From Introductions to Resolution
Ever wondered why some stories stay with you long after the last page, while others fade from memory before you’ve even finished them? The secret often lies not in elaborate plots or fancy prose, but in the journey of the characters themselves. A well-crafted character arc transforms a story from a mere sequence of events into an emotional experience that resonates with readers and audiences on a deeply human level.
So how do we get there? How do we develop truly authentic characters worthy of our readers’ attention? Keep reading for ways to flesh out your characters as well as an invite to an upcoming free workshop in which you’ll get to build a character from scratch.
November 2025: The Things They Carry
Sponsored by PennWriters - Full Course
Explore how characters' interactions with objects can deepen your story. Learn to use props and "bits of business" to enhance characterization, add subtext, and propel your plot forward. Suitable for fiction writers of all levels and genres.
Format: Weekly on-demand lectures, worksheets, and live online workshop/feedback sessions with fellow writers
Duration: 4 weeks
When: Tuesdays 7-9pm, ET (November 4-25)
Price: $75 members, $100 non-members
The Crucial First Impression: Character Introductions as Arc Launchpads
How you introduce your protagonist sets the stage for their entire journey. This introduction serves three vital purposes:
- Establishes their starting point so readers can measure how far they’ve traveled by the end
- Plants the seeds of their core conflict – the gap between who they are and who they need to become
- Creates immediate emotional investment through relatability, intrigue, or sympathy
Consider how The Bear introduces Carmy Berzatto in its very first episode. We meet him in a dream sequence on a bridge, hearing the ominous sounds of a gas stovetop igniting as he approaches a cage containing a growling bear. He releases the bear, which immediately charges him. After running and waking up on a cot in the sandwich shop, he’s immediately thrust into dealing with delivery problems and wrong quantities from a vendor. This introduction brilliantly telegraphs his entire arc: a man haunted by something powerful and dangerous (his trauma, represented by the bear), while struggling with the chaotic, immediate demands of running a restaurant. He’s talented but traumatized, passionate but overwhelmed.
Or look at Eleanor Shellstrop in The Good Place, whose introduction—being told she’s in heaven despite knowing she doesn’t belong there—immediately establishes the central tension of her arc: can a selfish person learn to be good?
CONSIDER THIS:
Try introducing your character in their comfortable discomfort—the flawed but familiar state they’ve adapted to, which will be challenged throughout the story.
And yes, this works as well for secondary characters as it does for main ones, i.e. protagonists/antagonists.
Embrace Imperfection: Why Flawed Characters Connect
Perfect characters are perfectly boring.
Readers and audiences connect with characters whose struggles mirror their own inner conflicts, even if the external circumstances are wildly different. Even the most aspirational characters need flaws that:
- Create inner conflict that complicates external goals
- Provide realistic obstacles to overcome
- Make triumphs feel earned rather than inevitable
In the novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Sam and Sadie are brilliant game designers whose creative partnership is repeatedly threatened by their inability to communicate emotions—a flaw that feels painfully familiar to many readers. Their genius makes them special; their emotional limitations make them human.
Or consider Cassie Bowden in The Flight Attendant, whose alcohol abuse and self-destructive tendencies create a character who is simultaneously sympathetic and frustrating. Her flaws don’t just create problems; they stem from understandable trauma, making her journey toward sobriety and self-awareness deeply satisfying.
Try This:Â Exercise #1 – The Perfect Flaw (For Prose & Screenwriters)
Example: A character’s attention to detail makes them excellent at their job but causes paralysis when making personal life decisions. |
Dodging the Saggy Middle: Character Development Through Progressive Complications
The dreaded “middle slump” often occurs when plot complications aren’t matched with corresponding character development. Each new obstacle should force your protagonist to:
- Confront their limitations and recognize why their old patterns won’t work
- Make increasingly difficult choices that test their values and priorities
- Experience both progress and setbacks that feel emotionally authentic
Killers of the Flower Moon masterfully avoids the saggy middle by continually deepening Ernest Burkhart’s moral compromise. Each choice he makes—from the initial conspiracy to the final betrayal—requires him to confront his own capacity for evil, creating a downward arc that remains compelling despite its darkness.
In Yellowjackets, the middle of both timelines stays taught through parallel character developments: as the teen survivors descend further into primal brutality in the past, their adult selves’ carefully constructed facades crumble in the present.
Consider This: When plotting your middle, ask: “What’s the worst thing that could happen to my character right now—not externally, but internally?” The answer often points to the perfect complication.
The Five-Step Character Arc: A Structure for Transformation
While character arcs can take many forms, the classic five-step structure provides a robust framework for meaningful transformation:
1. Ordinary World: Establishing the Status Quo
Show your character in their element, revealing both their strengths and flaws. This establishes the baseline against which all change will be measured.
