Character Arcs

The final section of the Conceptualizing phase in Subtxt is focused on the subjective Character Arcs that carry the emotional argument of your story. The two key subjective characters in your story are the Main Character and the Obstacle Character. The Main Character is the one the audience witnesses the story through, they are the audience's eyes and ears into the conflict. Their Throughline is about a personal struggle or conflict that everyone can relate to. The Obstacle Character is there to challenge or influence the Main Character to deal with their personal justifications. Everyone has a blind spot, and everyone needs an Obstacle Character to help them see through them.

It's worth noting that the Obstacle Character may or may not be the Antagonist, they don't have to be, and very often aren't. Antagonist is an objective character function, not a subjective character function.

The Importance of One's Resolve

For now, in the Character Arc sections, we are interested in seeing where these two characters start the story, and where they end up. One character will maintain their resolve and grow into their initial motivation, the other will have their resolve changed by the interaction and will abandon their original motivation. These two different arcs are extremely important when it comes to writing a meaningful and complete story. If both "change" and abandon an old way of doing things (and by abandon we mean a complete 180) then the story will be broken and won't make much sense to the audience. The meaning of one's change is only meaningful in relation to the other remaining steadfast.

The changed arc is signified by a two color gradient that shifts from one element to its polar opposite. The steadfast arc is signified by a single color gradient that shifts from one shade to another. There is still 'growth" in the steadfast arc, just not complete change - that's why you want to be able to still see where these steadfast characters start, and where they end.

The Emotional Anchor of Your Story

You can adjust these four Storypoints as you see fit and re-generate the individual Character Arcs. Subtxt will use the information you provide here to help plan out the rest of your story. Think of this page as the emotional anchor for what is to come for the rest of your writing process. It's important to keep in mind the emotional journey of your characters as it's a crucial part of the story. The main and obstacle characters' arc will help you to create a compelling story that resonates with the audience.

As you continue to develop your story, you can come back to this section and make adjustments as needed. This page is a useful tool that will help you to keep track of your characters' emotional journey and ensure that it aligns with the overall narrative of your story.

In summary, this section is all about the subjective Character Arcs that carry the emotional argument of your story. It's the page where you can visualize and fine-tune the Main Character and Obstacle Character throughlines, and ensure that both of them are in line with the overall narrative and the premise of your story.

Brainstorming Your First Draft Outline

Once you have completed the Conceptualizing section, all you have to do now is press the "Brainstorm a First Draft Outline" button and let Subtxt do its magic. The app will run through your entire story from beginning to end and, using all the information you have entered in the Conceptualizing section, build out a complete narrative. After the process is complete, you will be able to click into your story and view the First Draft Outline.

The First Draft Outline is a detailed summary of your entire story, and it will give you an idea of what is in store for your characters before you've even sat down to write a single word! You can read through the outline, make any necessary adjustments and fine-tune the story before you start writing.

It's worth noting that the outline is not set in stone and can be adjusted as you continue to write your story. However, it serves as a great starting point and a roadmap for your writing process. And it's a powerful tool to get an overall understanding of the story structure, character arcs and the plot of your story.