13.22: Character Arcs
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary, Dan, and Howard
When Mary says we could do fifteen different episodes on character arcs, she’s being conservative. Notwithstanding, we set out to talk meaningfully about character arcs in one episode rather than in fifteen (or fifty.) We look at the shapes of these arcs, how they progress in our narratives, and the tools we use to get them to function properly in the context of our larger works.
Notes: Elizabeth Boyle‘s DREAM tool for plotting character change is easier to remember when written out. So here it is!
- Denial
- Resistance
- Exploration
- Acceptance
- Manifestation
Credits: This episode was recorded by Dan Thompson and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Homework: Let’s apply DREAM to plotting a sideways character arc in which a character changes, but the change is neither triumphant nor tragic.
Thing of the week: Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies, by Cesar Hidalgo.
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