Example That Works: In Dune: Part Two, we begin with Paul Atreides having found refuge with the Fremen but still wrestling with his identity and destiny—a clear continuation from the first film but establishing a new normal that will be disrupted.
Example That Doesn’t: Captain Marvel struggles because Carol Danvers begins with amnesia, making it difficult for audiences to connect with her ordinary world or understand what’s at stake in her transformation.
2. New Direction: The Call to Change
Something disrupts your character’s equilibrium, revealing the inadequacy of their current approach to life.
Example That Works: In Lessons in Chemistry, Elizabeth Zott’s forced career change from lab scientist to cooking show host challenges her identity as a researcher while creating new opportunities for her to educate women.
Example That Doesn’t: The Circle (film adaptation) has Emma Watson’s character accept a job at the tech giant without establishing what’s truly at stake for her personally, making her subsequent ethical journey feel arbitrary.
3. Change in Plans: The Real Journey Begins
Your character attempts to address the disruption using familiar tools and fails, forcing them to recognize deeper change is necessary.
Example That Works: In Poor Things, Bella Baxter initially approaches her newfound freedom with childlike directness and enthusiasm, but soon discovers the complexity of human relationships requires her to develop more nuanced understanding.
Example That Doesn’t: The Rise of Skywalker has Rey repeatedly confront her lineage but without allowing her to meaningfully fail or change her approach, resulting in a revelation that feels unearned.
4. Climax/Conflict: The Ultimate Test
Your character faces a challenge that requires them to fully embrace their transformation or revert to old patterns, with meaningful consequences either way.
Example That Works: In Oppenheimer, the title character must confront the moral implications of his work during the security hearing, a moment that forces him to reconcile his scientific ambition with its human cost.
Example That Doesn’t: The Flash (2023) culminates in a choice that doesn’t truly challenge the protagonist’s established flaws or require genuine growth to overcome.
5. Resolution: The New Normal
Show how your character’s journey has created a new equilibrium that reflects their growth, with lingering evidence of both their struggle and triumph.
Example That Works: In Slow Horses, Jackson Lamb maintains his abrasive personality but subtly demonstrates growth in his willingness to protect his team, showing change that feels authentic to the character.
Example That Doesn’t: Don’t Look Up ends with a resolution that doesn’t show meaningful character growth for its protagonists, prioritizing its satirical message over emotional satisfaction.
Make the Ending Feel Earned: The Culmination of the Arc
A satisfying character arc doesn’t necessarily mean a happy ending, but it does require an ending that feels both surprising and inevitable. The key ingredients:
- Demonstrate meaningful change through action, not just realization
- Honor the struggle by acknowledging the cost of transformation
- Create symmetry with the beginning in a way that highlights the journey
- Leave room for humanity by avoiding perfection
Reservation Dogs masterfully concludes its series by having Bear make peace with staying on the reservation—a complete reversal of his initial desire to escape to California, yet one that feels entirely earned through his deepened understanding of community and identity.
Severance (Season 1) creates a cliffhanger ending that nevertheless represents a pivotal moment in Mark’s character arc, as his work self finally takes action against the corporation while his outside self discovers a truth that will transform his understanding of his own grief.
And then, of course, there’s the indelible arc of Tony Stark aka Iron Man who went from self-centered, arrogant billionaire playboy to heroic, self-sacrificing, arrogant billionaire Avenger.
Try This: Exercise #2 – The Mirror Moment (For Prose & Screenwriters)
Example: A character who nervously fidgets with their wedding ring when lying in the first scene might deliberately remove the ring in the final scene, symbolizing their new commitment to honesty. |
Key Takeaways: Building Unforgettable Character Arcs
- Start with contradiction: Give your character competing desires or values that create internal conflict
- Make flaws functional: Ensure character weaknesses actively complicate the plot rather than merely existing as traits
- Create escalating challenges: Each obstacle should force deeper change than the last
- Maintain the thread: Every scene should reveal something about your character’s evolving state
- Embrace setbacks: Allow your character to fail repeatedly before succeeding
- Show, don’t declare: Demonstrate transformation through changed behavior, not just realizations
- Respect your character’s core: Change should feel like growth, not personality transplantation
Join Us June 28th for a Free Workshop: Build-A-Character
Want to apply these principles to your own writing? Join me for a special free workshop on June 28th focused exclusively on character development. We’ll work through practical exercises to:
- Identify your character’s most compelling flaws and strengths
- Map their emotional journey alongside plot points
- Create authentic obstacles that force meaningful growth
- Craft scenes that demonstrate transformation instead of just declaring it
Whether you’re writing novels, screenplays, or other narrative forms, you’ll leave with practical tools to create characters readers can’t forget. Space is limited to ensure personalized feedback—register today.
Register for this free workshop today.
Remember: Characters don’t exist to serve your plot. Your plot exists to reveal your characters. Master the art of character arcs, and you’ll create stories that readers and audiences carry with them long after the final page or credit roll.