Your characters development progressions?

[Deathfunny]

Self explanatory I want to know how would you do it, are they static? Ever changing? Do they already have the necessary wisdom and character development to withstand or to thrive against the circumstances/challenges you gave them? Do they remained static but those around them changes for the better or worse? Are those challenges you gave them truly challenge their perspective and their very fabric of being, to question their morality, to question their place, to question themselves?

I'm asking, for your creativity, ideas, wit's for inspiration I suppose, for a protagonist not being but a conscious rock.

 

[miyoga]

I'm asking, for your creativity, ideas, wit's for inspiration I suppose, for a protagonist not being but a conscious rock.

But... that's exactly what my MC is...

Seriousness aside and actually answering the question (I wasn't joking, my MC is a literal piece of stone), if your protag doesn't change and grow, do you really have a story? In the end, they either have to have growth (physically or mentally/emotionally) or the world has to change and adapt to their mere existence. A static character doesn't even really make for good reading unless your universe bends over backwards and sticks things where only a medical professional could find them to make up for it. At that point, then, you're really just writing a character like "The Watcher" from Marvel and keeping it pure. Also, any story where the MC was just uber OP and denser than dark matter in the center of a black hole has quickly lost my interest, so I may be biased in this response.

 

[Syringe]

If a character doesn't change or if nothing changes then is there really a point in embarking on the journey with them? Small changes, epiphanies, curiosities, the world, etc are really good ways to drive a story forward as well as transforming a character meaningfully.

You pretty much want the character to have set likes, dislikes, wants and needs. If they're not being fulfilled then do they get used to it? Does something change? If they're exposed to things they despise constantly then do they adapt somewhere along the way? Do they do as others do?

The best way to implement character development/transformation is to make it a character arc. It's really as simple as = Character goes from A to B because of 'C'. It doesn't have to be big, and it's the best way to address/fix character flaws. One way you can transform/change characters is to purposefully give them a quirk/flaw/trauma/past that serves as a source of their tribulations - I.e, character is purposefully cold and builds walls around them because of 'X', but only after overcoming hurdles with others do they shed that wall and let others in, as well as stepping out of their comfort zone.

Another example I can give is my MC.

Spoiler: Frost's Character Arc

At the beginning of the story Frost carries morals from Earth and made a medical vow to never hurt another human. But after tribulations and learning how the world works, she realizes that she cannot save anyone if she can't indulge in necessary evil.

It becomes worse over time, eventually fully corrupting her psyche when she comes to the epiphany that the world itself needs to be cleansed, becoming the manifestation of everything she hated of the world. But then comes back down after finding that there is still much to love in it and protect without having to destroy it. It completes a character arc that had motifs of her beliefs that people weren't inherently evil - it was that the world builds them as they way they are (example used was that people shape their cities. Thereafter, the city shapes them + The apple doesn't choose where it falls or rolls, or where the tree sprung up from).

From then forward, she concludes that making the world a better place is not necessarily about removing evil and starting from a clean slate. It's about facilitating a place that people can happily call home. It's idealistic and not completely true, but it's something she deeply embraces moving forward after her rampage - and that people are redeemable.

Thematically, it was the sin of wrath & civilization that acted as the engine of her transformation.

 

[SailusGebel]

Everyone changes, and I really like my MC's character arc. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do it justice.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

Well, it depends if the story is "Narrative driven" or "Character driven".

When its "Narrative driven", time goes on and the final battle will arrive on time even tho the character has barely changed and understand anything.

Best example : Fate:Zero
Not every character has any change or development. Some only has development near their death, some only has after story, others died without knowing.

When its "Character driven", nothing happens unless the character changes and decide to do something and start the war or the battle or something.

Example : Every other story where the protagonist is the center of the story world.

 

[DevonHexx]

If your main character doesn't change and grow over the course of the novel then, in my opinion, you're doing it wrong. If it's the hero of the story then riding along with them as they grow, become smarter, wiser, more compassionate, more effective--whatever the goal is--is satisfying for the reader. If your MC starts bad-ass and, by the end of the book is still just bad-ass or more bad-asser(sic) then what was the point? I realize there are those readers who love the power fantasy but for me that's extremely boring from a narrative point of view. Whether its a Giga Chad or a Mary Sue, perfect characters who don't struggle are boring.

