Helena Fairfax

Another month, and another authors’ Round Robin. This month the topic has been set by author Skye Taylor

How important is character arc to your stories and how does it tie in to the plot or story arc?

I write and edit romance novels. These novels are character-driven rather than plot-driven, and so for me character arc is a vital part of the story. The emphasis on character is one of the reasons why I love romantic fiction. It’s human nature to be interested in other people  and it’s almost always the characters we remember most from a story, rather than the plot.

Crime and thrillers can have complex characters (e.g. Sherlock Holmes, or Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron’s brilliant Slow Horses series), but these characters don’t necessarily change over the course of a novel, where the fight between good and evil drives the plot.

It’s conflict that keeps readers turning the pages in a romance novel. It’s a common mistake to think the lovers fight each other like cat and dog until suddenly they get their happy ending, but in fact a satisfying story comes about if the couple have to fight something in themselves in order to get the ending they deserve.

A lot has been written about character arc (there are some links to useful books at the end of this post). This is an overall outline of seven steps to creating a strong character arc in your romance novel.

1. Romantic conflict is key

Before beginning the novel, ask yourself the question: why will it be catastrophic for this character if they fall in love with this particular person?

We already know there is a happy ending – it’s how the lovers are going to get there that’s the great mystery and has readers turning the pages. Give your couple separate goals/beliefs at the outset. The higher the stakes, the more readers will be glued to the page. (Although NB: don’t make the mistake of making the stakes so high, a resolution is impossible and the happy ending seems unbelievable.)

The romantic conflict will underpin the entire novel – and the characters will have to change in order to get to that happy ending.

2. Character motivation and depth

Why do your characters have these beliefs/goals that are so strong, they keep them from being with the love of their life? It’s not enough to say ‘That’s just how they are.’ Readers will only want them to get over themselves. What is their backstory? What are their present circumstances? What do they fear, and why? What do they want more than anything, and why?

3. What’s your character’s problem?

Give your character some sort of secondary problem at the start that they need to resolve. Do they need to find a job? Paint someone’s portrait? Run a cattle farm? Take a class of children on a school trip? Find a date for their friend’s wedding? This secondary problem may or may not be connected with their main goals/beliefs, but see next point…

4. Feel the force

Force your two characters together. (If you can use your secondary problem as a means to do this, it will make for a neat, satisfying plot.)

It’s your job as a writer to give your characters a hard time. We all love an easy way out, and if being with this person is a catastrophe for your character, they’ll be desperate to get away. Make sure there’s a credible and compelling reason for these two people to have to spend a lot of time together – even though all they want to do is run.

5. Make your characters loveable

Your character might be hot, but they also need great qualities. What is it exactly that the other person would fall passionately in love with?

Here comes the tough part of writing romance: while you force your characters together, have them reveal these sterling qualities to one another, while at the same time putting them in situations that heighten the romantic conflict, ensuring no matter how much they’re in love, they’ll never admit it.

At this stage, though, they’re beginning to wonder ‘Is it possible?’ Perhaps things really can change…

6. Give your characters a hard time

Eventually your poor characters will reach breaking point. (The black moment.) This is where they decide they can’t live with this person…but then realise they can’t live without them. Some deep and serious thinking is done here. By falling in love with this person, your character has gone through some change – either consciously or unconsciously. With deep internal change, they’re now ready for love and…

The happy ending!

Going back to number one, and the reason for the romantic conflict: the barriers you created between this couple were strong. Is your solution to the conflict, and the way they reach their happy ending, believable? If so, congratulations! Your reader will put the book down with a satisfied ‘ah!’

These may seem overly simplistic steps – maybe even formulaic – but it’s a formula that works, with infinite stories that can be hung on it. Pride and Prejudice is the classic example. The source of romantic conflict is in the title – the characters’ own pride and prejudice. Jane Austen forces Darcy and Lizzie together in a small, claustrophobic society, and forces them even closer when Jane falls ill in Bingley’s house, and Lizzie has to stay with her to nurse her. She and Darcy are thrown together, whether they like it or not. Darcy discovers Lizzie’s sterling qualities – she’s a devoted, caring sister. Later, Lizzie discovers Darcy’s qualities – he’s a loyal friend and devoted to his own younger sister. The pride and prejudice begin to fall away, and the characters change.

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For a more in-depth analysis of character and character arc, and how they affect the story structure, I’ve found these books useful:

Writing for Emotional Impact, by Karl Iglesias

Get Your Story Straight, by Diane Drake

Romancing the Beat, by Gwen Hayes

And if you’d like a fresh eye on your own particular story, please do get in touch regarding my editing services. (I know how hard it is to send your manuscript off, but I love reading new ideas, and I always aim to provide professional and friendly feedback.)

I’m looking forward to reading the other authors’ take on this topic. Please click on the links below for my fellow authors in the Round Robin.

Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/

Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea