Today, I’m going to be talking about two of the most important elements in a Flat Arc story… the Truth and the Lie. Now, if you’ve read my Positive Change Arc series, you probably already know a bit about these elements. But, in a Flat Arc story, the Truth and the Lie take slightly different roles.
The Truth in a Flat Arc is sometimes referred to as the “Character’s Specific Truth.” It’s not just a truth, it’s the Truth. It’s the belief that the MC holds dear, and will cling to despite all odds. Your Flat Arc MC will believe in the Truth just as surely as a Positive Change Arc character believes the Lie.
The Truth is basically a fact or principle about God and the world, as opposed to the Lie, which we’ll get to in a moment.
While your MC isn’t perfect, they’re generally heading in the right direction. In the matter of their story’s Theme (which we’ll talk about later on), they’ve got the right idea… they know the Truth is the way to go.
However, it’s not quite as simple as it looks on paper. Your MC isn’t just going to blissfully hold hands with the Truth, never batting an eye at whatever the World and the antagonist throw at him. Remember what I said a few weeks ago? Doubt is key to relatability… and it’s also the key to inner conflict.
So picture your MC. The Truth literally defines them—they believe it more than almost anyone else. And yet, certain circumstances can force even them to face their doubts and fears. These uncertainties can take many forms:
What if the Truth isn’t really… true? What if I’m believing the wrong thing? What if so-and-so was right and I was wrong? Is this really the right thing to do? What if I hurt someone by making the right choice? What if I hurt myself? Will this really work?
These questions and more will flood your MC’s mind as things get hot. I mean, sure they believe the Truth, but now it’s being put to the test. Will they hold up under pressure?
For a Flat Arc, the answer is yes. They’ll doubt, they’ll sometimes be scared, but they will never let go of that Truth. No matter what happens, no matter who comes against them, no matter the circumstances. They still hold to the Truth.
In “The Basket of Flowers,” the Truth is that God will never leave or forsake His children. This topic is addressed again and again through Mary’s conversations with her father, with her fellow prisoner in the dungeon, with Helen, and even within herself. She doubts, she stumbles, but she gets back up. And, ultimately, the Truth wins.
In “Pendragon,” the Truth is that God gives His children the grace to carry out their tasks. This Truth is challenged repeatedly as countless things go wrong for Artos, and burdens weigh upon him, getting heavier and heavier. Even people he looks up to, such as King Ambrosius, doubt God’s grace in times such as these. Like Mary, Artos has doubts of his own. Yet he shoves them all aside, refusing to give in to the Lie, and instead clinging all the more tightly to the Truth.
Here are a few more examples of Truths:
- You have to stand up for yourself and be brave (Sophie, “The BFG”)
- Sometimes, you have to take risks for the people and things you love (Wall-E, “Wall-E”)
- You have to have a sensible approach to life and love (Elinor, “Sense & Sensibility”)
- You have to do what’s right, even if no one else stands with you (Will Kane, “High Noon”)
- Kindness and politeness can make a difference (Paddington, “Paddington”)
So what about the Lie? Basically, it’s the opposite of the Truth. It’s some kind of misconception about the world and about God. However, the MC isn’t the one believing the Lie this time.
Remember in a Positive Change Arc, after the First Plot Point where the character enters the Adventure World, the Positive Change Arc MC is punished for believing the Lie. Basically, the Adventure World lives by the Truth rules and therefore sets about to “correct” the MC (not necessarily using gentle tactics).
But the World in which a Flat Arc character lives? This is a Lie-driven world. It’s ridden with this Lie, and the rules that govern this World are Lie rules. This makes perfect sense because the World can then still oppose the MC—except, this time, the MC believes the Truth, and the World believes the Lie.
So this Lie can be more accurately defined as “The World’s Lie.” In your Flat Arc story, the MC is not only going to be fighting against the antagonist, but they’re also going to be fighting against the entire world! (Perhaps figuratively, perhaps literally, depending upon the Lie and the kind of story you want to write.)
In “The Basket of Flowers,” the Lie is that God does not care about His children. Of course, this is directly stated by Helen in a later scene, but most of this Lie is implied. As Mary continues to go through trials, with God seemingly deaf to her cries, it’s like the entire World is screaming, “Give up! He can’t hear you! He doesn’t care about you!”
In this way, Mary’s story appears parallel to the story of Job. Remember, it seemed like the entire World was telling Job to give up, too. He had pretty much everything taken from him, his own wife demanded he curse God, and his well-meaning friends drove him further into depression. Note that all of these characters were sincere in telling Job to give up. But they were sincerely wrong.
In “Pendragon,” it’s much the same. Artos loses his parents, his hometown, and his freedom. Worst of all, he has no way of knowing whether or not his little sister is alive. There’s a glimmer of hope after he becomes a commander under King Ambrosius, but with the king’s death, his popularity plummets. The whole country turns against him, and Caydern takes control of the throne.
The entire situation is bad. Even Artos, while still a Flat Arc, is drawn towards the conclusion that God does not care about people. Or, worse yet, that there is no God at all.
Please note that, while the Lie is believed by the World in general, it can—and will—be impersonated by Lie-driven characters such as the antagonist or other minor characters. Like Juliette, Helen, and Amelia. Or like Caydern or King Ambrosius.
Some of these characters are Negative Arcs, which means they hold to the Lie until the end. However, other characters will be Positive Change Arcs, and the MC’s steadfast belief in the Truth will eventually win them over.
Since the MC doesn’t change besides strengthening their belief in the Truth, these Negative and Positive Change Arcs are crucial to the story. As I’ve said before, the Flat Arc story is still about change… except, this time, it’s about the change that the MC brings about in other characters and the world around them.
So look at your story. What difficulties does the World present the MC with? What sort of actions does the antagonist take? Now ask yourself, what is the reasoning behind these actions? The answer to that is the World’s Lie.
Here are a few more examples of Lies:
- If you stand up for yourself, you will only hurt yourself and those you love (BFG; the giants, “The BFG”)
- You have to live life in the safe zone and put aside any relationships (Captain McCrea; John; Mary; AUTO; the other passengers; EVE, “Wall-E”)
- You must let your emotions rule your life (Marianne; Margaret; Mrs. Dashwood; Lucy Steele, “Sense & Sensibility”)
- You have to look out for yourself, and no one else (The townspeople; Amy; Helen; Harvey; Frank Miller and his men, “High Noon”)
- Kindness and politeness are useless in this modern world (Mr. Brown; Judy; Millicent; Mr. Curry, “Paddington”)
When you create a Truth and a Lie for the various characters in your story, you immediately get massive conflict—both internal and external. And, ultimately, you get an awesome story. If you start with these two elements, you’re well on your way to creating a great Flat Arc.
Comment below your favorite book or movie’s Truth and Lie!