How I Create Soul-Searching Character Arcs
While I’m known for my intricate and layered worldbuilding, readers frequently ask how I create my soul-wrenching character arcs that often cut across multiple books.
While I develop backstories, consider each character’s physical and psychological traits, the most important part of my story creation is development of motivations.
“Fans of epic fantasy, particularly those who appreciate intricate world-building and moral complexity, will find much to admire here.”
Motivation is a way of asking, “What drives this character? Why does he make the choices he makes?”
And though a character’s backstory does not change, the character’s motivations might change from book to book. For a series, this work needs to be done with each significant character for each new book.
The character Aldewin is the somewhat mysterious love interest in book one, Season of the Dragon. But for various reasons, Aldewin is the primary POV character in book two, The Spring Dragon.
This allows readers to learn about Aldewin’s background and understand more about what drives this man.
And it spoils nothing to let you in on Aldewin’s primary motivation in The Spring Dragon.
He wants something to believe in again!
Aldewin has always been deeply bound by oaths of faith. First, he grew up in an organization known as Fen Menir and was a devout member of their faith. Then, when his faith in Fen Menir was shattered, he found his way to Val’Enara, the monastic-like home to followers of the Way of Water. There, he took life-binding oaths to Val’Enara and its Archon, Kine.
Due to events in book one, Aldewin’s faith has again been tested.
At the beginning of book two, we find Aldewin in a state of shattered faith. With no vows, oaths, or principles to guide him, he is lost. He desperately wants to find something—or someone—in which to place his faith.
Aldewin’s core value could be summed up in this quote: “Nothing is more important than devotion to a cause—something to live and even die for.”
Though the external goal of restoring his lost love moves the action of the story forward, it’s his motivation to find faith again that drives Aldewin’s actions.
Will Aldewin find such a cause in The Spring Dragon?
Meet the characters of The Spring Dragon in less than a minute!
“Wright again weaves politics and magic into an intricate setting that embodies classic high fantasy and a provocative world of cunning dragons, resolute characters, and an abundance of action.”
Aldewin, the primary POV character in The Spring Dragon (Dragos Primeri #2)
Digging Deeper—the Parallel Arc
As I developed the characters for The Spring Dragon, I realized I had two characters with similar backgrounds—and similar motivations.
You might think that’s a bad thing—after all, we want each character to be unique.
But in this case, it proved to be a powerful tool to deepen the story.
An adversary character showed up in the story, and I realized this new development provided a parallel to Aldewin’s struggle with his past.
The antagonist character also seeks redemption from a dark past and looks outside themselves for a place or person in which to place their faith.
Working this story question from two angles proved a challenge for me as a writer, but I think the result is a highly satisfying read.
As the action ratchets ever higher, both Aldewin and his adversary seek answers to their soul-wrenching questions.
How each answers that question will propel the entire storyline forward into the next installment of the Dragos Primeri series!
And will have far-reaching consequences for the entire story world.
Some of the characters you’ll meet in The Spring Dragon (Dragos Primeri #2).
