Speaker 1: Character arcs are something we often associate with the main character of your story, but side characters need arcs as well And today I'm gonna explain how you can give them arcs and how you can use those arcs to make better stories What's up guys, my name is Brandon McNulty. I'm a writer I'm the author of Bad Parts and welcome to my writing channel. Last week I did a video on bad dialogue versus good dialogue and that video was pretty popular It was one of my subscribers who requested it so today I'm doing another subscriber request and this video is on side character arcs. These are something that are very important to your stories I think again we often get bogged down and thought that okay Well, the main character is the one who needs the arc and sometimes the villain needs an arc as well But side characters also need arcs of different varieties. I will be explaining that today I'll be explaining a lot of different things and I have examples from the original Star Wars movie as well as from Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Rings. So we're gonna have a lot of fun today and I want to start off by answering the question what are character arcs? And in simplest terms I'm just gonna say that they measure how a character changes or doesn't change over the course of the story. And one other important thing that character arcs do, they express the story's theme. A lot of people forget about this but character arcs should be contributing to the story's theme, whatever it may be. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking, okay great now we have a definition but how do you actually identify a character arc? Like I'm not even sure what I'm looking for and I think the easiest way to figure out a character arc is by looking at the before and after snapshots of your characters and this is because typically at the beginning of your story your character will have a flaw or a weakness and this can be anything that it could be like a negative habit like a gambling addiction it could be a negative belief like self-hatred it could be a negative trait like impulsiveness, it could be temptation, something like lust for power. There are many different flaws out there and usually at the beginning of the story a character has a flaw and over the course of the story they have this opportunity to grow toward a strength and a strength is the opposite of the flaw. Now not all characters will complete that growth toward the strength. Sometimes you'll have a before-and-after snapshot where they're miserable at the beginning of the story and they're happy at the end. Other times you'll have a before-and-after where they're miserable at the beginning and they're dead at the end. So I mean there's a lot of different possibilities and I think it's also important to say that not all characters need to change. I'm going to talk about that right now because we're going to look at the three types of character arcs. Now the first character arc is the positive change arc and this is where a character overcomes their flaw and develops a strength in its place. Usually this earns that character a happy ending or it might offer them the opportunity to make a sacrifice for someone at the end and thus make other people happy. Now the second type of character arc is the negative change arc and this is when a character succumbs to their flaw and fails to develop a strength. Typically what they do is they actually double down on that flaw. So if they're a vengeful person at the beginning of the story and they get back at people in little ways, maybe at the end of the story they're getting back at people by outright killing them or something way over the top. And usually these types of characters will earn a tragic ending. they die, sometimes they lose someone they care about, or they lose some part of themselves, or they lose a job, or whatever it may be. There's usually some kind of loss that defines the ending for a negative character arc. And then the third type of character arc is the flat arc. This is where a character maintains a flaw or a strength from beginning to end without any change. And sometimes it's totally fine for a character just to have a single strength that is consistent over the course of the story, and maybe they use that strength to influence other characters to make them change or sometimes they have that strength and they try to spread the truth in a world full of lies. An example of a character with a flat arc would be R2-D2 from Star Wars. He is consistently loyal over the course of the story. Now let's talk about side character arcs. Side characters and their arcs typically have less screen time or less page time than your protagonist and your villain. They're usually gonna have fewer growth beats in the middle of their arc and growth beats of course are these moments that lead them toward potential change. And story length will determine how much time can be dedicated to side character arcs. If you have a very short story, it might only involve three beats. We might just see who the character is at the beginning, what their flaw is, then maybe one growth beat in the middle, and then at the end we get to see the outcome. Is it a positive change, is it a negative change, is it just flat? Or if it's a longer story, maybe you're writing a novel that's several hundred pages, you might introduce a side character, we might get to see their flaw, then we get to see multiple growth beats along the way, until finally at the end we see how things play out for them. Now before we get into the examples, I want to talk about one more thing, and that is group dynamics. Oftentimes when you have a fantasy story or any type of quest story, you'll have a group of allies working together in order to achieve some kind of goal. And when these allies are working together, they can challenge each other to change over the course of the story. So you can