Fiction theory can be challenging because there are so many elements that you need to consider, and it can be hard to see how these elements fit together. While you may understand the positive character arc, you may struggle to see how it aligns with any of the structures that we have talked about previously. So, in today's blog, I will show you how positive character arcs play out across the three-act structure.
Positive Character Arcs and the Three-Act Structure
The First Act
We open with a characteristic moment. This is the reader’s first impression of your main character. Ideally, you want to show your main character doing something nice. As Michael Hauge says in Writing Screenplays That Sell, ‘You must establish identification with your hero before revealing major flaws that could reduce sympathy.’ While I agree that you shouldn’t show your main character doing something awful, I also don’t think you need to show them being a hero or a victim. Intrigue can be much more powerful than sympathy. Drop hints about what’s coming for that character. Demonstrate what their lie might be and how it might affect them going forward.
Once we’ve met the main character, we need to see them in their normal world. This world is pivotal because it provides a contrast for the world your main character will find themselves in after the First Plot Point. Even if the character stays in the same physical location, it will represent something quite different to them. At this moment, their normal world is a place of security, one that they might not want to or can’t leave.
As you are developing your character’s normal world, you should be reinforcing their lie. The lie is either not bothering them at all or not enough that they’re doing anything about it.
But that will change at the First Plot Point. An event will occur that will force your character to act. It’ll rock their world. The First Plot Point is often called the point of no return because now your character has to respond; they can try to bury their head, but they’ll have to act at some point. Their reaction to this event is what will spur on the next quarter of the book.
The Second Act
Your character still firmly believes their lie and is doing whatever they can to pursue their goal. They’re encountering difficulties and fumbling through. The problem is that they’re moving further away from what they need in their pursuit of what they want. Your antagonist will pop up here. Their appearance will reinforce the main character’s lie and demonstrate what might happen if the main character fails to reject their lie. But your main character will have had a glimpse of what life is like without their lie, and they’ve started to gather tools that will help them at the climax.
At the midpoint, your main character still believes they need their lie, but they’ve realised that the way they’ve been going about achieving their goal isn’t working for them. Now, they’re ready to do something about it. They’re no longer reacting to the events of the story; they’re taking action. They’ve not rejected the lie yet, but they’ve acknowledged the other viewpoint.
Your main character will now find their stride. They become better at pushing through obstacles. It’s not plain sailing – your antagonist will rear their head again – they’re just being more proactive. They’re starting to question the lie, but they’re not quite ready to reject it. Perhaps, they even have a false victory, but this all comes crashing down around them at the Third Plot Point.
This will be your main character’s lowest moment; indeed, many writers call this the ‘black moment’. They have no option now to make a decision between their want and their need. The harder the choice is, the more your readers will doubt the main character’s ability to defeat the antagonist.
The Third Act
The main character now realises they can’t avoid a clash with the antagonist, and they must rally to stand a chance of success. In this act, you will answer whether your character can overcome their lie. If you’re writing a positive character arc, the answer will be yes. But, while they do overcome their flaw, they may still not get what they want and that’s ok because they’ve realised there are more important things or that, as they’ve grown, they want something else entirely.
For example, in the movie Up, Carl has spent the whole film trying to fulfil Ellie’s dream of visiting Paradise Falls (the want), and he’s put himself and others in great danger doing so because he believes reaching Paradise Falls will make him happy (the lie). But, after reading a note from Ellie, he realises that what’s actually important is the people around him now (the truth and the need). This realisation spurs him on to save Russell, Dug and Kevin from evil explorer Muntz and fulfil a want that he’s had for much longer: being a father figure.
You can choose when the main character rejects the lie: before or during the climax. This will largely depend on your plot. If your main character needs the truth to finally defeat the antagonist, it will have to happen before; if your main character needs the battle to see the truth in all its glory, it will have to be during.
The only scene you have left to write is your resolution. This scene should directly contrast your first scene and show what your character’s new normal is.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this blog has helped you see how positive character arcs play out across the three-act structure. These two aspects of writing go really well together, but you can still use the positive character arc in other structures if you wish.
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