{"id":746,"date":"2023-08-15T14:51:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T14:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=746"},"modified":"2023-08-15T14:51:51","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T14:51:51","slug":"the-flat-arc-theme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=746","title":{"rendered":"The Flat Arc Theme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is your story about? At its core, what is the message that it speaks\u2026 what is the issue or problem that it addresses? This topic will be the Theme of your story\u2014the thing that ties everything else together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, if you\u2019ve already read my Positive Change Arc series, you\u2019ll remember that I\u2019ve already addressed the Theme. And if you haven\u2019t read it yet, you can check out that post here<\/a>. However, I want to take a quick look at the Theme again today from the angle of a Flat Arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is the difference between a Positive Change Arc Theme and a Flat Arc Theme? When you get down to the details, they have pretty much the same definition. However, we do see some general patterns in the Themes of each kind of arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The role<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Your Theme is going to become apparent to the reader pretty early on in the story, but that\u2019s not all you\u2019ll need to introduce. You\u2019ll also have to show what the MC believes about this issue, as well as the other characters in the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And this is where the Positive Change Arcs and Flat Arcs differ. In a Positive Change Arc, the readers embark with the MC on their journey from the Lie (a misbelief about the Theme) to the Truth (the real answer to the Theme). But in a Flat Arc, the MC already believes the Truth about the Theme. So, essentially, the Flat Arc is about proving this Truth to the other characters, to the world, and to the readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary is put to the test again and again, but she still holds to the Truth, thus proving her loyalty and the Truth\u2019s validity by the end of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In \u201cPendragon,\u201d Artos goes through the same thing\u2026 many of the characters turn against him, and a lot of things go wrong. However, he convinces the audience to believe the Truth by his devotion to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      \n
    1. The topic<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Another different between the Positive Change Arc and Flat Arc Themes are their subjects. Generally, a Positive Change Arc will have Themes like redemption, forgiveness and worth. On the other hand, a Flat Arc will often address Themes such as loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      However, this is not a strict rule. It\u2019s totally possible to write a Positive Change Arc about sacrifice, and a Flat Arc about a character who constantly forgives others. It really just depends on the story you want to write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d the Theme is \u201chard times\u201d, which is evident in the many trials that Mary faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In \u201cPendragon,\u201d the Theme is \u201clife\u2019s calling\u201d, since Artos struggles to embrace and fulfill his own duty to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. The angle<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Even if a Positive Change Arc and Flat Arc have the same Theme, they probably won\u2019t address that Theme in exactly the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        For example, if a Positive Change Arc has the Theme of forgiveness, the MC will most likely struggle with something along the lines of learning to forgive or accepting forgiveness. But a Flat Arc with the Theme of forgiveness might continually show that it\u2019s worth it forgive others, or that we ought to forgive as Christ forgave us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        A lot of Flat Arcs address the idea of worth, such as, \u201cIs it worth it to stand for my faith?\u201d or, \u201cIs love worth it?\u201d During low moments, the MC will struggle with doubts about the Truth, and they will consider what it\u2019s costing them to believe that Truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary\u2019s story addresses issues such as, \u201cDoes God really care about His children?\u201d, \u201cWhy does God allow people to suffer?\u201d, and \u201cCan bad circumstances really work out for good?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        In \u201cPendragon,\u201d Artos struggles with questions like, \u201cDoes God care about us?\u201d, \u201cIs God able to help me?\u201d, and \u201cWill<\/em> God help me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Here are some other examples of Themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Bravery (“The BFG”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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          1. Living life to the fullest (“Wall-E”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. The true approach to love (“Sense & Sensibility”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Doing what’s right (“High Noon”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. Kindness and politeness (“Paddington”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                  While all of these tips are helpful, you also have to consider your own intentions for your story when trying to come up with a Theme. Often, this will come down to the things you\u2019re passionate about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  So don\u2019t forget to take a look around you and ask yourself what you want the world to know. What message do you want to tell others? What need do you see for the Truth to be made known? Asking yourself these questions can help you discover just what kind of story it is that you want to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                  Comment below the Theme of your favorite book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  What is your story about? At its core, what is the message that it speaks\u2026 what is the issue or problem that it addresses? This topic will be the Theme of your story\u2014the thing that ties everything else together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,5,4],"tags":[24,26,29,100,23,33,156,27],"class_list":["post-746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flat-arcs","category-plots-and-character-arcs","category-writing-tips","tag-character-arcs","tag-characters","tag-christian-writing","tag-flat-arcs","tag-plots","tag-protagonist","tag-theme","tag-writing-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":748,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions\/748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}