Character Arcs: Picking the Best One for Your Queer Romance Story
As much as I love a good plot-centered thriller, my queer romance choices are all based on character arcs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sports romance, adversaries-to-lovers, police romance, or the epitome of hurt/comfort. As soon as I see a blurb with an intriguing character arc to follow, I’m in. (That 1-Click Buy button is my own personal siren.)
By the same token, the character arc is inseparable from your overall plot arc. Character drives plot events, unquestionably, but that character can’t experience change without realistic, plausible, external situations that compel them to do so. Jerry B. Jenkins offers some sage words on this storytelling principle.
Your character’s change must be credible. Heroes are proactive. Your character must change as a result of his doing something, not because he figures out the problem or realizes he must change.
(emphasis in original)
Photo by Jennifer Coffin-Grey on Unsplash
Subgenre conventions are a great starting point. These archetypes help you figure out the core of what you’re writing, the story you’re trying to tell. As a result, both your plot arc and your characters’ arcs are on solid foundations.
The next stage in drafting your queer romance, then, is threefold. Firstly, you must understand how genre and character archetypes work in general. Secondly, it’s time to experiment with the various archetypes available to you. Finally, decide how much preplanning you’re going to do for your character’s change arc.
Understand Archetypes
Merriam-Webster—the dictionary used by a significant majority of the book publishing industry—defines archetype as “the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies.”
Now, don’t look at the word “copies” and think, Well, then, how am I ever going to tell a story that’s never been told if there’s no way to be original?
Yes, by and large, every story a modern author could dream up to tell has already been told. That’s the very premise of what an archetype is for. You have a clear roadmap for your story. Last week, though, I stressed a point I want to remind you of a second time:
Cliches can be tropes, yes. But not all tropes are cliches. Instead, they’re puzzle pieces to the unique jigsaw that is your queer romance story.
Author K.M. Weiland has an amazing craft book on understanding the gritty details of the six primary character archetypes and the change arcs that go with them. When you know what the genre and character arc expectations are for your particular story, you have a better chance of creating a more perfect jigsaw puzzle.
Experiment with Character Arcs
Every time I tried to put literal pen to paper in July, my POV character plopped his stubborn ass down in the corner and refused to talk to me. It took three weeks and some YouTube research to realize—and accept—the main reason behind his muteness. The scene had no place in his character arc. It wasn’t anything he would ever rationally choose to do.
Whenever you find yourself in a “writer’s block”-type situation like this, take a step back. I mean that both figuratively and literally. Walk away from your desk (or wherever you write). Go over your character’s arc up to that stopping point. Ask yourself these three questions:
- What purpose does this scene serve as it stands now in the character’s overall arc?
- Can I spot that purpose in other archetypal journeys?
- How can I adjust this scene to better fit my character’s current arc? Or should I just scrap it?
A point often overlooked in these early drafting stages is that characters tell us quite clearly when something the author wants to put them through is a straight-up no-go. In experimenting with these change arcs, you find where those no-go moments are more likely to happen. Of course, just how much you’re willing to experiment plays off your inclination toward plotting or pantsing.
Plot or Pants Your Character Arcs
I am certain the “plotter vs. pantser” debate will not end as long as the act of storytelling exists. I know authors who cannot start writing until every single piece of their story is outlined. On the other hand, there are authors who open up an empty Word file and get to typing, with nothing more than a feeling they want to convey.
(Who are these people in the latter group? From what alternate universe did you come??)
Character Arcs for Plotters
Craft books covering character arcs abound, in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format. Though there are also audiobook versions available, those are pretty rare. The point is that most of these craft books provide step-by-step instructions on how to build solid character arcs. You’ll learn the turning points a character has to go through and when they need to go through them. You’ll undoubtedly find that those internal decision points coincide with external events. It’s the external events that force them to confront their internal conflict(s).
Character Arcs for Pantsers
(Again, who are you?? How do you do that?? I’m of the mindset you’re all unicorns from the other side of the Milky Way!)
I could be wrong, but the pantser’s process sounds eerily similar to what David Corbett says (also in Creating Characters). You’re creating “enough of a vivid intuition of a character that the possibility for real, unpredictable, unpremeditated action on the character’s part seems credible” (emphasis in original).
Frankly, I see it as drafting something close to a miracle.
I Didn’t Forget You, Plantsers
Finally. My time to shine. The joy of being autistic and ADHD? I simultaneously need order, and yet I will dig my heels in when somebody tells me to do something I was already going to do.
Thank Athena for the character arc outline I discovered. It was made by Jeff Gerke (yet again, in Creating Characters. What can I say, it’s a kickass resource!). To honor copyright law, I won’t reprint it here. I will tell you that it has revolutionized my drafting process. It has just enough detail to cover the Big Change my character needs to go through without me feeling completely penned in by genre expectations.
When you have an idea of where you want your character to either start or end, you’ll conversely have an idea of where they need to end or start. Character arcs—and their corresponding archetype-specific journeys—offer plotting guideposts. It’s left to you as the author to make your own way to each guidepost.
Image by Nino Souza Nino on Pixabay
To Sum It All Up
When you inevitably feel imposter syndrome creep in, keep two points in mind. Firstly, you’re not alone. We queer authors continually feel like our stories aren’t worth telling. We live in a world intent on silencing our lived experiences. Write your story anyway. It’s guaranteed to change at least one person’s life. Yours.
Secondly, remember what Willa Cather has said: “There are only two to three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they never happened.”
Look at the queer romance conventions, character archetypes and related arcs, and the tropes your favorite queer romance authors use. See what combinations they use that you like the most, then ask yourself why you like those combinations so much. Finally, reflect on your own characters’ arcs. Test out your own jigsaw pieces one word at a time.
Reflecting On Your Story One Word At A Time!
