I write novels in series and like there to be a personal subplot that takes place over each book, but another longer arc that takes place over the entire book series. In order to pull this off, I need to be very organized and deliberate in how I let the character arc play out not only over time but over the book series as well.
This blog post is about my process in doing that. Now, I don’t claim this to be the only way to go about it, but it is the way I do it and it works for me. This process is not how I started out working on character arcs! I learned the hard way that it’s important to know in the very beginning how you will allow the book arc and the series arc plays out.
I know there are long multi-book series where the main character is more of an action hero and he/she doesn’t change much. Legal thrillers and the Jack Reacher book series comes to mind. This does work as Lee Childs and other successful authors can attest to. They have sold millions of copies with these stock hard-boiled characters who remain generally the same over the entire series.
I prefer there to be more character growth in each book, plus, I like there to be a series arc as well. My series are shorter than Mr. Child’s but each writer has to find their own place. I like shorter series with the main characters participating in more of a family drama and/or a romantic subplot.
THE FIRST STEP IN SETTING UP A CHARACTER ARC IS TO ESTABLISH THE FOLLOWING:
Sketch out on a mind map or even a piece of paper the answer to each of the above character development questions. MC stands for Main Character and ANT stands for Antagonist. By sketching them out at the same time in the beginning stages, it will give you a strong direction for your writing right from the get go. Of course, if you have more than one main character, you will want to repeat this process for every main character.
This also allows you to see and create a conflict between the main character and the antagonist. This is particularly helpful to new writers who lean towards making all characters “too nice”. Without some level of conflict, there won’t be enough conflict or drama to move forward in the story. It will simply be an “and-then-this-happened, and-then-this-happened” kind of story.
BREAK THE ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC INTO THREE OR FOUR PARTS:
I use a four-part plot structure, so I break my character arc into four sections. This allows me to keep up with the character development and also don’t resolve the inner conflict too early.
I find this technique also gives me solid writing boundaries and/or writing guideposts. When I’m in Part 2, I know my goal for this section is to make sure the planned character arc for Part 2 is completed before I move to part 3.
A LITTLE ADVICE ABOUT WRITING IN SERIES:
Now that I’ve written my third book series, I think in terms of multiple-book character acts. As I start out with new characters in a new series, I make sure that I have many options of where these characters can go over the entire series.
A special note to pantsers: This technique gives guideposts and boundaries, but every story or novel takes on a creative life of it’s own. I find by having the character arc written down and sectioned, it makes it easier to change the story as this creative process takes over. I simply look over the character arc and alter it with the new “better idea” that has come up.
I find it gives me the best of both worlds. I have a strong direction when I am writing, but flexibility and ease are built into the process itself. It’s super easy to change mid-stream by just tweaking the character arc a bit.
I hope this helps new writers!
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If you are stumped for a main story, or if you are stumped for what happens now, or even if you have written yourself into a bit of a corner, this instructional will help, along with your own creativity and thinking, to bring about new possibilities. 
Once you have a perpetrator and the cast of necessary characters, then it’s time to answer the following questions:
Before you exert too much energy fleshing out any character or story details, be sure to check to make sure you can design a three-prong storyline out of this budding storyline. One prong will be a red herring storyline, someone who may look guilty, but is exonerated in the middle or end of the story. The second prong is a second suspect or a wrong suspect who will look guilty for a large segment of the storyline. And the final prong will be for the real culprit. In order to have a story that works, you will need a believable crime that can meld these three prongs into one suspenseful story.
As you use this worksheet and these techniques, a crime skeleton will emerge. Some attempts at this will go flat in the early stages for any number of reasons. But some storylines will begin to almost shape themselves.
Pulp Fiction become popular during the depression of the 1920s and 1930s. Publishers at the time used a very cheap “pulp” paper in order to produce these short stories and magazines that cost about a quarter. Yes, twenty-five cents!
This book is for beginners who are publishing their first or second novel and they are still a little skittish about what else goes into a book. I’ll lay it out so you can easily follow the list and be confident that you’re not forgetting anything. These page suggestions are taken from the publishing industry. These are the pages that appear in a book published by a publishing house.
Writing a novel is a huge undertaking. There are many things that go into the writing of a fiction story. The best tip I can pass on is this: Break everything down into little bite-sized pieces. By doing this, you can reduce a huge project down to do-able portions that can be done whether you have 2 hours a week to write or two full days! It only requires a little planning and organization.
It’s important to keep reading as your own journey as a writer continues. Each author has a different style and uses different storytelling techniques. The stories don’t even have to be great. You can learn from the good, the bad and the bland. Just analyzing what made a book bland is a great lesson in itself. Did the story need more action? Did the story get stuck somewhere? 
or other books you read. Reading other authors is crucial no matter where you are on the writing spectrum. However, when you’re new, you can learn a lot from watching mystery or crime noir movies. I like movies from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The movies in these decades didn’t have CGI and the directors had to use the stage to tell the story. They used wider shots and props to assist the storytelling. By watching these older movies, you can learn a lot regarding writing. 
It’s a good idea to read the synopsis before you view the movie. Knowing at least a basic outline of the story will allow you to absorb more as an author. If you go into the movie blindly, you will be “experiencing the movie” as a viewer only. By knowing ahead of time what story will be unfolding, it will allow you to watch specifically for certain scenes to unfold. You can watch what tools are used to move the story along. 
If you are looking for a suggestion, I would suggest Rebecca for the first movie. This movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and it has a lot of gothic atmosphere. There is also a psychological plotline in this story so it is a goldmine for learning storytelling tools. 
I found out later that more experienced authors even suggested that newer authors consider writing in series because it's easier to market the books. But my venture into writing book series was a happy accident.
I use broad-stroke character arc for the main characters that extends over all the books in the series. Each individual book, however, the character grows and changes a little bit. So each book contains its own arc, but there is a longer series arc for the main characters. It helps to know this before you start writing the series.
When I first decided to write a novel, it took me one full year (I’m not kidding!) to even come up with a crime. Today, using these methods I’m about to reveal, it only takes me two to three days to think up three or four mystery scenarios.
Let’s talk about how to use this work sheet. Choose a crime or mystery from the list below and make up a potential perpetrator. Don’t waste time on what he or she looks like. Then start asking the following questions:
Once you have a perpetrator and the cast of necessary characters, then it’s time to answer the following questions:
When I started writing several years ago, I came across the standard character worksheet and it focused mostly on physical attributes, occupation but there was a disconnect regarding their role in the storyline, which is the most important part.
As a newbie, it took me awhile to remember that a character needs to have an arc over the storyline. So it's important -- and time saving -- to know what that arc will be before you even begin the draft. This character sheet can help you find this so you know where you are starting from and where you want to end up. The following questions should help you focus on what this character arc will be:
For minor characters, you only need to answer a few questions. It helps to know what role these minor characters will play and what, if any, background information is needed to support them in the storyline:
