Labels and Character Arcs by Jenny Woolsey

 

From the moment we’re born and as we grow up, society pins labels on us. The first one is usually boy or girl. After this, dependent on how we look, our personality and how we act, others are tacked on. For example, pretty, cute, naughty, active, quiet, tomboy, girlie, fat, loud etc.

Labels can be positive or negative and are often expressed as words, facial expressions, body language or behaviours. When labels are negative, they will have a dramatic impact on our self-esteem and mental health.

As well as other people’s and society’s labels, we often give ourselves labels. Some positive, others negative. Examples of negative labels may be, poor writer, not good enough to be published, stupid, hopeless Christian, incompetent parent, unlovable… The list goes on.

We label ourselves about every area of our life—our perception of being a child, a parent, a worker, a writer, a Christian and anything else we do.

• How do you see yourself?
• What type of labels do you carry?

As Christians, to not be weighed down by society’s labels, we must know how God sees us. For this, we look to the Bible and find that God sees us as his beloved children, created in his image, with inherent worth—more valuable than gold. We are precious and cherished, and fearfully and wonderfully made.

Replacing Negatives with Positives

There are times in the past when I've been negatively affected by labels, but with God's help, labels don't have to define me or you. In my book Be Weirdly Wonderful: Embrace Your Differences, I share my own story and some tools to help you lead your best life. If negative labels are affecting your self-esteem and self-confidence, bringing you down and stopping you from living your best life, you might like to try this practical activity that I mention in the book.

• Write a list of your negative labels on a piece of paper or write a letter to your younger self stating the labels. (When writing the letter, tell your younger self that those labels which were said to hurt you were lies and you’re not going to accept them anymore.) If you want to, you could also write a letter to a specific person who gave you the negative labels.
• Next is to actually burn the list or letters you write. Yes, put a match or a lighter to them or place them in a bonfire and watch the flames vaporise those labels. They’re gone. (I have done this a few times now and I have found it to be very cleansing.) If burning isn’t your thing, then you could tear them up into tiny bits and send them off in the wind or float them down a creek or out in the ocean. As a Christian, you could nail them onto a wooden cross or pin/glue them on a picture of the cross. The healing is in the process of letting the labels physically go.
• Now you’re going to replace the negative labels with positive words. To do this, take out a fresh piece of paper and list all the great things about yourself. For example, strong, funny, quirky, pretty. The Bible is full of positive labels of who God sees you as. These are some examples: I am strong and courageous, I am precious, I am God’s child, I am loved. I am forgiven. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. For this activity you could also write out bible verses that speak to you.
• Then write down the things you’re good at, how the people who love you see you and what you like about yourself. If you’re having trouble, ask trusted loved ones and friends for how they see you. And remember, the fact that you’re alive means that you’re meant to be here. You are meant to impact the world in a positive way, whether big or small.
• Last, display them in some way. You could write the positive labels on post-it notes and stick them on your mirror or around the house where you’ll constantly see them. If you like art and craft, you could draw, scrapbook, collage, decorate the page or make your new labels into a painting. You could even make a bookmark, a fridge magnet or a picture to go in a frame. This step is crucial for two reasons. One, it celebrates how wonderful you are and two, you’ll see the positive labels day after day. When you see them regularly, over time they will take root in your mind and you’re more likely to believe them.

Character Arcs and the Hero's Journey

When we give our life to Jesus, we become a new creation and the old passes away (2 Corinthians 5:17). With the help of the Holy Spirit we begin to develop the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5)—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are all positive labels.

As time goes by, and we learn what behaviours we’re exhibiting that don’t please God, we make a concerted effort to cease these. In most Christians, particularly those who have become Christians as adults, there is a character arc—a transformation.

When we write, we want our protagonist (main character) to have a character arc too. (Our other characters can also have character arcs.)

The character arc is a measure of how a character changes over time. It can be internal or external leading to personal growth or decline.

Why do we need character arcs in our stories?

In a story, readers want to see a character fail or succeed. They want to see characters face consequences for bad deeds, or rewards for doing the right thing. And they want to see conflict —it is conflict that keeps the story growing in tension until the climax is reached.


There are different types of character arcs but the primary types are:

1) Transformational arc—character arcs that follow drastic and significant changes

2) Positive Change arc—characters evolve positively, overcoming flaws and changes

3) Negative Change arc—characters undergo a negative transformation succumbing to flaws or destructive paths

4) Flat arc—characters remain relatively unchanged, imparting stability or providing a contrast to dynamic counterparts.

Within the transformational character arc we could place the most known story structure and character arc, called the Hero’s Journey, created by Joseph Campbell.

The Hero’s Journey unfolds in 12 distinct steps, commencing with the protagonist’s ordinary world, a call to adventure, and the crossing of a threshold into the unknown. Challenges, mentors, and ordeals follow, leading to a transformative crisis. The triumphant return from this brings newfound wisdom which they bring back into their ordinary world. This story structure is seen in myths and movies such as Star Wars.

Think about a story you know well. What type of labels or traits does the protagonist have in the beginning? Then, what type of labels or traits do they exhibit at the end? Do they go from devious to honest? Do they go from murderer to saint? Are there characters in the story that have negative change or flat arcs?

Now, think about your latest piece of writing.

• What labels have you given your protagonist?

• What is their character arc? (Which of the 4 primary types is it?)

• Is there a transformation?

• How could you improve the character arc?

