2.7 – Character development
WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID TO CHANGE THEIR CHARACTERS?
Seriously, this is one of the things I hate the most in many stories. The characters don't change because of the experiences they encounter along the way. This is not only that it is unrealistic, but also takes away its interest. In case it had not yet entered our heads, what we must deliver is change. And the characters are no less.
Character development is the process by which a character moves from their initial way of being to a new way of being. I could write half a book about this topic (and maybe one day you can read it), so let's focus on the most important things.
I don't know if I've already told you about the five basic pillars of the characters. Motivation, How they try to reach their goal, How they respond to the frustrated goal, Secret and Contradiction. There are many more ways to simplify the characters, but I especially like this one because it manages to give the right touch of characterization to characters in short stories in a way that makes them feel realistic. However this is not set in stone. There are many good ways to characterize that ignore almost all of these pillars, and this method does not speak to things like identity.
Let's assume that we have already read point 1.2 – The characters,and that we have already introduced our characters well thanks to point 2.2 – Character presentation. We have set the character and expectations for him.
Let's say that we continue with our hypothetical protagonist, who wanted to keep her brother safe and if that took revenge on the people who had left them without ancestry. Let's use her as an example of things that can change, of the ways her character can develop.
This protagonist is going to change, however, we cannot break the law of cause and consequence. All changes must be for something you have lived. Knowing that, let's see what kinds of changes we can make.
Changes in motivation
Our prota had two motivations, a primary one (protecting her brother) and a secondary one (revenge). Motivations can change because of events that happen to you. Throughout the story things will happen to him that can increase his motivations (make sure that his brother is not only protected, but that he leads a good life) or diminish them (he discovers that revenge will not return him to his parents, or he prefers a non-lethal revenge).
But they can't just wax or wane. You can also change the order of priorities. If he has to choose between getting revenge and protecting his brother, at the beginning of the story he would have chosen his brother, but as he progresses and develops, he may take the other option if asked again.
You can also miss something. The loss of the brother is not only a heavy burden, but also completely eliminates one of the motivations. Getting revenge can be satisfying, but when it's all over, it's one less thing that helps you stay on your feet.
On the contrary, new experiences can introduce new motivations. An encounter with a group of girls with whom she feels very comfortable can be the spark that ignites a new motivation: To be happy herself regardless of her other two motivations.
Arches
Character arcs are narrative structures very similar to the rest of the structures that we are already seeing ad nauseam. We start with a base, things happen, something happens that changes everything, and we go back to a new base.
In character development, character arcs are the main way to show the evolution of a character. They would come to be like Subplots that aim to change a character. Mind you, story arcs are not the only way to change a character (a character can simply change because of the circumstances they live throughout the main plot), but they are the parts of the story that put that development at the forefront.
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