The Only 2 Types of Character Arcs
The 6 Story Steps
After years of writing and studying story theory, I have identified 6(ish) umbrella steps that go into crafting a story, start to finish.
Here’s what they look like:
Character Arc - the emotional journey your protagonist will take.
Plot Arc - the overall external journey that will propel that emotional journey by challenging the protagonist’s current way of being.
Story Structure - the rises and falls that will ground the reader in that external journey and create engaging pacing.
Scenes - the scene-by-scene progress your story will make in both the character and plot arcs.
Tropes - the pleasurable situations and dynamics your protagonist will face within those scenes.
Here, I’m going to take just a second to explain this a little further. I have done several posts on tropes (here, here, here), and studied several storytellers who refer to this idea differently (butter, cheesecake, fun and games—I just like to refer to it as candy), but we’re all talking about the same thing.
There are specific tropes, situations, and dynamics that readers LOVE TO SINK INTO, time and time again. This is different depending on the reader—some love body horror, for example, while others will pick up a book solely on the promise that the love interests will find themselves in a situation with only one bed—but the idea is always the same:
The things that show up and have shown up in storytelling since the beginning are there because we love to consume them. They allow us to feel, escape, and experience in exactly the way we are hoping when we pick up a story.Prose - the inclusion of a clear voice & tone and exclusion of clunky construction.
This is by far the step I discuss the least on this blog, and it’s for one simple reason: it’s the step I’m the least comfortable with. I’m constantly figuring out how to improve my line-by-line storytelling so that it is evocative, smooth, easy for readers to consume, and so that it efficiently and effectively communicates the story and emotionality.
This can include ideas like show don’t tell, filler words, proper POV, consistent tone, interesting voice, and more.
With that said, today’s post will dive into umbrella step number one, which is the least forgiving step because it is the foundation of storytelling. If you nail the other 5 steps but don’t manage to create an engaging character journey, your story will fall flat, whereas if your prose is clunky or you have a plot hole, readers will often power through because they are eating up the character’s emotional journey.
The 2 Types of Character Arcs
Okay, now that we’ve got that tangent out of the way, let me bring your attention back to today’s topic: character arcs. Again, this is something I’ve discussed a lot on the blog, but several months ago I started getting excited about an idea that would simplify this often confusing concept:
What if there were only 2 types of character arcs?
Hear me out. I know that, in theory, there are as many character arcs as there are characters. But as I was trying to wrap my head around a character’s emotional journey one day, it occurred to me that every arc I studied could pretty easily be grouped into one of two categories.
I LOVE finding ways to simplify, organize, and streamline big or complex ideas, and after toying with this concept for a long time, I still find it helpful for my own writing, thus I thought it was high-time to share it with you.
First, I’ll share the overview of the two types of character arcs, and then I’ll break each one down, with plenty of examples. So keep in mind that while this post is on the longer side, a huge chunk of it is just example after example to help nail the idea home.
Character Arc #1: Low to High
A character who has been dealt a rough hand and must overcome their circumstances in order to claim their courage, voice, or power.
How are they starting their journey on an emotional low?
Characters starting out on this type of arc may be timid, shy, downtrodden, resigned, broken, or disempowered.
How are they starting their journey on a physical low?
Character in this column may be abused, poor, alone/isolated, low in the social hierarchy, shut up/confined, or otherwise stuck.
Let’s go further with some examples:
Luke Skywalker
Luke starts out resigned to the life he is leading as a simple farm boy. Yes, he has dreams, but he’s not doing much to fulfill them. He’s limited based on where he is physically (a farm on an isolated planet), and emotionally (feeling stuck because he wants to care for his aunt and uncle).
To complete his arc, he must move UP. He must find his personal power, join the world (and the rebellion), learn from impressive and influential mentors (and adversaries), and overcome his beliefs about what he is capable of.
Sophie Hatter
In Howl’s Moving Castle, Sophie starts her journey timid and resigned. She believes her life, as the eldest of three, is meant to be mundane and unfulfilling. She is low physically because she has been shuffled after her father’s death to the back room of a hat shop—a position she didn’t even want.
She must rise UP through her arc by finding her voice, discovering her power (in the form of both magic and emotion), moving out of the hat shop and into a castle, and interacting with important people (the kingdom’s most powerful wizard, most notorious witch, and the prince himself).
Lucy Moderatz
In While You Were Sleeping, Lucy starts her journey alone. She is working in a toll both, taking every holiday shift, and coming home to her cat. In order to rise UP, she must find the strength to declare what she wants and deserves. She also joins the world in the form of a new family.
Jane Eyre
Jane starts her story as an abused orphan. Though she technically lives in a grand home as a child, she is quickly thrust out and into an unimpressive school (it’s literally called LOWood), where she starves and suffers at the hands of a tyrant.
In order to rise UP, she must also find her voice, accumulate wealth and power, and declare herself the equal of a well-to-do and powerful gentleman.
Harry Potter
Similarly to Jane, Harry starts his story as an abused orphan. He is physically and emotionally confined. In order to complete his emotional journey, he must discover his power (emotional and magical), cast off his abusers (everyone from Dudley to Voldemort), and rise UP by literally stepping into the role of the most famous and revered wizard in the magical world.
Belly Conklin
In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly’s low-status is shown in contrast to the family friends she spends her summers with. Although her family is by no means destitute, compared to the Fishers and their immense wealth, she is low on the social and financial totem pole.
Even more, she is continually cast aside and scorned by her brother and his friends. It isn’t until she starts to gather her confidence and step out into the world that she rises UP.
