Some bad characters cannot be arced to good. Photo by fotografierende on When It Won’t Work Forgiveness from another, understanding from another, allows those characters to start to forgive themselves too. This moment of connection, this emotional bond, allows that bad character to start to find self acceptance. Lilly sees Saffron’s pain and offers her empathy and understanding. When a kind and compassionate person sees the good in you that you don’t want to let yourself see, it opens a door.Ĭindy-Lou shows kindness to The Grinch, even at his worst. Emotional Bondįorming an emotional bond to another character will allow your bad character to start to discover their inner goodness. They will have hope and root for your character to have a better life. Once that has been explored, your Protagonist and your audience have something they can understand. They are living their own lives and handling their own pain. They’re not just a blank monster set out to Antagonise and hurt your Protagonist for no particular reason beyond the story. This past pain makes your character human and sympathetic. It’s an unhealthy pattern I have fallen into, and I am sure that I’m not alone. Making mistakes can cause self loathing, and when you hate yourself you assume others should hate you too so you do things to make that happen. Lashing out against others is a common way of handling pain. Using the character back story is a really good way of explaining how a potentially good character went bad. They have to be forgiven by the audience and the other characters, so they have to want to make amends. If you try and change someone but have no repercussions for their cruelty, it feels like it was forgotten. How To Write A Bad To Good ArcĪn important thing to remember when arcing someone from bad to good is that your audience has to be able to forgive them. This means that the audience wants good things for her and, like Lilly, is able to forgive her for past cruelties and embrace the change she is going through. The pain she is in humanises her and shows that she isn’t bad, just sad. Through the course of the story, with the acceptance and compassion of Lilly, Saffron arcs from bad to good. She is sad and lonely, with a cruel mother and a lonely home life, and like The Grinch, lashing out at those around her as a reaction to that pain. When events in the story push the two girls together, Lilly starts to learn the truth about Saffron. In Lilly Prospero And The Magic Rabbit, Saffron Jones starts the story as a bully who is mean to the protagonist Lilly. Lilly Prospero And The Magic Rabbit Saffron Jones’ Character Arc However, it is a really clear demonstration of how and why it works. The whole point of the story is watching Scrooge learn and change to become better, rather than happening as part of an external conflict. This arc is much blunter an instrument than would usually occur. And the ghost of Christmas future, who shows him the lonely and sad ending he’s going to face. The ghost of Christmas present, who shows him how those around him a hurting. The ghost of Christmas past, who shows him the wrongs he has committed. Through the story he is visited by 3 ghosts. This is a very famous story, with many incarnations, so I’m sure you’re familiar but I’ll explain just in case. By the end he is loving and generous, and wants to make the world a better place. Events in the story give him a strong character arc. Scrooge begins the story as a cruel and intolerant man who doesn’t care about the suffering of those around him. A classic example of this arc is Ebenezer Scrooge in the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |