Your hero has to be wrong

How every good character arc begins with the hero lying to him/herself

Come to any of my events to see me make animated hand gestures as shown here, where I mimic Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam with uncanny precision.

As a reader (and writer), I consider myself very passionate about character. I think reading a book with a great plot is all well and good, but reading a great plot paired with rewarding and satisfying character growth is far better. I’m so passionate about this, I offer an entire workshop on how to plan and execute your character arcs. It’s called Plotting with Revelations, and if you end up liking this post, I think you should check it out.¹

I recently taught a workshop at the Merrimack Public Library on the topic of character arcs—or rather, how to set up the foundation of a good character arc. The workshop was a great success (thanks to

Julie C. Dao

for snapping many of the photos in this post), so in today’s newsletter, I thought it might be useful to share a bit of what I taught/discussed in that session.

Let’s dig in…

Defining “character arc”

In very simple terms, character arc is the growth your hero experiences over the course of the story. It is is your hero’s emotional journey, whereas plot is their physical journey.

The most popular character arc we see in fiction is the positive growth arc, where the hero experiences what we’d define as overall positive, or good, change. (Negative and flat arcs exist, but for the sake of this post, I’m focusing on positive arcs.)

In order for your hero to experience substantial and rewarding growth your hero must be wrong about something when the novel begins. There must be some type of fatal flaw in their thinking or worldview. This belief must be so flawed that it is actively hurting them (and maybe even those around them). Worse still, this belief is keeping them from succeeding in their goal. 

I like to refer to this flawed worldview as your character’s “lies.” (This is a term I first heard coined by writer K.M. Weiland, though it’s possible others have used it too.) I find this term the most succinct and intuitive way to sum up the hero’s flawed belief system. Lies the hero believes.

Character drives plot

The plot should never push your characters along. Instead, the character’s choices should propel the plot. Always. Their decisions (which they come to as a result of their goals and beliefs) dictate what happens next. As such, every decision the hero makes should feel authentic, making the plot a natural progression in which each scene connects to the next like a sequence of falling dominoes.²

Every time your hero makes a choice, that decision should be a direct product of their goals and belief system.

• Goal = What the hero wants most / what they are fighting with the villain over

• Belief system = Their flawed worldview; the lies they believe to be true

I am a firm believer that examples help illustrate things most clearly, so let’s break down a heroine from popular fiction:

In The Hunger Games, Katniss’s initial goal is to provide for and protect her family. Later her goal is to survive the Games. (It’s common for goals to shift/evolve over the course of a novel. Often times, as is true here, the new goal is merely an evolution of the original goal. Katniss can best provide for her family if she wins the Games.)

When the novel begins, Katniss believes several lies to be true:

1. Opening up makes you vulnerable/weak

2. It is a mistake to count on others; you are strongest alone

3. The worst thing possible is to be indebted to someone

While we can easily see that these statements are inaccurate, we can understand how Katniss, in the context of her story/world, came to believe them.³ And this is crucial; the hero’s lie(s) must make sense in the context of their world.

In fiction, things that support your character’s lie(s) in such ways are often referred to as “ghosts.” These are the people and/or events that have shaped and molded the hero into the person they are today.

Some more examples of goals and belief systems:

• In Toy Story, Woody’s goal is to remain the favorite toy. (Later his goal is to get home.) Woody believes several lies:

  • Your worth comes from being the favorite

  • If you want something done right, you must always do it yourself

  • New people (toys) are threats

• In It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey’s goal is to leave Bedford Falls and travel the world. (Later his goal is to “live again,” to undo his wish that he’d never been born.) George believes several lies:

  • Wealth/money is the key to making life more enjoyable

  • A meaningful life comes from big adventures; mundane is boring

  • If things do not go as you planned, you have failed

Workshop setup before attendees arrived + me signing copies at the end of the event

The goal and belief system should be at conflict

If you’ve studied craft at all, you’ve probably heard the term “want vs need.”

WANT = the hero’s goal. The thing they are trying to reach or accomplish. (physical)

NEED = the thing the hero must accept/do/let go of in order to succeed. (emotional)

These two things will be at conflict for the bulk of the novel. The hero’s belief system (their lies) are holding them back from succeeding in their goals… and as a result, the need can almost always be defined the same way: the hero must reject their lies.

