This is K.M. Wyland and you are listening to the 632nd episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast.

I hope you enjoyed this week's episode, a new way to think about the lie the character believes.

One of the simplest entry points to understanding how story works is the lie the character believes. It is the fulcrum of any character arc or any

thematic discussion within a story. It's also the gasoline on the engine of a

character's inner conflict and by extension it can either power the outer conflict, or at least

be used as a lens through which to view it.

As its name suggests, the lie the character believes is a simplistic concept, which is exactly what makes it so valuable and utilitarian a tool for understanding story.

However, as with all simplistic concepts, we must be

careful not to assume that it lacks complexity. So although you can certainly frame your character's conflicts in terms of a black and white lie truth dichotomy,

the reality is of course more complex and that's exactly what we're going to talk about today

reality and how the lie the character believes is in fact a gauge of the

character's relationship with reality.

Now, those of you who have read my books

Creating Character Arts and the Creating Character Arts

workbook will be familiar with the lie the character believes as arguably the central principle of character transformation.

For those who are new to the idea, the lie the character believes is the mindset the character will be challenged to arc out of over the course of the story.

If the character succeeds in transcending the lie, the story will follow a positive change

arc. If the protagonist already adheres to the story's thematic truth and inspires supporting

characters to transcend the lie, the story will offer a flat

arc and if the character fails to transcend the lie, the story will present a negative change

arc of which there are at least three versions and which of course I talk about in my book

creating character arcs. The lie is a

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