Last week, you may recall that I mentioned the three main types of character arcs. Today, we are starting to talk about the first of these… the Positive Change Arc.

The Positive Change Arc is probably the most popular of the arcs, though Flat Arcs are a close second. It’s also my personal favorite. In fact, this is really the only one of the main three arcs that forms a true arc.

So, what exactly is a Positive Change Arc?

Well, picture a piece of paper with two dots on it—Point A and Point B. At the beginning of a story, the MC starts out at Point A, and, by the end of the story, they’ve reached Point B. Now imagine that I’ve drawn a line between these points. This line is the story… the good stuff… everything that happens in between “Once upon a time” and “The End.”

A Positive Change Arc is simply when Point A is positioned lower than Point B. With a few other plot points added between the two, your storyline will form an arc. The arc is generally moving in an upward direction, hence the title “Positive Change.”

Now let’s put it in more technical terms. Basically, the protagonist of a Positive Change Arc starts out believing a specific Lie. Throughout the story, he struggles with this Lie, trying to use it to obtain his Want. Eventually, he will rise above the Lie, and toss it for a new and better Truth. He will also do one of two things:

1. Stop trying to pursue his Want, thereby gaining his Need

Or,

2. By claiming the Truth, he will gain both the Want and the Need

Again, some of these terms may be unfamiliar, but I will be explaining them all in depth as the series goes on.

As we begin to dive into Positive Change Arcs, I will be using two examples of the arc so you can see it in action. One is the movie “Beyond the Mask.” If you haven’t seen it, I wholeheartedly recommend it—it’s one of my favorites.

The other example I’ll be using is actually my own short story, “In Time of Need,” which you can read for yourself on the “My Writing” page of this site. This story is not perfect, and the plot is definitely nowhere near the quality of “Beyond the Mask,” but I wanted to provide examples from Christian fiction. (Plus, it may provide an opportunity for some lessons on how not to write.)

(Warning: Our study of Positive Change Arcs will cover both of these stories in detail, which means a lot of spoilers. If you don’t want to know the ending before you watch/read these examples, you might want to view them soon.)

I will be using both “Beyond the Mask” and “In Time of Need” to illustrate how structure and arcs work in real stories, and I’ll be offering some practical advice to help you use these techniques in your own fiction. Also, you can click the button below to download a copy of the Positive Change Arc template I use. (Again, all of the plot points and elements on this template will be explained in future posts.)

In two weeks, we will talk about the Positive Change Arc protagonist, so stay tuned.

Comment below if you have any questions or thoughts!