STORYTELLING / BOOKS / EMOTIONS /HERO
What We Need to Know About Character Arc
A character arc is an important tool for adding an emotional layer to a story
Narratives infuse all facets of human life. We tell stories to teach cultural standards, amuse, to help create collective perspectives. We structure stories to make meaning out of past events and to create new realms and possibilities for ourselves and others. The design of narratives is a basic human behavior that traverses recorded history.
I have read books so engaging that I had difficulty putting them down. More akin to physically ill when I reach the final page. I have read books that made me shed tears, laugh, and feel feelings. Those are the kind of books I like to read.
The hard truth is that I rarely find these kinds of books. It takes a certain skill level to create a work of fiction that drains you emotionally and grabs you by the heart, making it impossible to let go.
We read stories because they allow us to live through the lives of others, and reading about their struggles can teach us, shape our opinions, and broaden our perspectives.
We read about a character who starts weak and unmindful of their world but then, through numerous trials and…
