplay by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, based on the short story by Annie Proulx

  Two male cowboys fall in love in the homophobic landscape of 1963 Wyoming. Their relationship develops over the years, but their need to keep it a secret slowly destroys them both.

  Chicago, Stage Musical, Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

  An aspiring jazz singer goes to jail for shooting her lover. The press rockets her to the stardom she’s always wanted, but if she isn’t careful, she’ll hang before she gets to enjoy it.

  Chronicle, Film, Screenplay by Max Landis

  After discovering a strange crystal, three high school boys develop super-hero powers, but one of the boys has been an underdog a bit too long. Instead of using his powers for good, he begins to turn into a new super villain.

  Citizen Kane, Film, Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles

  On his deathbed, a rich publishing tycoon utters a single word: “Rosebud.” A news reporter then interviews a number of people who knew him, hoping to find the source behind the mystifying utterance.

  Crash, Film, Screenplay by Paul Haggis

  Several multicultural individuals living in Los Angeles intersect in ways that push their limits of racism and tolerance.

  The Cuckoo’s Calling, Novel, Written by Robert Galbraith

  A down on his luck detective is given one last chance to get back on top when he is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of a famous celebrity.

  Dark Places, Novel, Written by Gillian Flynn

  The lone survival of her family’s grisly homicide, a young woman must face the terrors of her past in order to prove her accused brother’s innocence and find the real killer of her mother and sisters.

  The Dark Tower, Novel Series, Written by Stephen King

  A seven book series in which Roland Deschain, a gunslinger from a lost world of chivalry and courage, travels across a decaying Universe with three companions in an effort to save The Dark Tower, a structure that holds the multiple layers of the Universe together.

  Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Film, Screenplay by Rawson Marshall Thurber

  A group of losers try to save their beloved gym by competing in a professional dodgeball tournament. Unfortunately, their fierce rivals also sign up to compete in order to take them down.

  Dominion 3: The Awakening, Game, created by Illwinter

  Fantasy turn-based game in which the player creates a God. The player’s God competes in a series of tactical battles with others an in attempt to rule over the entire land.

  Downton Abbey, Television Series, Written by Julian Fellowes

  An upstairs-downstairs drama that takes place in a British Manor in the days before the first World War. Due to the death of the estate’s heir on the Titanic, the Lord of the Manor must find and train a new heir who will hopefully marry his eldest daughter.

  Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Web Series, Written by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon

  As aspiring super villain is given a chance to earn his place in the Evil League of Evil, but when his crush, a beautiful and altruistic girl, falls in love with his arch nemesis, a conceited jerk, getting into the League becomes deadly.

  Edward Scissorhands, Film, Screenplay by Carolien Thompson

  A half-completed yet extraordinarily kind Frankenstein of a man finds himself pulled into a suburban world that he can’t quite understand or find a place to call home.

  Epic Mickey, Game, created by Junction Point Studios

  A Wii platform based game in which Mickey Mouse must save a dark version of the Magic Kingdom called the Cartoon Wasteland using paint and paint thinner. Along the way, he must overcome several nefarious characters including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Gremlin Gus and the Shadow Blot.

  The Fifth Element, Film, Screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen

  After his dream girl falls into his cab, a former military special forces soldier turned cab driver does everything he can to win her heart. Since she is a perfect being sent to save the Earth from a Great Evil, winning her over is going to be much harder than he thought.

  Frozen, Animated Film, Screenplay by Jennifer Lee

  Two young sisters are inseparable until the magical powers of one endangers the life of the other. The older sister hides her powers, but when they are unveiled on her 18th birthday, her sister must help her overcome her fears in order to save their beloved city and themselves.

  Gone Girl, Novel, Written by Gillian Flynn

  A man comes home to find his house destroyed and his wife missing. As the police try to discover what happened, all of the man’s secrets go on display for a public audience excited to condemn him for a murder that may not have even occurred.

  The Goonies, Film, Screenplay by Chris Columbus

  After discovering a treasure map in his father’s attic, a young boy and his friends set out to find a long lost buried treasure. When a local crime family finds out about the map, however, the group’s life is suddenly in danger from a lot more than simple booby traps.

  The Gunslinger, Novel and Graphic Novel, Written by Stephen King

  The first book of The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger follows Roland as he pursues the mysterious Man in Black. Along the way, Roland has to overcome many obstacles including a town determined to murder him, a vast desert landscape and his own growing feelings for a young boy from another world.

  Hamlet, Play, Written by William Shakespeare

  A young prince grieving from the loss of his father receives a message from a ghost accusing his uncle of murdering his father. The prince sets out to prove his uncle’s guilt before finding the perfect way to avenge his father’s death.

  The Harry Potter Series, Novel Series, Written by JK Rowling

  This seven book series follows Harry Potter, a young wizard whose parents were murdered by an evil wizard. On that same night, baby Harry mysteriously defeated the dark wizard, and he spends his school years learning more about how that happened and how he will defeat that same dark wizard in the future.

  Harvester, Game, created by DigiFX Interactive

  Point and click adventure in which a man wakes up with no memory. Over time, he learns the dark secrets of the small town in which he awakens.

  Hot Fuzz, Film, Screenplay by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg

  After the best cop in London is reassigned to a small, picture-perfect village, he has to fight to convince the town that a string of strange deaths are murders and not accidents.

  The Hunger Games, Film, Screenplay by Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray and Gary Ross

  Film adaptation of the hit Young Adult book. First installment of the The Hunger Games series (see below).

  The Hunger Games Series, Novel Series, Written by Suzanne Collins

  This three book series follows Katniss Everdeen, a young woman who volunteers to compete in a fight to the death challenge in order to protect her younger sister. Her exploits in the Games turn her into a symbol of hope and revolution against a dystopian Capitol government who watch the Games as a form of frivolous entertainment.

  Interview With A Vampire, Novel, Written by Anne Rice

  An young interviewer with a desire to become a vampire interviews
a vampire who has struggled with this own identity since his turning in 18th century New Orleans.

  Jerry Maguire, Film, Screenplay by Cameron Crowe

  After writing a mission statement that gets him fired, an egotistical sports agent must fight to regain his self confidence and career while managing a growing relationship with his idealistic assistant.

  The Joy Luck Club, Novel, Written by Amy Tan