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If you want readers to fall in love with your protagonist . . .
. . . to remember them long after they finish your book . . .
. . . then you need to craft a compelling character arc.
To do that, you need to know: who is your protagonist?
What makes them unique? How do they grow and change? Why is their story worth telling?
And you can figure all that out by answering just two essential questions.
These questions are deceptively simple. But when you dig in and explore them, you’ll learn so much about what challenges your character faces and all the ways they’ll grow.
I ask these questions every time I work with a writer. And over and over, they lead us to breakthroughs about the writer’s protagonist—and the arc of their entire story.
Ready for the questions? Listen in! You’ll learn:
Plus, I’ll show you how I would answer these two questions for the character arc in a novel I love: LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen.
And I’ve created a worksheet to help you answer these questions for your character, too. Get the worksheet at alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Send me a Text Message!
Support the show
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »
By Alice Sudlow4.9
7575 ratings
If you want readers to fall in love with your protagonist . . .
. . . to remember them long after they finish your book . . .
. . . then you need to craft a compelling character arc.
To do that, you need to know: who is your protagonist?
What makes them unique? How do they grow and change? Why is their story worth telling?
And you can figure all that out by answering just two essential questions.
These questions are deceptively simple. But when you dig in and explore them, you’ll learn so much about what challenges your character faces and all the ways they’ll grow.
I ask these questions every time I work with a writer. And over and over, they lead us to breakthroughs about the writer’s protagonist—and the arc of their entire story.
Ready for the questions? Listen in! You’ll learn:
Plus, I’ll show you how I would answer these two questions for the character arc in a novel I love: LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen.
And I’ve created a worksheet to help you answer these questions for your character, too. Get the worksheet at alicesudlow.com/characterworksheet.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Send me a Text Message!
Support the show
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
"I love Alice and Your Next Draft." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers through the mess—and joy—of the editing process. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap the stars to rate, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Loving the show? Show your support with a monthly contribution »

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