Jordan McCollum

CHARACTER ARCS show the events of our story are worth reading about. In most works of fiction, the major characters don't just experience the events of the plot--the story changes them. They learn and grow, ultimately succeeding at the climax of the story because of all they've gained. Even the greatest plot in the world can ring flat if the character's internal journey isn't dramatic enough. For a character to truly resonate with readers, he should change and grow over the course of the story. CHARACTER ARCS will help you: Give your readers a powerful experience in any genre Discover your character's arc: their internal, emotional journey. Implement that character arc to make your readers root for your character. Keep your story moving by using external plot events to prompt your character's internal growth. Revise your character's arc for maximum impact. PLUS a special chapter on using character arcs in romances, family dramas & other relationship stories. Far from a write-by-numbers manual, this approach examines the basic mechanics of character change to show you how to apply these principles in your own work, with numerous examples. Add power and resonance to any story--master character arcs!

Founding, Forming and Finishing Your Character's Internal Journey

Character Arcs

I, Spy

When an old enemy resurfaces to kidnap Molly on their wedding day, Zach must save her before it's too late.All sins cast long shadows. - Old Irish ProverbFBI Special Agents Molly Malone and Zach Saint have finally reached their happily ever after: their wedding day. But not if Doyle Murphy has anything to say about it. Freed after a mistrial, the mobster is out for revenge on the two people who put him away: Zach and Molly.FBI Special Agents Molly Malone and Zach Saint have finally reached their happily ever after. But when Zach arrives at her apartment on the morning of their wedding day, Molly is nowhere to be found.Slowly, the evidence falls into place: she's been kidnapped by Doyle Murphy, the mobster she and Zach sent to jail years before. Freed after a mistrial, Doyle is out for revenge, and he won't settle for anything less than blood.It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Now, to save Molly, Zach must race against the clock-and a record-smashing heat wave-and outwit the most feared mobster on Chicago's South Side.

Saints and Sinners

Alicia Rasley

IS YOUR CHARACTER WORTHY OF YOUR READER? CHARACTER SYMPATHY hooks your readers and gets them on your character's side from the very start. Often we think of sympathetic characters as those we love or envy or pity, but character sympathy runs deeper than simply liking or feeling sorry for a character. Sympathy in this sense is truly feeling what the character feels, worrying over the same things he worries about, and wanting him to succeed against all odds. If we can get our readers to fully sympathize and identify with our character, our readers will enjoy that journey with our character and then clamor for more. CHARACTER SYMPATHY will help you: - Learn what events, actions and characteristics create true sympathy for a character. - Engineer your character's motivations and goals to maximize her sympathy. - Avoid clichéd methods for creating reader identification. - Foster sympathy for heroes, antiheroes, villains and everyone in between. - Observe and analyze master storytellers' techniques to create character identification. Character sympathy isn't automatic or easy, but it's necessary for readable fiction. Applying these principles can strengthen any story and any character. Hook your readers with a character they can really root for!

Jordan McCollum

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