How to Craft a Flat or Static Character Arc
We're finishing up our series on character arcs. So far on the blog, we've covered positive arcs: growth and redemption and negative arcs: disillusionment, falling, and corruption.
Today is all about the flat arc, also known as the static arc or a hero arc. (Side note: A positive growth arc/transformational arc can also be called a hero arc.) Sigh, so much overlap. I know.
So you may have heard the protagonist doesn't change in a flat arc. But this isn’t the whole truth; they can and often do, but the change differs from a positive or negative arc. Also, flat character arcs should not be confused with a flat or one-dimensional character.
Here’s a quick refresher on what a character arc is:
Simply put, a character arc represents the transformative inner-personal journey of the protagonist. Other characters can also have an arc, but we're only focused on the main character here for simplicity.
In a positive arc, the character begins internally unfulfilled and likely in denial to a more fulfilled and awakened status.
In a negative arc, a character goes from internally unfulfilled to more unfulfilled or worse and perhaps deeper into denial.
In a flat arc, the character has no significant interpersonal change as it is related to the major antagonist force or conflict in the story.
This character already has everything they need inside them to face and conquer the story's obstacles–though it won't be easy personally or professionally. So who they are at their core will not change, but their circumstances or position in life might.
As with the positive and negative arcs, the flat character arc must have the same setup. They need a wound, a false belief, a fear, a persona, and an inner truth. But there’s a big difference: The story climax is not about them overcoming or falling victim to inner demons. It's not about an internal awakening or reckoning.
The protagonist with a flat arc already believes in something—we’ll call this the TRUTH—which will help them fight the antagonist force of the story. They don't have to learn it first.
To create a really dynamic character with a flat arc, they must evoke empathy, and for that, we need to understand what they care about and why. We must understand what hurts them and what makes them happy.
Therefore, they need a past infused with wounds, fears, false beliefs/lies/misbeliefs, and a persona that keeps them safe.
We hear all the time that story is about change, and that’s true, but in this case, it's not the protagonist that changes; it is the world around them. This protagonist is, in fact, the catalyst for the global story change. But as you will see in the example below, they can have some interpersonal change too, but THAT IS NOT WHAT ALLOWS THEM TO BEAT THE ANTAGONIST! I think this is where many writers get confused.
A character with a flat arc needs a world with a problem that affects them personally to the point they must take action. Their action creates the dynamic change in the story that readers love and expect.
Because of the character's faith in the TRUTH, they will invariably change the characters and world around them—usually for the better—which is why it's also called a hero arc.
The character's world (the people, the situation, the controlling entities) represents the inverse of the truth the character believes. So if the world is evil and corrupt, the character will believe in truth and justice.
So the LIE the character fights in the story is not inside themselves but in the world around them.
Let's examine the flat arc through the lens of story structure.
⚠️Spoiler alert for The Hunger Games ⚠️
Act I (the setup, inciting incident, choice to jump into act II) 0-25% (ish)
At the start of the story, the character is living in their ordinary world, and they may indeed be living deep inside a false belief stemming from a wound, but that’s not the sole focus; though it makes for a super compelling character with lots of depth.
The point of the setup is to introduce us to the protagonist we should care about (flaws, goals, worries, expectations), and show the world and the problem (LIE) that lives inside it.
Caveat: Sometimes, there isn't anything wrong with the character's world. It's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy there, and they don't want to leave. Thinking of our dear Professor Jones, who isn't thrilled with going on an adventure. (Sorry, Indie. Ya still gotta go. 😉) Here, the ordinary world is what the character stands to lose if they don't fight the antagonist force.
More often, the normal world is a shit show. It's steeped in the LIE that directly opposes the character's truth. During the first act, the character may not be aware of the lie, or it's not personal enough for them to take action yet, but by the inciting incident, they become aware, and it becomes very personal, kicking off the plot.
Take The Hunger Games, for example. Katniss lives in a world of oppression, and the LIE that governs is that those few in control are strong and the people are powerless, hence the government's ability to randomly select kids to fight to the death in a deadly game of cat and mouse: The Hunger Games. The games serve as a reminder to the districts of what happens when you rebel against those in power.
We see Katniss struggling to survive in this corrupt world and her wounds, fears, and flaws. She lost her father in a mining explosion, and her mother fell into a deep depression, leaving young Katniss to raise her little sister, who she loves and will do anything to protect. Her flaw is that she values others' lives (people she loves) above her own, plus she's exceptionally pragmatic, stubborn, and a loner. (Hint: some of those flawed behaviors do change a little; the relationships she has with other characters definitely change, but those changes are not required to answer the story question of “will she survive?” and her major flaw of valuing others above herself stays true to the end, and that’s why her arc is mostly flat. But you can see the nuance? It’s not always black and white, especially when the character is complex and really interesting!
