Lost Writing Class #5: Character arc

Character arc. Sounds like some kind of a boat. But it’s a necessary journey that your character must go through in order to reach their destination. It’s more than just strengths and weaknesses. This is about growth.

In fiction, if a character doesn’t change, we call them a static character. And if your protagonist is static? Don’t expect a sequel. You don’t want an infant to stay an infant. You want her to grow and mature. So it is with your characters. We like hearing stories about how circumstances changed the people they happen to. Maybe it makes us feel like what we’re going through has some kind of purpose. A reason for all the pain. Allow your characters to change because of the all the twists and turns in the road you’ve placed before them. Does the pursuit of his goals change him? Do the roadblocks you’ve thrown up change her?

How can you show character change? Make the conflict of your story act like a pressure cooker. Put your characters in situations where they are forced to change. Make him or her do the one thing they swore they’d never do. Then see what happens. What is your character most afraid of? Make that happen. Let the pressure or stress of the conflict reveal the true character of your protagonist. You can also use other characters of the story to mirror or oppose your protagonist in order to show growth.

How about some examples from LOST?

First let’s take Sawyer. In the first season, he is determined to be hated. He has essentially become the man he’s hated all his life and punishes himself by going out of his way to be the most hated man in the camp. Whether he’s hoarding needed supplies, lying about what he does or doesn’t have or using nicknames that hurt and demean, all of this is used to keep people at a distance. We are able to see some of his softer side, but he is very determined to keep that part of him under cover. By the fifth season, he’s one of the most respected members of the Dharma Initiative. He’s head of security (when before he was a con man) and is known for running a tight operation. How has he gotten to this point? Through the events of the five seasons, he’s been forced to grow up and assume leadership of those left behind. He’s confronted the man who caused the death of his parents. He’s watched people die and leave the island. And he lost the love of his life and gained another. I don’t know what the last season holds for him, but I’ll be glued to my set eager to see it.

What about Kate? When we first meet her, she’s a fugitive who was on her way back to jail when the plane crashed. Her “go to” response to conflict is to run away from the situation or the person. We’ve certainly seen her do that enough times throughout the five years of the show. At one point, Jack even asks her why she is the way she is but she won’t (and can’t) answer. She’s also defined by the men in or out of her life: her father, stepfather, the marshal, boyfriend/husband, Sawyer, Jack, even Aaron. She always has a man in her life, but the relationship is difficult and full of bumps, half-truths and obligations. It’s always complicated when it comes to Kate and her relationships. In this past season, how has she changed? Her growth hasn’t come full circle yet, so I’m sure there’s some surprises for next year. But one of the things I noticed this season is that she is no longer running FROM problems, but running TO solutions. Whether it’s returning to the island or trying to stop Jack from what she believes is a huge mistake, she’s not trying to get away anymore. She’s willing to confront the problem and find a solution.

It will be interesting to see what happens after this final season and how the characters will have grown.

So look at your own characters. Are they growing?

Next week, we’ll look at the importance of names.