The Character House, Pt. 12: The 5 Stages of a Moving Character Arc

If you’ve ever moved from one house to another, you know moving is both exciting and exhausting.

Developing character arcs can present a similar challenge. Although brainstorming doesn’t require boxes, tape, or moving trucks, showing a character’s gradual transformation can be one of the most daunting yet thrilling parts of writing your novel.

Using the Character House, we’ll discuss the five stages of a “moving” character arc, using the analogy of moving out of a house.

What Is a Character Arc?

A character arc encompasses a character’s change throughout a story. Character arcs might be positive, negative, or flat, but this post focuses on positive character arcs (the most common type).

In a positive arc, the character overcomes a Lie (false belief) and accepts the corresponding Truth (the story’s theme). The plot events should show the positive consequences of the Truth and the negative consequences of the Lie.

For example, in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge starts off believing that money is the most important thing in life. The story shows him that this Lie leads to misery, but generosity leads to joy and fulfillment. As a result, Scrooge eventually accepts the Truth (theme) that love and generosity are more important than money.

(We’ll use A Christmas Carol as an example throughout this post. The names of the plot points come from Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody.)

1. Before Your House Is on the Market: The Character’s Ordinary World

Before you put your house on the market, the rooms reflect your everyday life. Your desk holds papers and books, your couch pillows may be a bit lopsided, and your kitchen bears the signs of everyday usage.

This stage—the Opening Image and Setup—represents the Ordinary World. The character is simply living life, unconcerned with overcoming emotional baggage. The opening chapters reveal why your character’s life needs to change.

Scrooge’s Ordinary World depicts his weakness of greed, his disdain for Christmas, and his harshness toward Bob Cratchit. These flaws make readers root for Scrooge to change his ways.

2. House Showings: Fixing Things the Wrong Way

When you put your house on the market, you have to clean it up for house showings. However, after the showing ends, the house returns to its everyday state.

A story’s Catalyst is the major event that sets the plot in motion. The Catalyst of A Christmas Carol occurs when Scrooge receives a warning about the upcoming visits from Christmas Past, Present, and Future. By disrupting the Ordinary World, the Catalyst forces the character to temporarily clean up the emotional baggage.

In the first half of Act 2 (also known as Act 2A), the character isn’t properly dealing with the flaws and bad habits introduced in the Setup. Scrooge’s visit to his childhood shows his first steps toward understanding that love is more important than money, but he still hasn’t fully rejected his miserly tendencies.

Act 2A ends with the Midpoint—the point at which the character must start taking action instead of merely reacting. In Scrooge’s Midpoint, he meets Christmas Present. Instead of rejecting him, Scrooge willingly invites Christmas Present to teach him the lessons he needs to learn.

3. Packing: Taking Action

After you sell your house, you start packing your belongings in boxes. Rather than the sparkling clean home of Act 2A, your house becomes a mess of cardboard boxes, plastic containers, disassembled furniture, and the like.

Similarly, characters in the second half of the second act (Act 2B) can no longer hide their emotional baggage and flaws. The story has brought these dysfunctional behaviors into the open, making a huge mess.

In Act 2B of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge witnesses his nephew’s dinner party and Tiny Tim’s family celebration. The story has brought Scrooge’s flaws of selfishness and greed to the surface, forcing him to face them directly. Regardless, he still hasn’t completely surrendered his obsession with money.

4. Moving Day: The All Is Lost Moment

On moving day, you and the movers load your boxes into the truck, emptying the house. This stage represents the All Is Lost Moment—a devastating obstacle that “empties out” the protagonist, forcing the character to face the emotional baggage of the past.

Near the end of this plot point, the protagonist experiences a Dark Night Epiphany. This realization causes the character to understand that the Truth has been true all along.

In Scrooge’s All Is Lost Moment, Christmas Future shows him that no one will mourn his death. This moment “empties him out” by showing him the miserable consequences of heartless greed. Scrooge’s Dark Night Epiphany occurs when he declares that he will honor Christmas in his heart all year long. He finally grasps the importance of choosing generosity over greed.

5. New Homeowners: The Finale and Final Image

When the new homeowners move into the house, they fill the rooms with their belongings and furniture. This stage represents the Finale and Final Image.

In the Finale (also known as the Climax), the character uses the Truth (the story’s theme) to defeat the antagonist and complete the story goal. Scrooge displays his transformation by giving a turkey to Bob Cratchit’s family, wishing everyone a merry Christmas, and attending his nephew’s dinner party. These actions prove that Scrooge has rejected greed and embraced generosity.

The Final Image visually illustrates the character’s growth. Just as A Christmas Carol opens with Scrooge scolding Cratchit for being late to work, the story ends with Scrooge raising Cratchit’s salary. These mirror images highlight the dramatic change in Scrooge’s life.

Creating a Moving Story

In a positive character arc, the protagonist rejects a Lie (false belief) and accepts the corresponding Truth (the story’s theme).

The character starts off in an Ordinary World, permeated by flaws and bad habits. In the first half of the story, the character tries to fix the problem without properly facing the emotional baggage at the root of the struggles.

The plot-changing Midpoint forces the character to face the emotional baggage directly instead of denying it. Later, the All Is Lost Moment empties the character of the Lie and points the character toward the Truth. Finally, the character demonstrates this transformation by acting on the Truth during the Finale. This personal change is reinforced with a powerful Final Image.

Using these five steps, you can create a truly “moving” character arc.

What Lie does your protagonist overcome in your story?