Katniss's motto is “You can't depend on anyone to survive,” and the idea of relying on others brings her shame. But at her core, Katniss believes in humanity, that the establishment is wrong and corrupt, and that people should be free, though it's not a battle she thinks she can do anything about.
At the inciting incident, the LIE of the world becomes personal. Her sister is selected for the games, and Katniss volunteers as a tribute in her place.
Katniss is forced to engage. The jump into the second act is her entering Capital City and prepping for the games (character in a new world). Her goal: win the games and survive. She doesn't know to do that, she will have to defeat the LIE (we are weak, they are powerful). It's not even on her radar.
Act II or Act IIa (25-50% ish)
The second act shows Katniss reacting to the world around her. She is making enemies and few friends true to her MO. She's messing up a bit but winning some battles, and she plans to do whatever she needs to survive, even if she has to kill Peeta, the other tribute selected from her district.
However, we see her doing her best to avoid everyone in the first part of the games, heading far from the heat of the battle, only to be forced back in by the game overlords.
Midpoint (50%)
Then comes the midpoint. Remember, the midpoint will carry an awakening for the protagonist. They will gain new information that will alter the plot's trajectory and the protagonist's energy. The protagonist will often get a new external goal besides their original mission.
The midpoint for Katniss is when Peeta saves her after the tracker-jack attack. Surprisingly, he protects her, and she learns he's not allied with the other competitors as she believed. He's faking it to survive. The idea that everyone is out for themselves goes out the window for Katniss, though the goal is still survival, so she can return home to care for her sister.
ACT II b or Act III (50-75% ish)
In the second half of Act II or (Act III, if you follow a 4-act story structure), we see a total reversal in Katniss's solo act as she gains an ally in another player, Rue, and again when Peeta is later wounded, by which point Katniss risks everything to save him.
ACT III or Act IV in 4-act story structure: All is lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Rise, Climax, Resolution (75-100% ish)
The lowest moment in the flat arc is when the LIE of the world appears to have beaten the protagonist down to the point they can't stand back up. They do, of course. This is the All Is Lost Moment. It's a little shifty in The Hunger Games because the true low moment (the one with the literal whiff of death) comes when her ally, Rue, dies, and Katniss mourns her. This comes earlier than usual in a typical story structure.
But Rue's death causes Katniss to rise and give the finger to the games, in the form of a respectful three-finger salute to the people watching. This gesture signals to the masses that humanity and dignity are still alive. It also inadvertently and unintentionally creates a ripple of hope and stirrings of rebellion in the world. And it happens because Katniss stays true to her beliefs and values: THEY ARE WRONG AND CORRUPT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.
The Climax of The Hunger Games occurs with the announcement that two players from the same district may share the victory. Katniss and Peeta have a way out and defeat the remaining players, but then the overlords change the rules again. There can be only one. Here we see the climactic moment of our protagonist refusing to bend to the LIE of the world.
She refuses to play the game before her. Instead, she calls their bluff, threatening both she and Peeta will commit suicide by eating poison berries (which had been foreshadowed) rather than fight to the death.
And here’s what I love about The Hunger Games: Katniss has to trust that Peeta will go along with her plan. That is interpersonal change, though not the dynamic change the story centers on. Her long shot works; they are both declared victors, and her actions have shown the world that she outsmarted the overlords and that maybe the weak are not as powerless as they seemed.
By the resolution, the world hasn’t really changed, but the system's sure got some cracks—cracks caused by Katniss.
Other Examples of Flat Character Arcs in Literature and Film:
✅Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee
✅Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean
✅Dr. Richard Kimble, The Fugitive
✅Sherlock Holmes By Arthur Conan Doyle
✅Pollyanna
✅Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
✅Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
✅John McClane, Die Hard
Takeaways for crafting a flat arc
The character's core beliefs remain unchanged. In a flat character arc, the protagonist already possesses the necessary qualities, values, or truths to face and overcome the story's obstacles.
Give the character's world a problem and then make it personal to the character so that they must engage!
Focus on the character's past and wounds. To create a dynamic flat arc character, it's crucial to delve into their past, including their wounds, fears, false beliefs, and the persona they adopt to navigate the world. Understanding their backstory helps evoke empathy from readers.
Remember, the protagonist's actions based on their core beliefs bring change to the world and other characters around them. That is the significant change in the story.
The world represents the inverse of the character's truth: In a flat arc, the world the character inhabits is often flawed or corrupted, embodying a lie that contradicts the protagonist's core truth.
The climax showcases the character's unwavering commitment to their truth. They refuse to conform to the rules or expectations imposed by the antagonistic forces, leading to a decisive moment where their actions reveal their true strength and inspire change.
