As I was writing my book How to Diagnose Your Character I was at the section about change and realized that I have not yet discussed an important model of change. Below I have described that model.
James O. Prochaska in 1977 developed the Transtheoretical model of change.
This model includes five stages of change that a person goes through. The first
stage is called the pre-contemplation
stage. In this stage the person does not want to make the change and really don’t
realize that they need to change. Contemplation
is the second stage in the model. In this stage a person is beginning to weigh
the costs and benefits of change, the person is still not changing but are
starting to see that change is needed. The third stage is called the preparation stage and it is in this
stage that a person has finally decided that change is necessary and that they
are going to do something about it. Action
is the fourth stage and it is in this stage that a person is actually
changing and doing something different in their lives. The final stage is
called the maintenance stage. In
this stage the person has changed and is learning to maintain the change.
As I point out in my book it is important that our readers see a little bit of this process in our characters as they are going through the changes in our stories.
By the way the book thing is much longer than I expected but I should have a rough draft done by next Monday!!! I am very excited about and hope that it will be helpful to other writers and of course that other people will want to read it :)
I agree that the readers need to see the change. We also like to see some growth in characters. It is hard to read a book about a person who never grows or changes! I'm excited about your book!
ReplyDeletewoohoo on the rough draft being done...that is awesome man...def see our characters going through this and also as a way to get the reader engaged by making them feel this process in a relatable way...
ReplyDeleteI love this post, Josh! It really helps me nail the hero's journey for my MC in my novel, as well as helps to develop my other characters into more well-rounded individuals. I can see where this might even come in handy with my antagonist.
ReplyDeleteFascinating stuff.
Congrats on your accomplishments, and a belated Happy New Year to you and yours!
Sometimes I forget that throwing my characters into various situations doesn't constitute a change in their character. I like the idea of making their change more methodical and maybe if I keep this in mind my characters won't be so erratic in their behavior.
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