Does a story need a character?

Your set of characters is the most important element in your story. While plot is pivotal, setting is fundamental, point of view is necessary, and theme is required, no story element ranks above character. Characters serve as the driving force in your story. No story would be a story without characters to define it.

What do you think will happen if a story does not have a character?

A book with no character arc will still be about a protagonist who wants something, has a goal to gain that thing, and meets up with opposition that gets in his way. He’ll no doubt learn a few facts and perhaps skills along the way.

Is Harry Potter plot or character-driven?

Harry Potter is a long and complex story, and is both plot-driven and character-driven. The overarching plot element is rather simple.

Are characters more important than plot?

Some people think character is most important, others think plot is the most important, but you really can’t separate the two. You cannot have a character without a plot. To show who or what a character is, you need to show the character acting, and that is plot. You also cannot have a plot without a character.

What is a character arc in a story?

What Is a Character Arc? A character arc is the path a character takes over the course of a story. A character’s arc involves adversity and challenges, as well as some changes to the character, and ultimately leads to resolution. Character arcs generally progress in tandem with traditional three-act story structure.

What happens to a story if there are no characters?

Should you ever write a story with no character arc?

And now we come to the big question. Should you ever consider writing a story with no character arc? There’s no black or white answer to this. You canwrite a story without a character arc, and, what’s more, you can write a fabulously entertaining story.

What is a compelling character arc?

A compelling character arc has a character facing fears and overcoming challenges as the story unfolds, usually resulting in the character’s personal growth.

What does the x-axis of a story arc represent?

The x-axis of the graph describes the chronology of the narrative and the y-axis describes the positive or negative value the main character experiences. That means that story arcs can also be character arcs, illustrating the character development that occurs throughout the plot.

Are character arcs and story arcs synonymous?

We often think character arc and story are synonymous—but then we go looking for the arcs in favorite stories, by trying to find the character’s Lie and Truth, and we sometimes come up short. Are we just blind to the arc the author intended? Or could it be that such a (gasp!) soulless thing as a story with no character arc actually exists?