In fiction, the Character Arc is what keeps the tension high and the conflict going. The Arc is the internal change that the hero or heroine goes through from the beginning of the story to the end. It can be positive, (think of Rick in Casablanca) which results in a happy ending or negative, (think of Jimmy in Things To Do in Denver When You’re Dead) which gives us a tragedy. In between, is the static character arc, in which a good character stays that way throughout and fights the forces of evil. (Think of Braveheart, Rob Roy or most John Wayne movies). Sometimes in this type of arc, the character arc may dip slightly if the protagonist is tempted by some outside force, but he always returns to his heroic self at the end.

Where does the Character Arc begin? On page one. Let’s say the hero/protagonist of your story starts out as an Isolated Workaholic. It’s safe to say that he wasn’t always this way. He has developed this behavior as a result of things that have happened in his life and gives what is termed an Emotional Wound. Perhaps he had a father whose love he could never quite achieve, leaving him feeling he needs to strive harder, aim higher in order to be worthy. Or maybe he has loved and lost and now buries himself in his work, determined never to trust love again.

Because he must change and grow during the course of the story, his inner goal, the one he does not acknowledge on a conscious level, can be Learn to Trust, or Stop and Smell the Roses, depending upon which Emotional Wound led to his Character Flaw, making him an Isolated Workaholic.

For the purpose of this workshop, let’s say that he has loved and lost and has to Learn to Trust. Because he is human, he will resist this change with everything he has which gives the story the inner conflict that is so vital to any good story. He’s perfectly content as he is, sees no reason to change, then something happens to throw everything he knows about himself out of balance. A series, of complications or kicks will make it impossible for him to go on, to ignore the fact that he has to change. In a romance, the heroine, is the "something" that makes him change. In a horror, it will be the fact that no one else can destroy the monster. What ever the story, the main character cannot walk away from the action without dire consequences to someone or something, even if only himself. If he does, there is no story.

The hero keeps trying to return to the old ways of thinking, the old behaviors--focusing on his work, trying to avoid getting close to anyone, but because of her, he can’t. He’s starting to see things differently, to believe in spite of all that he know to be true, that he can trust someone. And most importantly, he’s falling in love again. At the Turning Point, he makes a conscious decision to change his behavior. He will then be tested to see if he can maintain this new way of thinking.

In a story with a happy ending, it appears as though everything is moving along until the hero reaches the Black Moment - the point at which all is lost, and the goal cannot be achieved. Often it appears that he has returned to his old ways, that nothing has changed at all. In a tragedy, the opposite is true, and the hero achieves a Shining Moment - everything will be just fine. But alas, it is not to be so.

The Climax follows, during which the hero draws upon the new strengths or lessons he has learned in order to take action and bring the story to a conclusion.

The Resolution ties together all the loose ends of the story and allows the reader to see the outcome of the main character’s decision at the climax. This is where we see evidence of the change in a positive character arc.

Other main characters, the villain, the heroine in the case of a romance, may also have their own inner changes to go through and lessons to learn. But everything the main characters do and say, and how they react to situations stems from the character arc as they moved toward their inevitable changes.