How can you show a character's growth over the course of a novel?

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change." - Brené Brown ?? Start your character with flaws or fears that make them relatable and human. These weaknesses should create significant obstacles, setting the stage for growth. ?? How do you introduce and develop character flaws in your stories? Share your approach below! ??

When I think of an evolving character, one that really gave me a lot of enthusiasm and made me dream, and I can’t easily forget about is Jo from “Little women “ by Marie Louise Alcott. While the world around here follow the daily routine of things, Jo is the creative, is the supporter, is this heroin who dreams, confronts life fearlessly and cries in solitude. She is a little bit of all of us. What would Jo be as a parent, or grandparent? What would she be teaching nowadays?

Introduce events or situations that directly confront your character's weaknesses, forcing them to adapt or face the consequences. These challenges should be varied and escalate in difficulty, compelling the character to develop new skills, change their perspective, or make tough decisions

Flaws and Limitations: Introducing character weaknesses makes them relatable and human. Significant Hindrances: These flaws should notably obstruct their initial goals. Conflict Creation: Flaws create internal or external conflicts. Challenges: Encountered challenges highlight these flaws as obstacles. Path for Development: Flaws set a clear trajectory for character growth. Baseline for Growth: Initial imperfections offer a reference for measuring development throughout the story.

Character growth thrives on challenges that push individuals out of their comfort zones. To effectively develop this: Introduce diverse challenges that escalate in difficulty. Confront the character's weaknesses directly. Force the character to adapt or face consequences. Encourage the development of new skills and perspectives. Compel the character to make tough decisions. Showcase their evolving maturity and resilience. These trials create a tangible progression, demonstrating the character's growth to readers.

Relationships profoundly impact character growth by challenging their beliefs and prompting reflection: Conflict: Introduces antagonists that test the protagonist’s resilience and values. Friendship: Offers allies that provide support and differing perspectives. Mentorship: Guides the protagonist through wisdom and experience, shaping their path. Love: Encourages vulnerability and self-discovery. These dynamics evolve, mirroring the protagonist's journey towards greater empathy, understanding, and assertiveness, emphasizing their development throughout the novel.

Crucial Choices: Present dilemmas that force characters to weigh values vs. desires. Internal Struggle: Highlight the character’s internal conflict and growth. Difficult Decisions: Choices should be tough with significant consequences. Character Development: Decisions propel the character’s developmental arc. Revealing Priorities: Choices reveal characters' true priorities and lessons learned. Milestones in Evolution: Mark important milestones in their evolution, showcasing their journey.

Start highlighting a lot of flaws initially clubbed with how the character was ok with them. Write how the situation goes from bad to worse. Write the emotion of these worse times. Add a trigger which changes the thought process of the character. How they start working on their flaws and get little to n results. They give up and quit. They again get motivated to perform better.