 

[laccoff_mawning]

Man, am I the only one who likes static characters? I'll advocate some thought for static characters:

1. Old characters should be (probably) more static than younger characters. They've lived for 60 years, are they really going to change by a noticable amount in 2 more years of experience? Maybe, but consider if they actually need to. In contrast, children might be very dynamic and change a lot over the course of 2 years.

2. Dynamic characters need to change from start to finish. You should be able to look at their character near the start of the story, and look at the character near the end and see the difference in them. Don't do something like:

Max is a normal person. Suddenly, Max's childhood trauma you never knew about kicks in and he turns into a psycopath. Max then resolves said childhood drama. Max becomes a normal person again. The end. That isn't what being a dynamic character is about. Nor is it good character development.

3. Dynamic character development should be slow, unless there are reasons for it to be really fast. (like a 5 year timeskip)

4. The MC doesn't need to be dynamic. In most situations, they probably will be, but you can always make exceptions. For example, in comedies.

I mostly enjoy comedies, and static characters can be good comedic devices. As such, I'm very bias towards static characters. I also have a disinterest in drama, so these tastes probably skew my opinion a lot.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I usually just spend my XP as soon as I can.

 

[foxes]

If an author is good at making you empathize with a hero or character by stepping into their shoes, it doesn't matter to me as a reader whether the line is about progress, degradation, or something else. It's all relative. It's the validity that matters.

 

[miyoga]

Man, am I the only one who likes static characters? I'll advocate some thought for static characters:

1. Old characters should be (probably) more static than younger characters. They've lived for 60 years, are they really going to change by a noticable amount in 2 more years of experience? Maybe, but consider if they actually need to. In contrast, children might be very dynamic and change a lot over the course of 2 years.

2. Dynamic characters need to change from start to finish. You should be able to look at their character near the start of the story, and look at the character near the end and see the difference in them. Don't do something like:

Max is a normal person. Suddenly, Max's childhood trauma you never knew about kicks in and he turns into a psycopath. Max then resolves said childhood drama. Max becomes a normal person again. The end. That isn't what being a dynamic character is about. Nor is it good character development.

3. Dynamic character development should be slow, unless there are reasons for it to be really fast. (like a 5 year timeskip)

4. The MC doesn't need to be dynamic. In most situations, they probably will be, but you can always make exceptions. For example, in comedies.

I mostly enjoy comedies, and static characters can be good comedic devices. As such, I'm very bias towards static characters. I also have a disinterest in drama, so these tastes probably skew my opinion a lot.

I'll agree with you that, for comedic purposes, a static character can be a positive. Rowan Atkinson has made a living off a static character in Mr. Bean, but I'm going to counter the bulk of your reply with something you said. In your post, I highlighted the sentence in question so it's easier to see (and so that I don't have to retype it). Older characters are more static, just like in life, but that doesn't mean they are static. Instead, it just means that their dynamism is longer coming and may or may not be more satisfying as a result. The amount of development that a character needs also isn't going to be static in that some characters don't need as much growth as others, but a lot of that depends on what style and genre you're writing in.

 

[J_Chemist]

I beat his face in every so often, make him read books, and have other people make him feel stupid.

Works great.

 

[SailusGebel]

I mostly enjoy comedies, and static characters can be good comedic devices.

Sure, but they get stale really frigging fast.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

My MC is constantly shifting and changing as they grow.

 

[doravg]

Man starts off alone>Man meets another Man> Hon Hon Hon>Happy End

Now that I see it, I think that I have serious problems XD

Seriously now. Yes, your characters should have character arcs. I even made a character arc for a side villain female goblin by the name of Goglina for one of my stories. Gave her a redemption arc and everything. Ended the story not with the wedding of the MC and the ML, but with her redemption and acceptance by those that were wronged by her. Made her work for it as well. And that is just a small side plot.

But that book... made me research how to make homemade cleaning products. I have no idea what I was on 3 years ago, but I'd like to get it again. Then again, you never know what they dump in the water in my hometown. In the capitol, where I live now, the water is actually good for drinking, and I think that is why I lose weight.

Note to self: Never drink water from Isperih (my hometown) ever again.

 

[Kamelingil]

Man starts off alone>Man meets another Man> Hon Hon Hon>Happy End

Is that BL?

 

[doravg]

Is that BL?

yep