Negative arcs can be described as a downfall or negative spiral.

In these stories, the protagonist undergoes a positive personality change in response to the obstacles they encounter throughout the story. Examples include Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and Sansa Stark in A Game of Thrones. When your character overcomes an external obstacle or internal flaw in order to become a better person or a better version of themselves, it’s a positive character arc. There are dozens of types of character arcs, but they can generally be categorized into three groups: positive, negative and flat. Characters typically achieve this change by adapting to the obstacles they encounter in the pursuit of their goal. It’s often an inner change to an opposite state of being, from sad to happy, from naive to worldly, or from kind to evil. What is a character arc?Ī character arc is the transformative journey a character undergoes throughout the story. And, it’s not just your characters themselves that make the story engaging, it’s the change they undergo throughout the story. If you have boring characters, it doesn’t matter how engaging your story or how eloquently written, your readers will lose interest. Your reader must care about your characters. Ask a reader why they like a story and they are likely to mention the characters.

What is a flat character arc