{"id":2374022,"date":"2023-07-25T15:29:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T20:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/?p=2374022"},"modified":"2023-07-25T15:29:07","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T20:29:07","slug":"why-your-story-needs-flat-character-arcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/why-your-story-needs-flat-character-arcs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Story Needs Flat Character Arcs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Chris Babcock, Student Contributor<a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2374028 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"302\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG-125x125.png 125w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/OYAN-Blog-Flat-Character-Arcs-Resized-IG.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 302px) 100vw, 302px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever read <em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, imagine a Sam Gamgee who starts out selfish, petty, and cowardly. Then, over the course of the trilogy, he becomes self-sacrificing, noble, and courageous.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to envision, right? And honestly, it makes Sam Gamgee less likable. He just wouldn\u2019t be Sam if he didn\u2019t start out with an intrinsic loyalty and childlike faith. His flat arc makes him a wonderful foil for Frodo\u2019s tragic negative arc.<\/p>\n<p>But aren\u2019t flat arcs inherently bad?<\/p>\n<p>Actually, no.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A flat character <em>arc<\/em> is not the same thing as a flat <em>character<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A flat character is like a piece of cardboard\u2014dimensionless, colorless, and leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Flat characters generally have one or two quirks or stereotypes that are subbed in for an actual personality. This is why so many people hate Jar-Jar Binks from the <em>Star Wars<\/em> prequels.<\/p>\n<p>A flat arc, on the other hand, is something entirely different.<\/p>\n<p>K.M. Weiland defines character arcs based upon the idea of a central \u201cTruth\u201d that a character must accept and a \u201cLie\u201d that they must reject. If they are the main character, the plot and theme will revolve around this Truth and Lie. In the<a href=\"http:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/\"><em> One Year Adventure Novel<\/em><\/a> framework, the midpoint (Chapters 6 and 7) is normally defined by an embrace of the Truth, followed by a devastating reversion to the Lie (or the overwhelming feeling that the Lie is true) during the Black Moment of Chapter 9. In Chapters 10 and 11, the main character fully embraces the Truth and thus defeats the villain who is still chained by some version of the Lie.<\/p>\n<p>In a negative arc, this progression is reversed and the climax involves a total and shattering embrace of the Lie.<\/p>\n<p>In a flat arc, however, the character has already recognized the Lie for what it is and embraced their Truth. <strong>This does not mean that they have ceased growing.<\/strong> Sam Gamgee continues to become <em>more<\/em> brave and loyal throughout <em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. But Sam is growing into qualities that he already possesses, rather than waging an internal battle with an ugly side of himself. Sam\u2019s flat arc is a beacon of hope because he refuses to be swallowed by the waves of despair that often wash over the rest of the cast. Similarly, Aragorn is an example of what it means to be a real leader and a virtuous man, and his stable influence helps Merry and Pippin become brave young Hobbits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The trick, however, is to avoid turning your flat arc character into a propaganda mouthpiece.<\/strong> The reader should never feel that they are being preached at.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Additionally, a flat arc doesn\u2019t mean that the character is perfect.<\/strong> By book 2 of <em>The Hunger Games<\/em> trilogy, the mentor Haymitch has already overcome his despair (the Lie) and embraced the fight against the injustice of the Capitol (the Truth). However, he still struggles with an alcohol addiction. His ability to guide Katniss and Peeta does not make him a perfect role model.<\/p>\n<p>Another pitfall is settling for a specific flat arc trope that I call the \u201cMan of Steel.\u201d Western storytelling has an infatuation with invincible main characters who are invariably white, male, and muscular.<\/p>\n<p>While films such as <em>Bourne<\/em>, <em>Mission Impossible<\/em>, and <em>Die Hard<\/em> can be fun (and are masterpieces in some respects), eventually the main characters all blend together. Such heroes are unmemorable because rather than having reached the story\u2019s internal Truth, they reflect the external Lie perpetuated by Hollywood: that individualism is the highest good. Such stories are not ultimately about Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt\u2014they are about the North American ideal of strong, attractive men who don\u2019t need other people. Plus lots of gunfire and explosions and a bit of romance to spice things up.<\/p>\n<p>Your characters can do better. I believe in you! If you decide to write a character with a flat arc\u2014and I recommend you have at least one\u2014she should add depth and meaning to the story. Show how she has wrestled with the Lie and overcome it. Show the unique way that she views the Truth. Let her still mess up sometimes. And let her Truth\u2014no matter how messy\u2014be a beacon for the other characters and for the reader.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If done right, flat character arcs will make your story <em>more real<\/em>.<\/strong> Because no matter how dark the world can be, there will always be brave souls who have overcome it. As Samwise Gamgee puts it: \u201cThere\u2019s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it\u2019s worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><em>Do you have a favorite character who has a flat arc?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>***<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2374024 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/Chris-Babcock-Headshot-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>About Chris<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chris grew up in a sleepy nuclear reactor town in northern Ontario but moved to Africa with his family at the age of 9. Since then he has visited 26 countries on 4 continents, which provides him with endless fodder for his imagination as he creates new worlds in his head. He\u2019s currently writing a\u00a0near-future heist novel, and he loves reading and writing stories that deal with difficult topics while also portraying truth.<\/p>\n<p>You can connect with him on instagram (@chrisbabcockwrites) or by email (cbabco7@gmail.com).<\/p>\n<p>If you think it must be awkward for him to write about himself in third person\u2014he thinks so too.<\/p>\n<p><em>* Please note that links on\u00a0The One Year Adventure Novel\u00a0Blog to other websites and blogs do not constitute an official endorsement. We are not intimately familiar with all the writing and opinions contained in outside links.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Chris Babcock, Student Contributor If you\u2019ve ever read The Lord of the Rings, imagine a Sam Gamgee who starts out selfish, petty, and cowardly. Then, over the course of the trilogy, he becomes self-sacrificing, noble, and courageous. It\u2019s hard to envision, right? And honestly, it makes Sam Gamgee less likable. He just wouldn\u2019t be&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11882,"featured_media":2374028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15919,57],"tags":[99,16130,183],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-2374022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-posts","category-help-with-characters","tag-characters","tag-creating-characters","tag-writing-honestly","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Your Story Needs Flat Character Arcs -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A flat character is like a piece of cardboard\u2014dimensionless and colorless. 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