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Fixing Character Arc Problems

April 11, 2021 by in On Writing

Watching a character go through meaningful change is one of the most satisfying experiences of fiction. That’s also why one of the most useful writing techniques I’ve ever learned outlines the steps involved in effective character arcs, helping ensure these stages appear clearly in your story.

The tool is called DREAM, and I heard it for the first time years ago on this Writing Excuses podcast. But it’s not just a writers’ trick. It was originally borrowed from psychologists who studied how people process grief and overcome addiction. Since then, I’ve used it dozens of times, both to figure out where my stories were broken and to understand why stories I love work so well.  

Here is the basic formula:

D enial – Character thinks their life is fine. There is no problem; they don’t want or need change.

R esistance/Realization – Character begins to act, resisting the problem. (In my experience, this resistance also brings them to a moment where a small part of them realizes change may be necessary, if only subconsciously.)

E xploration/ Experimentation – Character takes small steps toward change and/or trying to fix the problem without change. Fails. Tries again.

A cceptance – Character accepts that change is necessary despite hardship. (Or in a tragedy, rejects change.)

M anifestation – Character acts on internal belief in an external, concrete way.

The best thing about this tool: It helps make faster connections between vague story problems you don’t know how to fix and specific solutions.

For example, when my critique group says a story of mine “ended too fast” it usually means I skipped or rushed a step, probably the manifestation. If I can’t figure out what a story is “really about” in the beginning, I probably haven’t shown them resisting the problem clearly.  Was the character change unbelievable? I likely made it seem too easy because I didn’t have the character experiment enough, going through failure only to pick themselves up again. Character motivation at the end unclear? Make sure you showed their acceptance (or rejection) before the finale. 

What’s your favorite writing technique for character arcs?

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