Your story may be full of twists, turns, and action-packed adventure. But the truth is, even in the most plot-driven blockbusters and the most traditional mystery, readers and watchers want to follow a character on an arc. Without that internal arc adding emotional resonance, even the most tightly plotted story can become confusing and forgettable.

In this session, Karen Krumpak will discuss the ways plot affects character and vice versa, making the most of your opening scenes to set up later growth, and enhancing your story by adding a character arc at any stage of the writing process.

In addition to writers looking to add affecting character moments to plot-based stories without bogging down the pace, this presentation will also be useful to writers looking to create as much emotional impact as possible while clearly and concisely detailing their plot in a synopsis.

This presentation will cover:

• Why an internal character arc is essential
• Unique characters vs. a character arc
• Understanding how your character changes (or doesn’t)
• Outlining simplified: a bare bones approach to the internal arc
• Integrating the internal arc with the external, plot-based arc
• Adding internal arcs as B plots and C plots
• Examples of stories that seem to lack a character arc
• Incorporating the internal arc into the synopsis and query letter
• Q&A