The Plot Arc and The Character Arc

Every successful story has a beginning and an end, while what happens in between follows a defined course to become the plot. For an epic or fantasy plot there is one basic style of plot arc that has proved popular and we will discuss this Quest plot arc here.

Quest: The plot arc for fantasy begins with the hero discovering a quest. The reasons for this vary from personal determination, to responsibility for saving the world from disaster. Since the characters involved take the journey, their character development is intrinsic to the plot evolution.

Character Arc: Type One Two main types of character development form the basis of most epic plot arcs. There is the radical character change, where the hero begins his quest as one type of person, develops through conflict to become the opposite type of person at the conclusion. Think of a timid hero, thrust into danger, who makes heroic decisions through determination and resolve and realizes, that they have the moral fiber to save the world. Conversely, consider the dark hero who through circumstance embraces compassion. Their character offers the same type of radical development.

Character Arc: Type Two The second character arc is defined by more subtle developments, where the hero finds the strength to accept challenges, but retains his original persona. Here the timid hero might stumble through misadventure after misadventure, until he finds the courage to over come the problem and achieve his goal, but he reverts to his original character once the tension eases. Or the dark reformed hero reverts back to the dangerous combatant to achieve a result, but the alteration is only temporary. The hero adapts but doesn't make a permanent change in this type of character arc.

Conflict: Once on the quest the plot arc will follow through encounters that try the hero's strengths and weaknesses. Having decided on the hero's character, the author must create an antagonist or threat that will offer scope for the epic tale.

The antagonist in Fantasy can be a unique creation, but must hold enough recognizable traits to remain believable or plausible, even if unrealistic. If a threat looms as the major theme, the antagonist may be an inadvertent foe, a jealous companion or even a character flaw in the hero. If the antagonist is the hero's nemesis then they must hold the reader's fascination. Natural disasters, plague, famine, or destruction of a global scale brought about by an evil force are all reasonable threats in Fantasy. The scope for plotting threat is only limited by the author's ability to resolve the dilemma in a reasonable way.

As the quest begins, the plot evolves like a maze or map. Every event along the journey, every meeting with a new character, conflict or misadventure must lead toward the final climax. Even though the hero's troupe seem to diverge from the direct goal, the outcome of each scene should give a vital clue, artifact, companion or knowledge to drive the story toward the conclusion.

As the journey continues, the threat must increase. Tension is built as the importance of the quest's success increases. While romance, conflict, internal struggle and growth are part of the epic plot arc, without tension and direction toward a goal, the best Fantasy lacks the components for success.

Climax: The quest reaches the climax when antagonist and threat are faced and an outcome reached. Everything the hero has learned, gathered, or gained, is finally used in the climax. Mysteries are solved, riddles answered and developing traits in characters consolidated. Although in Fantasy, there is always an element of magic, it is not a good idea to have the threat resolved by a sudden or unexplained power solving problems that face the questing troupe. Magic must be consistent and the author should explain its use, limits and benefits during the journey, not rely on magic to solve flaws in the plot.

Denouement: Tying up all the loose ends, resolving any left over romance, conflict, need for revenge or character changes are done during the denouement. To write a successful Fantasy novel, the author must leave the reader feeling satisfied. If the story continues, as it often does in epic Fantasy novels, the author should still finalize many of the loose ends, even if an underlying quest remains unresolved.

Drive the Plot Forward: When writing Fantasy every character, every action, every scene must drive the plot forward. Avoid the temptation to delve into back-story or flashbacks and keep the story moving. Diversions, and meandering is fine as long as each setback has a logical reason revealed by the time the climax takes place.

Magic: As part of the plot must be consistent. The author must understand exactly how the power works, who can use it, how those who can't use it react to its use. Amulets, swords, healing potions are useful but should be integral to the tale not introduced to solve flaws in the plot.

Things To Do
Look over the plot of your favorite Fantasy novel. Consider how the author has contrived to create a character arc to suit the epic tale. How does the antagonist's character give scope for the hero's development? Are all the loose ends tied up satisfactorily?