Examples:

• In The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to survive the games and provide for her family, but she needs to accept that relying on others is not a weakness

• In Toy Story, Woody wants to be the favorite toy, but he needs to accept that your worth is not defined by being “#1”

• In It’s a Wonderful Life, George wants to escape Bedford Falls and have an adventurous life, but he needs to accept that an “ordinary” life can be impactful, important, and meaningful

Only after the hero rejects their lies (NEED) will they be able to reach their goal (WANT).

Triggering character growth

Obstacles within the plot will challenge your hero to reject their lie(s). The closer the hero gets to accomplishing their goal, the less they should be able to defend their flawed belief system. 

This type of growth will happen gradually.

• At the start of the novel, your hero should be oblivious to their lies. Their worldview has served them well so far, so to their eye, it isn’t flawed in the slightest. (Remember, their “ghosts” support this)

• By the middle of the novel, cracks may begin to surface in the lies. The hero may begin to question what they believe to be true. Plot obstacles plus interactions with allies and villains contribute to this.

• During the climax, the hero will reject their lie in full and adopt a new way of thinking (by embracing their need). One of my favorite craft and fiction experts, John Truby, calls this moment the “moral revelation.”

Once your hero’s lies break, true growth can be accomplished. The hero can emerge from the story as a new, improved version of themselves—a version that can finally succeed in their goals.

Let’s look at Katniss again. Her entire experience in the Arena forces her to confront her lies. By the end, she’s rejected the lie that she is strongest alone. She knows she is stronger with Peeta, that united they stand a chance not only at surviving, but of sending a message to the Capitol.  

In short, rejecting her lies allows her to achieve her goals. She succeeds because of her character growth. 

This is, in my opinion, what makes a truly memorable story. Reading about someone succeeding is fun. But reading about someone succeeding because of their growth makes for a story with staying power.

Sometimes the act of of hero rejecting their lies can be so life-changing that it alters their goal. Think of Woody! Once he rejects his lies, he no longer cares about being the favorite toy, he just wants to be Andy’s toy, period. Being loved by Andy is enough. And for George Bailey, going on grand adventures doesn’t matter anymore. He’s on one already—his truly unique and wonderful life—and he eagerly wants to live it.

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To sum it all up…

The key to a satisfying character arc begins with your hero being wrong about something. The hero’s physical journey (plot) will happen in tandem with their emotional journey (character arc). 

When planning your hero’s arc and setting the foundation for their potential growth, always ask yourself these six questions:

1. What is the hero's goal? (want)

2. What are they wrong about? (lies)

3. Why do they have this flawed belief system? (ghosts)

4. How do these lies keep them from succeeding? (conflict)

5. What must happen for them to reject these lies? (need)

6. How will the hero be different when they fully reject their lies? How will their life be different? (success + final image)

I hope this was helpful. Again, if you’d like an even deeper dive into character arcs, complete with how to plot/plan the gradual growth of your hero, you may want to consider my workshop, Plotting with Revelations. I’m running a sale at the moment and you can save $100 off the price now through the end of November. (Just use code NOV2023 at checkout.)

Use code NOV2023 at checkout!

Got questions about character arcs or anything covered in this piece? Drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond!

Until next time,

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Erin Bowman is the critically acclaimed author of numerous books for children and teens, including the Taken Trilogy, Vengeance Road, Retribution Rails, the Edgar Award-nominated Contagion duology, The Girl and the Witch’s Garden, and Dustborn. A web designer turned author, Erin has always been invested in telling stories—both visually and with words. Erin lives in New Hampshire with her husband and children.

1. Especially because the workshop is currently on sale. Just use code NOV2023 at checkout to save $100.

2. When a reader comments that a character’s actions felt “out of character,” this is usually a sign that the writer forced the character to make choices that would benefit the plot they envisioned, rather than letting the character’s belief system and goals inform their decisions and, in turn, direct the narrative.

3. Early on in the story, readers learn how Katniss’s mom fell apart after the death of Katniss’s father. Katniss has been the sole provider for her family for several years now. She hunts, she basically runs the house, she looks after her little sister, and she’s come to see how love (and then the loss of it) can make an individual weak. The reader also learns that Katniss is in debt to Peeta’s family (he gave her bread when she needed it), which makes her vulnerable if he ever calls in a return favor. All of this backstory—these ghosts—have led Katniss to adopt her flawed, but understandable, world view.