Susanne Lakin, Novelist & Writing Coach, June 19, 2021

Crafting Your Hero’s Character Arc in Six Stages

Join us on Zoom for our monthly meeting! 

See below for Reservation details*

Susanne Lakin will present “Crafting Your Hero’s Character Arc in Six Stages” at the Tri-Valley Writers June meeting.

Writers have heard of a character arc, and they may also know how important it is to have one in their story.

But just what is a character arc? And how can writers show the gradual, believable change in a character in stages as their stories play out?

The protagonist’s transformational journey is an important consideration in fiction, and something you’ll want to ponder before you get too far in plotting your scenes.

Why? Because stories are about a character who desperately wants something, and while all successful stories involve external conflict, those that go deep into the levels of character, showing the greatest obstacle—self—tend to be stronger stories.

Here’s what you’ll learn from this presentation:

  • What specific transformational steps your character will take and how they coincide with your plot’s five turning points.
  • How to believably show a character moving from “persona” to “essence” from the start to the end of your story.
  • The purpose of each stage of transformation and what it needs to accomplish.
  • How the theme of your story—which is your character’s inner motivation made universal—can be brought out through these key scenes.
  • The transformational journey of your protagonist lies in the answer to this question: What does my character have the courage to do at the end of the story that she doesn’t have at the beginning?

Whether you are in the plotting stage or the revision stage of your novel, it’s not too late to craft a strong character arc that will sweep readers up in a journey of the heart.

Join us on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom. RSVP NO LATER THAN Thursday, June 17 via an email to: president@trivalleywriters.org. (Without your email, we can’t send the Zoom invitation to you).

REGISTRATION DETAILS: This meeting is FREE!

NOTE: Zoom limits our meetings to the first 100 registrations.

  • Due to time constraints in preparation for the event, RSVP and inquiry emails sent after the deadline—especially on the day of the event—will NOT be answered.

All registrants will receive an email 1-2 days after the event with the timed link to the recording of the meeting. This email is sent via a “bcc” list—to adhere to your privacy. If you do not receive the email, please check your email’s spam/junk or promotions folder.

Suzanne loves to help writers with their novels. She specializes in thorough annotated critiques, so if you have a manuscript that needs some work or you’re not sure if it does, check out her website specifically dedicated to critique services. You’ll find a lot of informative articles on why you might need a critique and how to choose the right editor for your needs. Not many copyeditors are writers, and few know how to critique all the major elements that hold a novel together.

Susanne’s the fiction track director at the prestigious San Francisco Writers’ Conference. She teaches workshops on writing craft at writers’ conferences and retreats around the country.

For more information, check out her website https://www.livewritethrive.com/about/

CONSENT TO BE RECORDED

By registering for this meeting, you acknowledge that the meeting may be recorded. Your consent is implied when you register. You have the option once you’re in Zoom to use video or not.

Questions? Email Jordan Bernal at president@trivalleywriters.org.