have these different scenarios where characters are challenging one another to overcome their flaws. Sometimes the flaws are what caused the most conflict within the group. It's not so much about the enemy they're trying to go up against, but the fact that they're just trying to work out their own issues among the group. All right, now let's get into the examples. We'll start with Star Wars A New Hope, and let me say right up front that we need to keep in mind that theme. I mentioned it at the beginning of the video, and with the theme of Star Wars A New Hope, it's that you need to have hope and you need to believe in what you can't see, whether it's the Force, whether it's your inner self, whether it's the bonds of friendship, whatever it may be. So keep that theme in mind as we're going over these different character arcs because they all tie into it. Now the first one we're gonna take a look at, I know he's the main character, but I want to just look at Luke just for reference. Luke has a positive change arc. He starts off with the flaw of self-doubt and he grows towards self-acceptance. Early on, he's portrayed as somebody who doubts that he's anything special. He believes that he's gonna be stuck on his uncle's farm for the foreseeable future. But this changes over the course of the story as he's tutored by Obi-Wan. I'm not going to go through all the different growth beats that Luke has, but you know that he does change and eventually at the end he blows up the Death Star and he redefines himself as this great pilot, and he's more than just a farm boy. Now, let's take a look at the side characters. We'll start with Leia. Leia has a flat arc and that is because she has the strength of fearlessness throughout the story. She's portrayed early on as somebody who is cool in the face of a crisis. Darth Vader doesn't scare her. Over the course of the story, she maintains her toughness while being interrogated by the Empire, while being threatened by Tarkin, and at the very end, she remains strong as the Death Star approaches the rebel base. She embodies the spirit of the Rebellion with her fearlessness, and that does not change over the course of the story. If you want to see Leia change, you have to watch Empire Strikes Back. That's where she has a positive arc, where she sheds her pride in order to be with Han. Now, speaking of Han, Han Solo, in A New Hope, has a positive change arc. He starts off the story being self-centered and he grows toward becoming self-sacrificing. At first, we see him as this mercenary who will do any job if the money is right, but over the course of the story, he is challenged by Luke to become self-sacrificing. The first instance of this is before they rescue Princess Leia. Once they find out that she's about to be executed, Luke says they're gonna kill her, we gotta do something, and Han doesn't want to stick his neck out for her. Later on, right before the Death Star Battle, Han is about to leave with his reward. He doesn't want to get blown up in this battle, so he's just trying to keep himself safe. Luke, again, challenges him to become a better person, and eventually it pays off at the end when Han sticks his neck out for Luke and the Rebels during the Death Star Battle. The other major side character is Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has a flat arc. He is defined by his strength, which is wisdom, and he's introduced as a man who is knowledgeable of the Force. and he teaches Luke about the Force over the course of the story, and in the end he aids Luke as an unseen ghost. Obi-Wan's wisdom allows him to exist even after his death. So if you're looking at the side characters in Star Wars A New Hope, Han is the only one with a positive change. Everybody else is flat. This helps keep the story simple, and it also helps make Han stand out more at the end. His self-sacrifice factors into the theme of the story, which is that that belief in what you can't see, that hope and what you can't see, and the other characters with the flat arcs, their arcs also contribute to this theme with their fearlessness, their loyalty, their wisdom, holding out hope for a better tomorrow. Now let's take a look at Fellowship of the Ring, and this applies to the movie, not the book, I don't want any book fans yelling at me. So this again applies to the movie, and we're going to say that the theme of Fellowship of the Ring is that those who underestimate power are destroyed by it. Now keep that in mind as we're looking at these different arcs. we'll start off by just taking a quick look at Frodo. Frodo, I would say he has a positive arc. I know some people say, oh he has a flat arc, but I'd say he has a positive arc because his flaw at the beginning is that he's indecisive and he grows toward becoming a decisive person at the end of the story. Early on he's portrayed as somebody who's afraid to leave the Shire, he's afraid to bear the burden of the Ring, he wants other characters like Gandalf making decisions for him, but over the course of the story we see him making more decisions as he goes along. At the midpoint he decides to take the ring to Mordor and he makes this decision because he wants to stop everyone from arguing. A little later on he makes the decision to enter the mines of Moria but this is only after Gandalf encourages him to decide. And then at the end of the story, however, he makes a choice that he doesn't have to make. He becomes decisive and he decides that the ring is dangerous and he doesn't want it tempting his friends like it did with Baromir. So what Frodo does is he decides to set out alone. Now let's take a look at the side character arcs. We'll start with Sam. Sam has a flat arc and his strength is loyalty and wow it is loyalty through the roof because his loyalty only intensifies to the point where he's willing to drown rather than leave Frodo on his own at the end. Next we'll take a look at