Cinderella
See a pattern here? Cinderella is also abused, orphaned, lonely, and confined. She rises UP by proving herself worthy of a prince and standing up to her tormenters.
Samantha Baker
In Sixteen Candles, Samantha starts her story low, believing she is unpopular, unnoticeable, and unimpressive. But by learning to accept that she has something to offer, she is able to catch the eye of her ultimate dreamboat, the most popular boy in school, the one and only…Jake Ryan (and consequently rise UP the social ladder).
Mulan
Mulan is pretty feisty at the start of her tale, but she is low physically, feeling the need to stay in her small village and care for her family (similar to someone like Feyre of A Court of Thorns and Roses fame).
Only by building her inner and outer strength and finding her voice is she able to rise UP until she literally comes face to face with the Emperor of China himself.
Lara Jean Covey
In To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (yes, I’m a big Jenny Han fan), Lara Jean does her best to stay small. She keeps her desires and opinions to herself. She is low in her high school’s social hierarchy, and afraid of the world. Only by, once again, joining the world, interacting with influential and powerful people, and finding her voice, is she able to pull herself UP.
Are you noticing the patterns? While each of these characters have unique circumstances, desires, and journeys, they have similar trajectories, as well as similar emotional and physical start and end points.
Note: As always, there are exceptions to the rule. Perhaps most notably in regards to negative character arcs.
You could make a case for a negative character arc as being either low to high OR high to low. For example, in The Godfather, Michael Corleone goes from low to high in his status, power, and confidence. However, he goes from high to low in his morality, compassion, and emotional connections.
Character Arc #2: High to Low
A character who has the world on a platter and must overcome their circumstances in order to appreciate what really matters (finding humility, contentment, or selflessness).
How are they starting their journey on an emotional high?
Characters starting out on this type of arc may be selfish, spoiled, superior, arrogant, or obsessive.
How are they starting their journey on a physical high?
These characters may be wealthy, popular, included, respected, feared, or envied.
Let’s go further with some examples:
Cher Horowitz
In Clueless, Cher starts off as the queen of her school. She is popular, beautiful, and wealthy. But in order for her to achieve her ultimate desire (catching the eye of her ex-stepbrother, Josh), she will have to go LOW by “making over her soul.”
She must find humility, compassion, and selflessness.
Elizabeth Bennet
Although Elizabeth isn’t as high, socially, as someone like Mr. Darcy, she is undeniably a part of that circle. She is invited to balls, taken care of, and surrounded by people she loves.
However, she is also, well, prideful. And prejudiced. She must go LOW by humbling herself and learning to see outside the narrow perspective to which she’s become accustomed.
Woody
In Toy Story, Woody starts out on top. He is Andy’s favorite and the one everyone looks up to, and that’s just how he likes it. When his status quo is upended, he lashes out, becoming more and more unhinged. Ultimately, however, it is only by LOWering himself from where he thinks he should be (on top) and sharing the spotlight that he is able to find peace.
Elle Woods
In Legally Blonde, Elle also starts, you guessed it, high. She’s revered, doted on, and “has it all.” Throughout her emotional journey, she LOWers herself by connecting more with the people around her (a much wider variety that is less “socially impressive”), learning to work hard, and searching inside herself for her true desires and what actually matters to her.
Joe Gardner
In Pixar’s Soul, Joe starts his journey as an obsessive. This is a little different than the other examples, but I ultimately decided to put this starting place in the “high to low” character arc because it is only by shifting his perspective from up, up, up (more fame, skill, praise) to LOW (more contentment, humility, appreciation) that he is able to live, both metaphorically and literally.
Danny Ocean
In Ocean’s 11, Danny starts out as the epitome of the arrogant know-it-all. Yes, he has been in jail, which you might think qualifies him for the “low to high” category, except that he’s still wealthy, connected, and cocky.
Over the course of his journey, he goes from a desire for more of these “up” ideals (money, notoriety) to a more grounded (LOWer) perspective (love is actually the most important piece).
Lightning McQueen
Perhaps the quintessential example of this character arc, Lightning McQueen literally goes from being on top of the world, to living in the dirt, working community service in a podunk town.
It takes an entire story, however, for him to recognize that the things that he considered beneath him (LOW), are actually what matter (community, consideration, hard work).
Jo March
In Little Women, Jo may have humble physical beginnings, but her ego is high enough it’s threatening to float her away. Over the course of her story, she must learn to appreciate what she has (her family, her ambition) and LOWer herself so that she can be grounded in the world as it is, rather than constantly fighting against the effects of time and her belief that she knows better than everyone around her.
Only then can she fulfill her dream of putting her stories into the world.
Scrooge
I think we know enough of Scrooge’s journey to keep this short and sweet. He begins high in the world in terms of his wealth and power, but only finds happiness when he comes LOW enough to connect with others and share what he has.
The Beast
Again, he starts high—wealthy, powerful, handsome, spoiled, and selfish. He is literally brought crashing down LOW with his curse, and can only break it when he finally lets go of his pride and opens his heart.
So what do you think? Do your favorite characters fit into one of these two journeys?
As with any writing or creative advice, this is about finding what resonates with and motivates you, not about trying to fit yourself into a box. But if this formula can be helpful in simplifying the process of outlining a character arc, then dive in!
All you need to do is figure out where your protagonist is starting (are they up on their high horse, needing to be knocked down a peg or two, or down in the dumps, needing to find their voice and power), and then design a set of circumstances and challenges that will push them along that given trajectory.
As a reminder, character journeys are the most important piece of your story. They’re what engage readers emotionally, and invest them in the outcome. So if you can find a way to offer your reader a clear beginning and ending image, and make the journey there satisfying, you’re golden.