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How To Write A Compelling Character Arc 

 A character arc is a measure of how a character changes over time. These arcs are linear, which means they have a start and a conclusion. Character arcs are a significant aspect of any novel as they help clearly translate your character’s struggles and personal developments to your readers. 

Unsure how to write a compelling character arc for your protagonist or other characters? Here are some tips to help you get started! 

Pick A Type Of Arc 

In order to create a compelling and successful character arc, you first need to recognise which type of arc is your character going to experience. Over the years people have developed various character arc types, however, there are three significant types every writer needs to be aware of when plotting their character’s story. 

Positive Character Arcs 

Positive character arcs are simply that—a character arc that results in a positive journey or development. 

A majority of books and movies or other cinematic pieces feature positive character arcs. This is because everyone enjoys a happy ending. An ending that makes you feel fulfilled and excited for the protagonist’s journey, or brings tears to your waterline as you reminisce on how far they’ve come, and how much they deserve this positive ending. 

A positive character arc doesn’t necessarily have to have a ‘’happily ever after’ however it needs to have a happy ending. If a character’s family was assassinated and at the end they get revenge on the antagonist who murdered their loved ones while developing themselves mentally, then that counts as a positive character arc. 

When writing a positive character arc it’s important to keep a few things in mind, such as: 

You need to end on a positive note. Things can be as chaotic as you want it to be, but you need to have a positive ending. Otherwise, you cannot define your character arc as positive. 

Your protagonist needs to develop as a character. Whether that be mentally, emotionally, financially, etc. 

Your protagonist cannot end up where they started. A character arc that ends in a full circle is more of a flat character arc than a positive one. 

Negative Character Arcs

Just like a positive character arc, a negative one is very easy to explain. This is a character arc that is typically used when writing antagonists in the entertainment industry due to the negativity it brings. When writing a negative character arc for a protagonist you run the risk of making your readers feel unsatisfied or creating a ‘bad ending’. 

Some examples of a negative character arc for a protagonist would be if the protagonist dies at the end of the book, or if the protagonists almost achieve their final goal but fail by a small shortcoming. Negative character arcs for a protagonist are usually implemented for the first few books of a series, especially in fantasy books. 

Using a negative character for your antagonist is simple—they fail. The protagonist wins and the villain dies or gets locked up until their final moments. 

When employing a negative character arc for a protagonist, here are some things to keep in mind: 

They shouldn’t end up as a person similar to what they started off as. The point is to corrupt them, ruin them and turn them to the bad side. Perhaps even make them fall victim to the antagonists. 

They can’t or will never achieve their long-term goal. Remember that goal you established at the start of your book? Your protagonist cannot achieve that. Or at least, they will never achieve it due to certain plot developments. 

They lose someone or thing important to them. Negative character arcs for a protagonist are generally triggered due to the loss of someone or thing important to the protagonist. Maybe their mentor is murdered by the government, or their failure to achieve their goals makes them turn evil. 

Flat Character Arcs

Flat character arcs are arcs that essentially lack any sort of arc. They are flat and begin and end with the character as the same type of person. 

These arcs are generally used for side characters, but they can also be used for a protagonist. Think of characters like Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, etc. They go through several trials and tribulations, but even after it all their personality remains the same. 

When writing a flat character arc it’s important to remember that your character cannot undergo any significant personality changes. Your protagonist can undergo such changes during the story, but they need to have a full circle by the end. 

Divide Your Arc Into Short-Term Goals 

Once you’ve decided where you want your character to end up at the end, you now need to know how they will get there. You can achieve this by referring to your long-term goal and then breaking them down into short-term goals. 

The protagonist is supposed to find a hidden jewel at the end of the book and discovers how corrupt their government is. Alright, now break that down into short-term goals that will help your protagonist get to their end goal. 

Group these goals and they will become stages for your book, break them down and you now have chapter outlines to work with. 

Playing with the details of your character arcs can help you easily plan out your book’s plot and set a steady pace. You can also use this as a reference sheet when working on your WIP. 

Take The World Outside Your Protagonist Into Perspective

Once you know the type of character arc you want and how you’re going to write it, it’s important to consider how this arc will impact your world. This includes your side characters as well as the general plot and layout of your world. 

Character Arcs For Side Characters 

It isn’t necessary to have a character arc for every single character, but it is almost impossible for only two characters to have an arc within hundreds of pages. 

Whether it be your protagonist’s mentor or your antagonist’s assistant, it’s important to take their stories and personal development into consideration. How does the story’s plot impact their outlook on the world or their personality? Do any of the minor antagonists turn out to be morally grey? Does one of the smaller protagonists end up betraying the protagonist out of jealousy? 

Remember, your smaller characters are also human. It’s important to take their stories and arcs into consideration so you can create a detailed and comprehensive world. 

A great example of this could be anime characters. Most animes tend to have separate backstories and endings for every character. These backstories and endings don’t have to all be necessarily revealed to your readers, however, as an author you need to know where you’re going with each of your characters. 

Reaction Arcs 

One easy way to implement character arcs for your side characters is by using reaction arcs. I don’t know if this term has already been established, but I personally coined the term to refer to a character arc that is a direct reaction to another character’s arc. 

