The Transformational Character Arc Part 14 Stick a fork in it!
Posted on June 12, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized
Whew… I was starting to think that I’d never finish this series but I think I’ve pretty much covered everything you need to get you started on creating a transformational character arc for your Protagonist. If you don’t believe this is important to your story and your screenplay, no problem… I tend to think this happens to be what’s wrong with most screenplays today.
So last but definitely not least, let’s go over the series and see if we can make just a little more sense out of all this garbage…
The Transformational Character Arc… Part 1
In part one, we kinda talked about the importance of your Protagonist undergoing a transformational character arc. Most screenwriters like to use the phrase, “character arc” but I like “transformational character arc instead because the MORE I think of my Protagonist’s journey this way, the MORE I am hyper aware that I want him or her to be transformed by the end of the story. Saying it and THINKING IT somehow keeps me writing TOWARD it.
Make sense?
Something else that’s been discussed in the comments and that I’ve hit on within the series a bit is how I personally like to slide the transformational character arc in under the radar instead of hitting the reader (and hopefully and audience) over the head with the transformation. Again, my thinking here after watching THOUSANDS of movies and taking them apart piece by piece is that the movies where the Protagonist’s transformational character arc is not nearly as obvious by the end of the story are the movies that resonate with ME the most. Again, simply my perspective and many will probably have a different take on it. Ultimately, YOU gots to do what YOU gots to do.
I would also say that if you walk away from this series and this blog with absolutely NOTHING ELSE… Walk away with this… Give your Protagonist a transformational character arc… We, the audience WANT to get on board the character train. We want to enjoy the ride… We want to ponder out the windows… We want to walk around the train… Feel it moving. We want the experience. We want to eventually get off the train and remember the train ride so please give it to us! Transforming your Protagonist by the end of the story gives us, the audience, hope that we too can overcome adversity. That we too can conquer the obstacles that keep getting in front of us in our daily lives… That we too can eventually transform into a new and improved human being.
Consider your Protagonist’s motivation as you weave your story… This motivation is perhaps, the main key to your Protagonist wanting to somehow become a better person by the end of the story… And remember, somehow becoming a better person depends on YOUR truth which should also be your Protagonist’s truth. What YOU BELIEVE about LIFE.
Your Protagonist may start out going after what they want but consider making them discover what they truly NEED as part of your story’s structure. Two goals… OUTER and INNER. Outer is what they want… The tangible goal that we can SEE them attain and by so doing, they simultaneously achieve the inner goal of what they NEED to become a better person.
Don’t worry about trying to develop your characters in the first act… If you do this, you can often end up writing predictable stuff. Let us keep discovering new things about your Protagonist as he or she travels through your story. Using your Protagonist’s emotional reaction to action i.e., their decision making and resulting action and dialogue are your tools to help us discover more and more about your Protagonist as they climb up shit mountain.
Try to define your Protagonist as much as you can before you start writing… Character bios. Backstory. Personality types and character traits. Do whatever works for you to really know your characters… The better you know your characters, the more apt they are to whisper in your ear as you write… Make your characters REAL to YOU and you’ll go far in making them real to us. You should know your characters at least as well as you know a member of your family or a close friend.
In Part 2 of The Transformational Character Arc series, we went into the 23 Personality Types. This can give you a starting point with your Protagonist. Most likely, you already know enough about your Protagonist to find out which personality type they fit into… Cool. Give us MORE! Knowing your Protagonist’s personality type can help you create a quintessential character out of him or her and keep their emotional reactions to actions consistent with their character and no… That doesn’t mean make them predictable. LOL.
Parts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the transformational character arc series delved a little into the character traits of the 23 personality types… Just enough information to get you started so you kinda have an idea where to take your characters when it comes to behavior.
Part 9 of the transformational character arc series discussed HYPER-REAL CHARACTERS, giving them dimension and making them multi-dimensional by knowing their personality type and character traits… Again, just enough to get you started on your own journey of discovery. Seek out more information. Invest in a book or two that go into the subject with even more depth. How many times can I say it? The better you know your characters, the better your story is going to be.