Gandalf. Gandalf has a flat arc. He is wise and responsible. Those are his strengths and they are consistent throughout the story. At the very beginning he's shown as being wise enough to know that the ring will destroy him. Over the course of the story he manages the Fellowship, he directs them, he makes decisions, he's a responsible guy. At the end, or at least at his end, he sacrifices himself to protect the Fellowship and protect that hope of destroying the Ring. Next, we'll take a look at Merry and Pippin. They're a package deal, and I would say that they have a positive arc. They start off with the flaw of immaturity, and they grow toward becoming more mature. Initially, we see them as this carefree pair of hobbits. They're first shown as being troublemakers, lighting off fireworks, having a good time, that sort of thing. And their immaturity causes some problems over the course of the story. We see them being timid in battle, and of course there's consequences to that immaturity in the minds of Moria when Pippin tampers with the corpse at the well. And his childlike curiosity sets off a chain of events that puts people in danger, and it leads to Gandalf having to sacrifice himself at the end. Now, the last time we see Merry and Pippin in the Fellowship movie, they are growing up quickly. They're fighting off orcs with Baromir, eventually they're captured, but during this capture, they are putting up a fight, they are showing that they are much more serious people. Speaking of Baromir, he has a negative change arc. His flaw in this movie is arrogance, and the strength that he should be growing toward is him becoming more humble, him recognizing that the Ring is too much for him, that it could corrupt him. However, he fails to develop that strength, and he meets a tragic end. Now, when we first meet Baromir, he's portrayed as being arrogant yet honorable. He's got this strong loyalty to his home kingdom of Gondor, but over the course of the story we see him constantly being tempted by the ring, especially when Frodo momentarily loses it on the mountain. And his arrogance and his lust for power eventually get the best of him. He betrays Frodo and he attempts to steal the ring toward the end, and he gets his tragic ending where he is punished by death. Now that being said, his death is an honorable one. He fights in the end to protect the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, and this honorable death highlights the complexity of his character. Yes, he does get punished, but at the same time, he does redeem himself to an extent in his final moments. Next, we'll take a look at Aragorn. Aragorn has a positive change arc. He starts with the flaw of self-doubt, but he grows towards self-acceptance. At first, he's portrayed as this gritty ranger named Strider. The fact that he goes by the name Strider instead of Aragorn, that signals self-doubt. It signals an identity crisis. Over the course of the story, we learn that Aragorn is the heir to the throne of Gondor. We're constantly reminded of his lineage, he's challenged by Baromir at one point, and toward the end we see him stepping into the shoes of a leader after Gandalf falls into the pit. Aragorn is the one who leads the fellowship after Gandalf is out of the picture. And at the very end, Aragorn declares that he will allow Frodo to head out on his own, and instead the remaining group will focus on rescuing Merry and Pippin. And this is, of course, Aragorn taking those steps toward becoming a king, using power in order to protect the weak. Accepting who he is. And then lastly we'll take a look at Legolas and Gimli together as a package deal. I will say that they have a positive arc. They start off being resentful toward each other's cultures but by the end of the story they become accepting. Early on Gimli doesn't like elves, Legolas doesn't like dwarves, but they end up supporting each other in battle. These kind of beats really help develop them as characters. Toward the end of the story Gimli learns that his kinsmen didn't survive in the Mines Moria and that really hits him hard because that's the home of his ancestors and when he finds out that it's been overrun by orcs and Trolls that really breaks him afterwards Lady Galadriel and elf shows Gimli some sympathy and this moves him He really starts accepting elves at this point and then Legolas and Gimli Eventually recognized the power of friendship and they come to accept one another so with fellowship of the ring This is a larger story and a larger cast than what we had in Star Wars a new hope and because of that we have different character arcs for these supporting characters. We have flat arcs, we have positive arcs, and we even have a negative arc. And the variety here makes the group dynamics compelling. It creates conflict and intrigue and gives us different outcomes. We get to see what happens to people who refuse the Rings temptation, and we also get to see what happens to those who succumb to it. So I hope this helps. If you want to learn more about character arcs, take a look at either of these two books. I will link them in the description below. The The Nutshell Technique by Jill Chamberlain simplifies the approach, it works with flaws and strains like we talked about in this video. Also you can take a look at Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Wayland. This is a great book, very detailed, a lot more in-depth, so if you want to take the next step with your character arcs, definitely check out this one. Question of the day. Who is your favorite side character from a story and what is their arc? Let us know in the comments section below. Thank you guys for watching. If you want to support the channel, please pick up a copy of Bad Parts if you haven't already. Also, be sure to check out my other videos, hit the like and subscribe buttons for me, share this video with a friend, and as always remember to keep on writing.