People who need character growth/development in their stories: why?
I’ve seen the lack of development as a complaint all over this sub (and goodreads) and I’m baffled as to how a person not changing would be a bad thing (relative to my enjoyment of a book). Does the resolution of the narrative not satisfy you on its own?
by themightyfrogman
2 Comments
honestly love this question im curious what others have to say
i definitely dont want character growth/change just for change’s sake, i like seeing a character change in reaction to what they go through
like, i want to see an author actually put their characters through things in a way that has depth, i want them to be fully present in the things they go through and like in real life i want the character’s way of thinking or viewpoint etc. to change in a way that makes sense with their experiences/trauma/actions they have to take
i do think part of it for me specifically is that im curious how a character, or person irl frankly, is affected by the things happening in their lives and by the things they do and the things others do to them
edit to add: all this said, i am not one to be bothered by more flat characters honestly as long as other aspects of the book are interesting to me
Nothing is inherently good or bad about character growth. Just depends on what people want out of a book and what the author was attempting to do. It’s not so uncommon an author *tells* me character is a certain way or *tells* me a relationship went from this to that, but they never actually show the development/growth. It’s frustrating to feel like you have the same fully formed character all book yet you are told they have changed somehow.