Maybe your protagonist has a positive character arc and ends up becoming the most successful person in their field of work, but this results in a reaction arc for their best friend who turns bitter and has a negative character arc due to the way the protagonist’s story played out. 

Reaction arcs differ from other arcs due to the fact that they cannot be achieved without establishing another character’s arc first. Following the above example, the best friend cannot become jealous and bitter until your protagonist’s character arc is established. 

I hope this blog on how to write a compelling character arc will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author. 

Copyright © 2022 Haya Sameer, you are not allowed to repost, translate, recreate or redistribute my blog posts or content without prior permission

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

(Also, check my gumroad store if you want to!)

How to Write a Character Who Feels Like Throwing Up

When fear, dread, or guilt gets sickening—literally—your character is consumed with a gut-clenching feeling that something is very, very wrong. Here's how to write that emotion using more than the classic "bile rose to the back of their throat".

Start with the Stomach

This isn’t just about discomfort. It’s about a complete rebellion happening inside their body.

Their stomach twists like a knot that keeps pulling tighter

A cold sweat beads on their neck, their palms, their spine

Their insides feel sludgy, like everything they’ve eaten is suddenly unwelcome

They double over, not from pain, but because sitting still feels impossible

Add Sensory Overload

Vomiting isn’t just a stomach reaction—it’s the whole body.

Their mouth goes dry, and then too wet

Their jaw tightens, trying to contain it

A sudden heat blooms in their chest and face, overwhelming

The back of their throat burns—not bile, but the threat of it

Breathing becomes a conscious effort: in, out, shallow, sharp

Emotional Triggers

Nausea doesn’t always need a physical cause. Tie it to emotion for more impact:

Fear: The kind that’s silent and wide-eyed. They’re frozen, too sick to speak.

Guilt: Their hands are cold, but their face is flushed. Every memory plays like a film reel behind their eyes.

Shock: Something just snapped inside. Their body registered it before their brain did.

Ground It in Action

Don’t just describe the nausea—show them reacting to it.

They press a fist to their mouth, pretending it’s a cough

Their knees weaken, and they lean on a wall, pretending it’s just fatigue

They excuse themselves quietly, then collapse in a bathroom stall

They swallow, again and again, like that’ll keep everything down

Let the Consequences Linger

Even if they don’t actually throw up, the aftermath sticks.

A sour taste that won’t leave their mouth.

A pulsing headache

A body that feels hollowed out, shaky, untrustworthy

The shame of nearly losing control in front of someone else

Let Them Be Human

A character feeling like vomiting is vulnerable. It's real. It’s raw. It means they’re overwhelmed in a way they can’t hide. And that makes them relatable. You don’t need melodrama—you need truth. Capture that moment where the world spins, and they don’t know if it’s panic or flu or fear, but all they want is to get out of their own body for a second.

Don't just write the bile. Write the breakdown.

How to Make Your Characters Almost Cry

Tears are powerful, but do you know what's more impactful? The struggle to hold them back. This post is for all your hard-hearted stoic characters who'd never shed a tear before another, and aims to help you make them breakdown realistically.

The Physical Signs of Holding Back Tears

Heavy Eyelids, Heavy Heart Your character's eyelids feel weighted, as if the tears themselves are dragging them down. Their vision blurs—not quite enough to spill over, but enough to remind them of the dam threatening to break.

The Involuntary Sniffle They sniffle, not because their nose is running, but because their body is desperately trying to regulate itself, to suppress the wave of emotion threatening to take over.

Burning Eyes Their eyes sting from the effort of restraint, from the battle between pride and vulnerability. If they try too hard to hold back, the whites of their eyes start turning red, a telltale sign of the tears they've refused to let go.

The Trembling Lips Like a child struggling not to cry, their lips quiver. The shame of it fuels their determination to stay composed, leading them to clench their fists, grip their sleeves, or dig their nails into the nearest surface—anything to regain control.

The Fear of Blinking Closing their eyes means surrender. The second their lashes meet, the memories, the pain, the heartbreak will surge forward, and the tears will follow. So they force themselves to keep staring—at the floor, at a blank wall, at anything that won’t remind them of why they’re breaking.

The Coping Mechanisms: Pretending It’s Fine

A Steady Gaze & A Deep Breath To mask the turmoil, they focus on a neutral object, inhale slowly, and steel themselves. If they can get through this one breath, they can get through the next.

Turning Away to Swipe at Their Eyes When they do need to wipe their eyes, they do it quickly, casually, as if brushing off a speck of dust rather than wiping away the proof of their emotions.

Masking the Pain with a Different Emotion Anger, sarcasm, even laughter—any strong emotion can serve as a shield. A snappy response, a bitter chuckle, a sharp inhale—each is a carefully chosen defence against vulnerability.

Why This Matters

Letting your character fight their tears instead of immediately breaking down makes the scene hit harder. It shows their internal struggle, their resistance, and their need to stay composed even when they’re crumbling.

This is written based off of personal experience as someone who goes through this cycle a lot (emotional vulnerability who?) and some inspo from other books/articles