This first video from Just Write is especially #relevant to our little writing community, since it's about his storytelling in Harmonquest:
D&D and other games like it are ultimately power fantasies. You enter the game, overcome obstacles, and get stronger along the way. If that's all that happens it can be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience... for the player. But that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be fun for the audience. Harmon's decisions, on the other hand, deliberately make his character weaker. He has an internal flaw to fight against, and that gives the story much more dramatic meat to work with later on.
And his lessons Story Structure, seen here: https://channel101.fandom.com/wiki/Stor ... Basic_Shit
Here we go, down and dirty:
. A character is in a zone of comfort,
. But they want something.
. They enter an unfamiliar situation,
. Adapt to it,
. Get what they wanted,
. Pay a heavy price for it,
. Then return to their familiar situation,
. Having changed.
You know all this instinctively. You are a storyteller. You were born that way.
--- Dan Harmon
--- Dan Harmon
Now I wanna know: how many of you guys plan out character arcs? Do you have a formula you follow? Do you geek out about Joseph Campbell and writer's craft books, too? Do you deliberately make your characters weaker, morally, psychologically, physically, or otherwise? Please share!