In Part 10, we talked about your Protagonist’s decision-making process i.e., his or her emotional reaction to action and how it works… Your Protagonist’s ACTION and DIALOGUE should drive your plot instead of your plot driving your Protagonist. Because your Protagonist’s motivation i.e., they want, need, and desire something both OUTER and INNER; they move or ACT through your story via ACTION and DIALOGUE. Your Protagonist’s emotional reaction to action is the beginning, middle, and end of the transformational character arc. He or she comes across an obstacle that you’ve thrown at them which causes them to make a decision which causes them to act and that act should reveal a little more about them as a person. Their action as a result of their decisions throughout your story are those layers you often hear about that you should be continuously PEELING back for us.
Part 11 of the Transformational Character Arc series got into your Protagonist’s FATAL FLAW and how to use this flaw to lead your Protagonist through to his or her transformational character arc. Part 12 discussed using THEME to also guide your Protagonist to emotional growth as a new being using your TRUTH about LIFE as the “inner light” at the end of the Protagonist’s tunnel. It’s what your screenplay is ULTIMATELY ABOUT.
And finally, Part 13 talks about using EXPOSURE THERAPY on your Protagonist to eventually get him or her over their greatest fear and become TRANSFORMED.
I’ve had requests from more readers than I can mention to stick this series up in the download section so expect to see it there in a day or two. I hope it helps you out… I hope it’s made you realize how important this element is to your story and ultimate screenplay. I hope you understand that OFTEN, it is this element and the way you ultimately handle it that can make or break your spec when it finally comes to the marketing.
Like everything here on the site, this is just the way I do things… I don’t claim to be an expert… Hell, I learn something new every day and I often change my way of thinking as I learn new things. Sometimes I’ll read an article and change my opinion — sometimes I simply watch a movie that changes my opinion but it’s always just MY OPINION so take that for what it’s worth and more importantly, come up with YOUR OWN OPINION! Read articles. Scour the web… Go back to your screenwriting books and re-read the parts about giving your Protagonist a character arc. The more familiar you are with this story element, the better your screenwriting is going to be.
And as if you didn’t already have enough to read, I recently found several articles about the Kubler-Ross Model. It talks about the 5 Stages of Grief or what is known as the Grief Cycle:
Change, Grief and the Transformation Cycle
Kubler-Ross Model on Wikipedia
Recognizing Grief Over the Loss of Income
Coping with Loss: Guide to Grieving and Bereavement
The above articles don’t have anything to do with screenwriting per se but I think they definitely apply to the Transformational Character Arc series so definitely check them out and tell us what YOU think. It’s interesting to note that your Protagonist goes through a similar if not identical transformation cycle… Or SHOULD. LOL. In my opinion, the most important aspect of these articles are the actual 5 Stages of Grief:
Prior to the cycle, you have a normal-functioning person… Then, something happens that throws their world out of whack… They now begin the cycle:
Stage 1: Shock and Denial
-
Avoidance
-
Confusion
-
Fear
-
Numbness
-
Blame
Stage 2: Anger
- Frustration
- Anxiety
- Irritation
- Embarrassment
- Shame
Stage 3: Depression and Detachment
- Overwhelmed
- Blahs
- Lack of energy
- Helplessness
Stage 4: Dialogue and Bargaining
- Reaching out to others
- Desire to tell one’s story
- Struggle to find meaning for what has happened
Stage 5: Acceptance
- Exploring options
- A new plan in place
With the cycle now complete, this person returns to a meaningful life having been TRANSFORMED and experiences the following:
- Empowerment
- Security
- Self-esteem
- Meaning
If you’ll notice, you could ALMOST structure an entire screenplay based on these 5 stages and while I’m not advocating exactly that, I’m almost positive that by learning just a little more about this model, you’ll go a long way toward creating believable characters and have your Protagonist TRANSFORMED by the end of your story…
Food for thought.
Unk
EDIT: The Transformational Character Arc series is available for download on the Download page.
Comments
19 Responses to “The Transformational Character Arc Part 14 Stick a fork in it!”
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Unk,
Your posts are always so well thought out and complete that I:
a. envy them
b. never manage to check in when I have time to completely READ them.
So, as your pic says “fork me”. Still — just from a skim and getting the gist, I know you’ve done it again. I wait for the time you compile these into a book (as you MUST) and I can buy it (or I’ll swap you mine!), check into a motel for a weekend and read it all in one glorious, life-changing sitting. Till then, the above is mainly an apology if I’m restating something in the body of your work that is either obvious, or already said:
Kubler-Ross? OF COURSE…if you realize/embrace that the TCA is (symbolically) THE DEATH of the hero…and his REBIRTH as a new (transformed) being, then why WOULDN’T the stages be the same as those we go thru when confronted w/death?
