Negative Character Arcs explore what happens when a character encounters a story’s thematic Truth but cannot—or will not—fully integrate it. The three major variations—Disillusionment, Fall, and Corruption—each represent a different tragic relationship with the story’s thematic Truth and Lie. When we put them together, they also reveal a larger pattern of negative transformation. This is […]
September 28, 2026 by 8 Comments CharactersCharacter Misdirection: How to Write False Allies and False Enemies
In childhood, stories are always about exactly what they appear: “See Spot. See Spot run.” But as we grow older and our life experiences deepen, so do our story experiences. What emerges is often a complex weave of subtext and misdirection. Life isn’t always as we perceive it on its surface—and even when it is, […]
September 21, 2026 by 2 Comments CharactersNew Writing Masterclass: Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation to Integration
Flat Character Arcs present one of the most interesting paradoxes in character development: How do you write a compelling character arc for a protagonist who already knows the story’s thematic Truth and doesn’t need to fundamentally change? This is the question at the heart of my new Story School class, Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation […]
September 14, 2026 by 5 Comments CharactersThe Impact Character: Why Every Character Arc Needs One
In a story, we can think of character arc as the “engine of change” that creates transformative movement in the plot. In real life, this change can be initiated in many different ways, but in a story, we often use specific levers—some symbolic and some practical—to create catalysts of change that make sense to readers. […]
August 24, 2026 by 21 Comments CharactersGet Rid of On-the-Nose Dialogue: 3 Ways to Write Dialogue With Subtext
The qualities that most set apart “okay” writers from great writers are subtlety and subtext. This is true in every area of storytelling, from narrative to plotting to character development. But the lack of subtlety and subtext is perhaps nowhere more obvious than in dialogue. I’m talking, of course, about on-the-nose dialogue. On-the-nose dialogue is dialogue […]
August 3, 2026 by 15 Comments CharactersThe Lie the Character Believes: A Deeper Look at Consciousness and Character Arc
For years, in my book Creating Character Arcs and elsewhere, I’ve taught the Lie the Character Believes as the central premise of character arc. The Lie the Character Believes is the limited perspective that prevents characters from embracing the thematic Truth until the events of the story force them to grow. In a Positive Change […]
June 22, 2026 by 2 Comments CharactersWriting Masterclass: Alchemizing Plot, Character, & Theme for Powerful Fiction
Truly resonant stories give us the feeling that nothing about them is accidental. The plot, character arc, theme, symbolism, and even the setting all belong to the same deeper pattern. Everything connects. This is what I’ll be exploring in my Story School class Alchemizing Plot, Character, and Theme, which originally premiered during last year’s WorldShift […]
June 8, 2026 by 2 Comments CharactersHow to Choose the Right Character Arc for Your Story
Learning how to choose the right character arc is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your story. Whether you’re writing a Positive Change Arc, a Flat Arc, or a Negative Arc, the arc you choose will shape everything from plot structure to theme to emotional resonance. Choosing the right character arc is […]
April 20, 2026 by 10 Comments Characters6 Ways to Discover Your Character’s Greatest Fear
From KMW: One of the juiciest tension points in a character’s arc is the question: What is your character’s greatest fear? This question isn’t (explicitly) about what characters say they want or what stands in their way externally. Rather, the answer we’re hunting for is the deeper fear lurking underneath. Very often, that fear is […]
April 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment CharactersNew Writing Class: The Hidden Psychology of Story Conflict
Conflict is often taught as the engine of plot, but what if it is really the engine of psychological transformation? When we look at story through a symbolic lens, antagonists can be understood not just as external obstacles, but as forces that reveal the deeper inner workings of the protagonist. This is what I’m exploring […]
