Change is Good

Currently I'm teaching an American History/Literature class. We're starting the year out with The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I know. I hear you. . . "Psst, hey idiot. Don't you know that's a freaking play, not a novel?" To which I politely thumb my nose in a most piquant and uplifting fashion.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. The Crucible is a story about, well, yeah, witches and death and self-respect, but it's also a great example of how to turn up the heat on your characters and make them change by the end of the book.

Take Elizabeth Proctor, for instance. At first she appears as a frigid, snappy, shrewish woman who's living in a state of perpetual PMS. Toward the end, you really wouldn't mind being her friend because she's softened big time by the horrific circumstances that have happened to her.

Her husband, John Proctor, starts out as an anguished soul, tormented by the sins he's committed. At the finish, he's at peace with himself, as evidenced by this quote:

"I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs."

And that, my friend, is what you want to do to your characters. Change them through ramped up tension, either external or internal. Nobody remains static over their lifetime, and neither should your characters.