Awesome.
chris
I like these ideas of using things that impact real people which then in turn be used to impact characters…I mean why not? it makes sense characters are people too. Good summary of the arc series (when’s the book coming out? hehe) Looking forward to what comes next, Unk. Keep it up.
Unk,
Great job! When’s the book coming out? ;-) LOL.
Regards,
Mike
Chris,
Exactly… Which is why I’ve been wanting to post links to the Grief Cycle.
SS,
Exactly AGAIN.
Mike,
Book? Someday… But I gots LOTS more to learn!
Unk
The next topic of my own series on Character Development Sheets was Character Arcs, and what more or different thing could be said that hasn’t already been covered here? Superb, superb, my friend.
Screw it. I’ll just write, “See Unk.”
Hehehe…
-MM
MM,
Hehehe… Says it all… LOL.
Unk
Phenomenal amount of awesome here. Honest truth: today I tried to defend some of what I’ve come to own as important to character development/design, (loads of which is taken from the TCA) and important to me as a writer for creating rich, fulfilling stories and all I could manage were rambling grunts and incoherencies. Luckily here it is all collected and competently articulated. Much thanks for the wealth of info. I should just keep this on hand for future arguments, *thinks* possibly a tattoo.
damn glad you have a download because like the other guy says, I don’t haev time when I check you out. But I want to read your stuff. Er…badly. I’ll just take you to work, lol.
Book? What’s wrong with you writing a book. I mean, so you got more to learn, yeah–and so? You have lots to teach. Think on it, right? The road to publication isn’t always a straight line to the screen. Sometimes you get shelved in “screenwriting”–how-to.
good stuff, ya? ya
Adding the Kubler-Ross thing points out something i really like about Unk’s way of thinking…
He’s open to anything that might help his writing. He’s exploring, he’s curious. We should be too.
And he explores a lot psychological & sociological theories that might help screenwriting.
A lot of this stuff might not end up directly in anybody’s script, it’s background stuff. It’s stuff you keep in the back of your head. But it’s still useful.
We are writing about HUMAN BEINGS and their EMOTIONS. Human motivation & change.
We all need to study human behavior & emotions IN DEPTH…continuously…
As writers we need to be observers, shrinks, philosophers, teachers, detectives, etc etc We need to have our minds OPEN & receptive.
In my early 20s I was thinking about becoming an anthropologist.
Anthropology = the study of man
I took a bunch of classes, but then finally decided i didn’t want to be a scientist.
But guess what? I’m still an anthropologist. I still study human beings.
these comments are great I think its always important to be an astute observer in order to be a screenwriter because it allows you to see how certain behaviors aren’t necessarily shown through the same actions. I too was interested in human interaction at a young age read some Karl Jung in high school and took a couple psych classes in college.
Invaluable stuff, UNK. Your blog never ceases to amaze me. I downloaded your Character Arc series because just like a few of your readers, I never have enough time to read your entire posts. This one I’m printing.
No audio version, eh? Too bad. Perfect for my long commute.
SD
Brilliant.
I’m so glad you posted the whole series in one file! Like many others above me, I haven’t had time to read every post in the series. But now I’ll make time.
Looking forward to it!
Thanks for working so hard
Thanks for taking the time to provide such thorough and thought-provoking insight. There is immense value in everything you itemize in this series, which is what makes the downloadable version all the more welcome. What a service to your unseen audience. I hope the scripts we turn out as a result of reading, contemplating, and executing the notes outlined here will do justice to your efforts.
Sure, get us all hooked on the good stuff, then leave us high and dry (mostly high) and wanting more. We all need a fix, man. Where are you? Gotta have more. Pleeeease?
Unk–
Hopefully this wasn’t a swan song…I’m going through withdrawal here. Hope you can to get back to posting soon. If life has gotten in the way right now I understand though…
SS
Thanks for sharing this with us, Unk. Love the fork, too.
I’m guessing Uri Geller did that afer they debunked his psychic abilities?
Hey UNK
happy fucking new year!
I’m just finishing up the last of character prep for my protag and it got me wondering. In my story I have three main characters. Father and two sons. One of the sons is the protagonist. There are a few other minor characters, but mainly its about the family. So my question. Do you need to do as much character prep on other supporting characters like you do with the protag? i.e. bio’s, backstory, personailty types, traits, outer objective, inner objective, etc. Or do this make things over complicated?
Thanks buddy
Larry