Character Arcs & Their Screwiness

(P&N arc) Nature vs Nurture: what you need to know

Hello. Yes, I'm back. I apologise for the absolutely cringe-worthy comedy that has been riddling the past few chapters of this book. But unfortunately for you, THERE'S MORE.

MWAHAHAHAHHAHAH.

Anyway.

Ah, yes, the legendary battle of Nature vs Nurture in character development - it's like watching a child at the movie theatre pretending not to like a kiss scene from any children's show imaginable by turning away and screaming, "EW!" in indignation. But deep down, you know the little bastard kid is secretly peeking at the screen through their fingers to watch. Let me break it down for you:

- Nature & Nurture: The DNA Hag & The Quirky Aunt -

Think of Nature as your character's annoyingly feature-orientated grandma who's all like, "You look like shit cos you've got your mother's eyes. I never liked her."

Similarly, nature says, "Look, honey, your character might come pre-programmed with certain traits, just like how your brother's face is pre-programmed to have a stupid grin that constantly screams 'slap me'."

For now, assume that "nature" consists of pre-programmed traits that your character has had up until the point where your story begins. In the context of writing a book, we shall assume that not only your character's physical traits but also the environment they have been in before the start of your book is what made them have their current nature.

Likewise, your story will then be considered the "nurture" aspect. Your character will go through a series of events in your story and undergo a character arc that changes their original nature through nurture.

Your character may perhaps be programmed by nature to have high intelligence that may result in immense pride or a physical disadvantage that may end up with envy prying at the corners of their heart. Maybe they change for the better, and maybe they don't.

Nurture, on the other hand, is more like the quirky aunt who insists she can mould your character into a productive member of society by feeding them broccoli and playing Beethoven lullabies. ON REPEAT. LIKE AN ANNOYING MOSQUITO.

(I'm starting to see some personal grievances reflected in my writing, and I'm not sure how to feel about it lmao)

But essentially, the other characters or situations your character meets in your story are the annoying mosquitoes. They buzz around and hound your character, forcing them to change or come to terms with how they view themselves. Just like how I'm coming to terms with the desperate need to slap the mosquito next to me-

Ah.

I killed it.

JUST LIKE HOW YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY SLAY UR STORY WRITING NOW, THANKS TO ME.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hahaha... My humour is dying, sorry.

Ok, I'm tired now so I'm gonna go sleep. In the next chapter, though, we're gonna talk about how your characters affect each other and how to create great character dynamics and romance.

Wheeeeeee