• Are you able to add more obstacles or incidents to make the transformation more epic?

• Are you able to give more labels or traits to the antagonist or other characters to make them more interesting?

• And finally, does your story structure help or hinder the character arc? How could you make it better?

In conclusion, labels and character arcs go hand-in-hand. Every person on Earth carries around many invisible post-it labels pinned to them. Some positive, some negative. The negative labels can affect our self-esteem and self-confidence. As Christians, we need to always remember that no matter what the world has told us, we are loved, worthy and valuable.

And finally, when we’re writing a story, always give thought to the characters’ traits and their character arcs. Our writing will be so much better when we do.

God bless.

Author Bio

Jenny Woolsey, M.Ed. (Hons), is a Christian author, speaker, potter and carer. She was born with a facial difference and lives with low vision. Jenny is an Amazon best-seller and has published eight middle grade/YA novels and a personal development book, Be Weirdly Wonderful! Embrace your Differences. Her short stories are published in 23 anthologies. Jenny volunteers in the community and mentors at the Queensland Writers Centre.

https://jennywoolsey.com

Photo Credits

Featured photo by Anna Saveleva on Unsplash; Hero's Journey diagram from Imagine Forest; book cover and author pic supplied by the author.

SUSTAINING YOUR CREATIVITY

 

STRATEGIC RESET

(REST)

Have you sometimes felt like your writing is simply just flowing out of you and then suddenly there is a blockage? Or worse: perhaps your mind has been overflowing with ideas; you have been brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, you have been on a roll, writing consistently every day, passionately intent with your craft, until one day, you don’t want to do anything even remotely creative? You can’t even lift your pen, or stylus, or turn on your computer or sit at the typewriter. Loss of your creative energy might be accompanied by anxiety, or a feeling of being overwhelmed, you may be physically and emotionally fatigued, this all might be indicative of creative or personal burnout.

Over the years in my role as a Chaplain and supporting workers in a variety of industries I have witnessed people who have been incredibly talented, gifted, and passionate in their service simply stop.

 Burnt out. 

This has been particularly so for people who have been serving in humanitarian, caring, ministry, compassionate helping roles (such as the demand on Missionaries serving in intense cross-cultural contexts) who sometimes have expectations that may be more than a person can reasonably deliver without personal consequences. For some this sadly resulted in them not being able to sustain their sense of call for the long haul. 

In supporting them and helping them recover I have learnt some valuable skills to help support longevity of service that may be helpful to sustain your creativity for the long term.

There is a tension between our living and doing and service and sacrifice and our living in a state of rest and flourishing and sustained efficacy. This is highlighted when we consider scriptures such as Paul’s call to the Romans to be “living sacrifices” (Romans 12) and in 2 Timothy 2 to when he entreats Timothy to join him in suffering as a soldier, to compete diligently like an athlete, and to work hard like a farmer. Paul seems to be reinforcing the words of Jesus about “Dying to self” (John 12:23-25).

And yet in balance to this Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 :

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The message version puts it this way:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

We are finite beings, so we need to place limits on how we expend our time and energies. Even Jesus, had time to reset; he walked away from the crowds that were thronging to him to be healed in order to spend time with his Father and be refreshed, revitalized, and recharged (Luke 5:15–16).

The point is that sometimes we overextend ourselves in battles that may not be ours. We might struggle through difficult writing projects that may not be our fight to bear. We may be running ahead of or writing beyond our training and ability. We may be trying to farm and write in fields outside of seasons that would bring flourishing for ourselves and those we minister with and for.

Writers are sometimes like athletes. Sometimes we are sprint runners, like when an article we are writing has a deadline. Sometimes we are marathon runners, like when we are working on deep-dive long term stories. In both athletic disciplines runners rest after a big event.   

In military contexts it is a recognised necessity that soldiers require a regular “reset" to prepare for future battles. They restore their readiness to serve through multi-faceted processes that include repairing and replacing equipment, retraining, and most crucially addressing their well-being as soldiers and care for their families. These processes ensure that military units can perform their duties effectively in their next active service. We would do well to consider some of the wisdom in resetting ourselves too.

To sustain our creativity for the long-haul we need to learn the art of the reset. We simply need to apply some mercy for ourselves. When we are hitting those creative blockages, losing our flow, getting frustrated, flustered and fearful of no productivity ‘resetting’ is essential. We need to allow ourselves to stop, rest and be refreshed in preparation for redeployment at our peak performance.

As writers, it is impossible to make art every single day. Sometimes you have moments of “I can’t do this anymore”. Don’t force yourself to be creative when you aren’t in the right headspace or heart space. Remember, you get tired, disinterested, and burnout for a reason — you need rest.  

What are you doing to reset yourself? 

Make a list of what it would mean for you to authentically take a rest and revive.  

Here are some ideas to  help you get started resetting yourself: 

Take some well-earned naps, get into some light exercise, make time for some quiet prayer, do something else that you love that you have been putting off, cook a hearty meal and enjoy it without rushing, spend some quality time with family and friends, take a vacation, take a walk in nature, or do whatever helps you feel at peace.

Take time to talk to someone you trust who will help you to reset yourself by helping you stay true to your reset plans and journeying with you in gentle accountability and encouragement.   

Ultimately, we need a constant reminder to come back to our essentials in Jesus: a rest for our souls, burdens that won’t break us, and learning His rhythms of Grace (Matthew 11:28-30).   

We want you here for the long run.

 I think Jesus does too.

Shalom.