Speaker 1: Hi, Jerry Jenkins here talking about all things writing, this time about creating memorable lead characters with dramatic story arcs. Have you ever quit reading a novel just because you couldn't relate to the main character, also known as the lead or hero? Compelling characters can make or break a novel, making the difference between a memorable one and a forgettable one. So how do you create a main character who has a powerful arc? First, he should almost always appear immediately, preferably on the opening page. And when I refer to your main character as he or him, of course I mean her or she as well. Be intentional about the name you choose for him. Pick one that suits your character's heritage and time period, and maybe that even hints at his character. J.K. Rowling was masterful at this in the Harry Potter books, Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Newt Scamander. And here on your screen is a link to a post on this subject that you may find helpful. While we leave that on the screen long enough for you to jot it down, let me keep moving and tell you that your readers don't need to picture your main character exactly as you do. Just trigger the theater of their minds. And if a thousand readers come up with a thousand different imaginings, so much the better. But they do need to quickly grasp the basics. Roughly how old is he? What's his ethnicity? Does he have scars, piercings, tattoos, or unusual physical features? What does he sound like? Does he have an accent? Layer in your character's description through dialogue and action. Don't just drop in a laundry list of characteristics. Next, what shaped your character into who he is today? What's his backstory? Even though you may not use all of this in your story, you should know his parents and siblings, where he fits into the family, where he went to school, his political views, his occupation, his means, goals, skills, talents, spiritual life, friends, worldview, and so on. All this contributes to how he'll grow and develop on the page and who he will become. That's character arc. Your hero should have human flaws and vulnerabilities that allow readers to be able to identify with him. But his strength of character, his potential heroism, should also shine through. Also, he should learn from his failures. And, of course, he'll face obstacles and challenges along the way. So be careful not to portray him as an irredeemable wimp or coward. He may start with characteristics like that, but eventually he'll need to rise to the occasion and use every lesson he's learned and muscle he's built to win the day. So when the time comes, your hero must show up and face the music. It's good, too, to give your lead character what are known in the business as pet-the-dog moments. These can show meaningful parts of his personality. Perhaps he shows more respect to waitresses and cashiers than others do or stops to help someone in an emergency, even though he's running late. Then, imagine what keeps your character awake at night. What does he keep inside? What are his secrets? What drives him? A rich inner life, especially one that pretends growth and change, can become a huge part of his character arc. When your character faces a life-or-death decision, his responses will be determined by who he is on the inside. When he struggles to make the right moral decision, that's internal conflict, which is critical for character growth and for a compelling story. If you want to learn more about that, make sure you watch my video on internal versus external conflict. And when you have trouble conjuring internal or external conflict for your character, draw on your own experience. Imagine yourself as your character. That's what's fun about being a novelist. However different he is from you, imagine yourself in his shoes. Sometimes my lead characters are children, decades younger than I. I've had female leads, some even older than I. Then I have to really dig deep and determine how I would respond to their crazies. I've even had lead characters who've had hair. Hopefully you've never been in mortal danger. But have you ever heard footsteps when you thought you were home alone? Or had a child go missing? Or had to muster the courage to really speak your mind to someone? All that personal experience helps you develop characters who think, feel, and behave realistically. And now we come to that most common piece of writing advice. Show, don't tell. But what does it mean? When you tell rather than show, you merely inform your reader of information rather than allow the reader to deduce anything. You're supplying information by simply stating it. You might report that a character is tall or angry or cold or tired. That's telling. So, how to show and not tell? If your character is tall, your reader can deduce that if you mention others looking up when they talk to him. Or he has to duck to get through a door. Or when posing for a photo, he has to bend his knees to keep his head in proximity with others. Rather than telling that your character is angry, show it by describing his face flushing, his throat tightening, his voice rising, his slamming a fist on the table. When you show, you don't have to tell. When you show rather than tell, you make the reader part of the experience. Rather than having everything simply imparted to him, he sees it in his mind and comes to the conclusions you want. Okay, step number nine is to conduct thorough research. If you haven't experienced something yourself, you'll need to research it. Is your character a teacher, a police officer, a CEO? Then spend time in a classroom. Arrange a ride-along with a cop or interview a CEO. Don't base your hero on what you've seen in movies or on TV. You don't want to create a stereotype that readers can't identify with and who many will see through instantly. Most people love talking about their lives and their professions. Interview them. All right, for our last step in creating believable characters, let me give you some examples. Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a perfect example of dramatic character arc. The character is so memorable that the very name Scrooge has become synonymous with a selfish, miserly, miserable curmudgeon. But the brilliant character arc in this novel shows an entirely new man, joyful, generous, and loving, who learns to feel again. An example of a negative character arc is Walter White in the TV series Breaking Bad. He begins as a nerdy, naive, kind, and thoughtful high school science teacher. When he learns he has cancer and that the treatment will bankrupt him, he uses his chemistry skills to manufacture and sell methamphetamine. But even after his cancer is in remission, he carries on and in the end he destroys his own life, his family, and the lives of many other people too. So if you're a pantser like me, someone who writes by the seat of your pants, discovering the story in the process, you may prefer to let your characters emerge as you write. But if you're a dyed-in-the-wool outliner, you might want to try my free character development worksheet available at the link on your screen. Regardless, do what you need to to create a compelling character with a dramatic enough arc to make him unforgettable. If you found this video helpful, like it, leave a comment, share it, and subscribe to my page. All the best with your writing. I'll see you next time.