After combing through the manual, I discovered very quickly that my character will go through 4 phases of the hero’s journey, a character arc, and here are those phases. I will share more of my learning experiences as I grow in knowledge with this particular software package.
The Orphan
Basically, my character has to have flaws if my audience is going to root for them, so this has to be identified in the very beginning. I must use my protagonist to hook the reader.
Maybe she is fighting alcoholism, a broken heart, or a social stigma on top of discrimination. Are there deep rooted issues that will make my character struggle more in their upcoming journey? If there isn't, I must create some! Sounds good to me.
The Wanderer
This is the period of time where my character is discovering within themselves their purpose and objectives. The meat of my story is within this stage and the following stage. My character must be setup to discover things that are important to them and their mission. Within this stage I can also have sub plots.
Who's to say I can't go off in the weeds and sneak in some romance in my suspense/thriller? Okay! Exciting stuff for me.
The Warrior
My character will realize they must do things for themselves. Nobody can do what needs to be done except for my protagonist. This is where my audience will begin to root for her even more because they are now emotionally connected to her.
She displays courage in following through her objective and her climb is steep toward her arc. Soon, she will cycle over. At the end of this stage, she will struggle and her greatest stakes will present themselves and she may be doomed to failure.
The Martyr
My protagonist will come to a complete arc. She must perform a selfless act that will endanger her life in some way. This is usually an act that exposes her flaws and when she follows through with it she will be fully changed from within.
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This is the character arc that I've needed to understand a bit more in my stories. I hope it will prove to be the answer to all my problems with finishing a novel.
I will definitely be posting more about the things I learn in this quest to understand plot. Stay tuned, and wish me luck!! :D
Do you have any advice on plot? What are your favorite elements of plot?
Very cool plot design. I usually brainstorm and plot for a few days putting things into place. But then... I start writing and my characters throw my plot right out the window and show me how their story is supposed to be told. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou must have some very well developed characters, Kelly! I have weak characters who happen to be weak and non-responsive to me. I'm hoping that if I give them something to struggle with, they will help me like your characters do for you! lol
ReplyDeleteI've tried writing straight from the hip. I get always get to around chapters 4 and 5 and then my characters seem to just sit down and go, "You know what, NO! We're not going anywhere else until you tell us what to do...and you better make it worthwhile!"
That leaves me feeling like WTF??
Good plot points...I'm glad you posted that and actually my main character matches this perfectly AND THANK GOD. It's a fantasy novel and she deals with self doubt a lot of the time wth the powers that she has...then, the next stage is discovering how powerful she can be, and then recognizing that power and acknowledging her strength, and then finally risking her life to save the world she's in.
ReplyDeleteBut, actually, I hate working from plot structures! Although I know it's a good idea. The novel I'm about to finish I did extensive character lists and such...one of the things that always catches me up when I develop character lists is, "What is something your character has to say?"
HUH? Anyways...I don't follow a lot of methods (like the snow flake method), but I try to develop as much as I can...I find that it's better for me when I do...
I heard of that Snow Flake method and tried to follow it before. It just seemed overly complicated, Nicole. I'm excited for you and your novel, too!
ReplyDeleteHere to wish you luck!:)
ReplyDelete*Like* Desert! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck. Sounds like a rock solid plan.
ReplyDeleteCome back and visit, magic. I plan to share more features of this product as I use it. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI tried the snowflake method, and it seemed like I was repeating myself over and over. I don't know what I do, exactly, but I have a better idea now about how a book should be structured. I really like the character arc points you referenced above. I've often wondered exactly what the "arc" entails!
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, Lara. I needed to know what I was doing wrong because I would stop dead in my tracks not comprehending this "change" for my character.
ReplyDeleteI really like this software, but I think I'm learning more from the questions it poses to me and so all the teachings I've come away with from workshops and classes sort of sink in and I go, "Ah HA!"
That sounds like a pretty good structure. I really struggle with the opposite issue. I'm too busy planning and outlining and running around in adorable little circles getting nowhere.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like both ends of the spectrum stem from a common problem, though: lack of character development. If we don't know our characters, how the hell can we tell a story about them? I've tried the snowflake method and I like the concept but it still didn't solve my problem.
A few weeks ago, however, I found a book called "The 90-Day Novel" (yes, shameless plug) and miracle of miracles...it's, well, a miracle! It helped me introduce myself to my characters, but best of all gave me permission to write without having a concrete plan--I'm holding the story loosely.
Anyway, kudos for finding a system that works for you. :)
Cheers!
Maren
Thank you for sharing your miracle, Maren. I will definitely check it out. I'd not heard of that book. I will be sharing more of what I learn so hope to see you again! Let's share the experiences.
ReplyDeleteGreat plot design! Sounds like your character will be doing a lot of growing throughout your book, which is excellent. :) Also sounds like we'll be able to relate to her as readers.
ReplyDeleteFound you on the blog hop, by the way. Best of luck as you continue on your book! Can't wait to read. :)
Thanks for stopping by, Vicki! Shout out for the blog hop. :)
ReplyDeleteAdding you back via the blog hop. :)
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me how someone knows enough about something to turn it into an easy to follow (if not easy to create) map. I think if I ever reach the point of being able to do that myself, I will be a very happy girl. I hope your new program helps you out a lot. It sounds like you're really getting a handle on things with it.
Yay, you found me! :)
ReplyDeleteHi. Coming over from World of my Imagination. I enjoyed the information you had in this post, and I look forward to reading more advice on craft from your posts. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI found you on the blog hop, and I enjoyed your article very much, it was very informative.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Andrea and Louise! Glad you enjoyed. Will see you again!
ReplyDelete