2 Essential Questions to Craft a Compelling Character Arc

If you want readers to fall in love with your protagonist . . .
. . . to remember them long after they finish your book . . .
. . . then you need to craft a compelling character arc.
To do that, you need to know: who is your protagonist?
What makes them unique? How do they grow and change? Why is their story worth telling?
And you can figure all that out by answering just two essential questions.
These questions are deceptively simple. But when you dig in and explore them, you’ll learn so much about what challenges your character faces and all the ways they’ll grow.
I ask these questions every time I work with a writer. And over and over, they lead us to breakthroughs about the writer’s protagonist—and the arc of their entire story.
Ready for the questions? Listen in! You’ll learn:

• The two essential questions for brilliant character arcs
• More than a dozen insights you’ll gain just by asking them
• How to identify your character’s most important change
• How to use that change to shape your story’s plot
• And more!

Plus, I’ll show you how I would answer these two questions for the character arc in a novel I love: LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen.
And I’ve created a worksheet to help you answer these questions for your character, too. Get the worksheet at alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet.
Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get the Character Arc Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet
• LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen

Send me a Text Message!

Support the show

Want more editing tips and resources? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

And if you're enjoying the podcast, would you mind leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts? That helps more writers find these editing resources. And it helps me know what's helpful to you so I can create more episodes you'll love!
Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »