Post History
The basic shape of any character's story arc is that they want something and there are forces that make it difficult for them to get it. They try the least expensive thing they can to achieve their...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26562 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26562 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
The basic shape of any character's story arc is that they want something and there are forces that make it difficult for them to get it. They try the least expensive thing they can to achieve their desire, and are rebuffed. They then try the next least expensive thing and are rebuffed again. This repeats until we get to the climax where we discover just how much they are willing to give -- how much they are willing to bleed -- to achieve their desire. The issues that a character goes through are therefore driven by their desire. They are all about their attempt to get what they want and the things that prevent them from getting it. So the first question you have to ask yourself is, what does my character want? What is the desire that drives him towards the climax of this story?