Comments on: character arc 8: Changing vs being revealed http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/ a writer in search of zen-like clam Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:29:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Julie http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83968 Julie Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:45:25 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83968 Lara, that's great! I'm so glad you joined the RNA and are going to meetings. And I'm glad the RNA likes me, because the members are some of my favourite people on the planet. It's a great organisation. (I owe you an email, whoops!) Lara, that’s great! I’m so glad you joined the RNA and are going to meetings. And I’m glad the RNA likes me, because the members are some of my favourite people on the planet. It’s a great organisation.

(I owe you an email, whoops!)

]]> By: Julie http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83967 Julie Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:44:28 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83967 Josh, you and I have been discussing this elsewhere, too. ;-) It's a fascinating topic and of course I'm only talking for myself and the type of novels I write and read. But I do think it's worthwhile thinking about active/passive while writing, and making conscious choices about how you want your character to be. Josh, you and I have been discussing this elsewhere, too. ;-) It’s a fascinating topic and of course I’m only talking for myself and the type of novels I write and read. But I do think it’s worthwhile thinking about active/passive while writing, and making conscious choices about how you want your character to be.

]]> By: Julie http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83965 Julie Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:42:20 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83965 Ehle, I like the way you explain how both revelation and action happen to make character arc. That's really useful. Hotel World sounds really interesting. I have The Accidental, but I haven't read it yet. Bad me. But it's a good reminder that character arc doesn't just happen in actions and events, but also in voice and style, metaphor and symbol. And even punctuation. And hooray...so glad Girl from Mars gave you a giggle! You started reading it at the right time, right after an X-Files marathon. I had to catch up on a lot of episodes myself before writing the book. Ehle, I like the way you explain how both revelation and action happen to make character arc. That’s really useful.

Hotel World sounds really interesting. I have The Accidental, but I haven’t read it yet. Bad me. But it’s a good reminder that character arc doesn’t just happen in actions and events, but also in voice and style, metaphor and symbol. And even punctuation.

And hooray…so glad Girl from Mars gave you a giggle! You started reading it at the right time, right after an X-Files marathon. I had to catch up on a lot of episodes myself before writing the book.

]]> By: Julie http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83964 Julie Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:39:14 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83964 Liz, I'm glad you're finding it useful! And thanks for the link in your blog. :-) Liz, I’m glad you’re finding it useful! And thanks for the link in your blog. :-)

]]> By: Lara http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83960 Lara Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:35:28 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83960 Hi, Julie! I have just been to a local Chapter of RNA, heard many great things about you. . .everyone loves you! Lara :-) Hi, Julie!
I have just been to a local Chapter of RNA, heard many great things about you. . .everyone loves you!
Lara :-)

]]> By: Josh http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83926 Josh Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:28:52 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83926 Wow, great answer! :-) I'm fascinated now by the mix of active and passive in a character. Doing and done to. (Sinned against and sinning?) Thanks so much for this, Josh Wow, great answer! :-)

I’m fascinated now by the mix of active and passive in a character. Doing and done to. (Sinned against and sinning?)

Thanks so much for this,

Josh

]]> By: Ehle http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83924 Ehle Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:51:21 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83924 btw, I got the package the other day! Woo! I started reading GIRL FROM MARS right after watching 3 hours of X-Files. I giggled like a fool on page one. ;-) btw, I got the package the other day! Woo! I started reading GIRL FROM MARS right after watching 3 hours of X-Files. I giggled like a fool on page one. ;-)

]]> By: Ehle http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83923 Ehle Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:48:42 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83923 That was a great question, and I liked your answer, Julie. In one of my favorite books, HOTEL WORLD by Ali Smith, one of the character's arcs is not only shown in her actions, but also in the punctuation. The spirit of a dead girl recalls her life, and throughout the story, she starts fading away. As her memory becomes less and less clear, the punctuation lapses, the words jumble together, and the reader watches as she devolves into nonsense. Though it's not an action, per se, I still found that to be very effective in communicating her character arc. Another thing that came to mind was The Tudors and King Henry VIII. That story is full of discoveries and revelations, but also growth and change. Henry's belief that God will grant him no male children while he's married to his brother's wife may have changed him and his affinity to Catherine of Aragon, but it's the actions he took because of that belief that changed everything else. So I guess the way I see it, the two go hand in hand. I don't think it's possible to grow and change without having discovered something in the process. And I also don't think it's possible to have a discovery or revelation without that having some sort of outward reflection of it. Maybe not a big, earth-shattering reflection, but something, at least. A girl who finds out she's in love with her best friend, for example, isn't going to act the same way around him that she did before, you know? That was a great question, and I liked your answer, Julie.

In one of my favorite books, HOTEL WORLD by Ali Smith, one of the character’s arcs is not only shown in her actions, but also in the punctuation. The spirit of a dead girl recalls her life, and throughout the story, she starts fading away. As her memory becomes less and less clear, the punctuation lapses, the words jumble together, and the reader watches as she devolves into nonsense. Though it’s not an action, per se, I still found that to be very effective in communicating her character arc.

Another thing that came to mind was The Tudors and King Henry VIII. That story is full of discoveries and revelations, but also growth and change. Henry’s belief that God will grant him no male children while he’s married to his brother’s wife may have changed him and his affinity to Catherine of Aragon, but it’s the actions he took because of that belief that changed everything else.

So I guess the way I see it, the two go hand in hand. I don’t think it’s possible to grow and change without having discovered something in the process. And I also don’t think it’s possible to have a discovery or revelation without that having some sort of outward reflection of it. Maybe not a big, earth-shattering reflection, but something, at least. A girl who finds out she’s in love with her best friend, for example, isn’t going to act the same way around him that she did before, you know?

]]> By: liz http://www.julie-cohen.com/blog/2010/02/04/character-arc-8/comment-page-1/#comment-83907 liz Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:48:08 +0000 http://www.julie-cohen.com/?p=1307#comment-83907 Julie - this series on character has has been absolutely brilliant. lx Julie – this series on character has has been absolutely brilliant.
lx

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