Name: Cora Finley

Age: 14

Characteristics: She finds it easier to tell others little about herself, partly to do with her past. A sly character, who tries to fade into the background. Cora’s personality is feisty and daring, and she’ll do anything to help a friend, even if it means risking her own safety. She tends to observe the world when she doesn’t have anything better to do, which is most of the time.

Flaws: She often doesn’t think twice about her decisions, and her reckless ways have gotten her and her friends in danger. There’s also the fact that she worries about others when really they’re completely fine.

Strengths: Cora has an amazing amount of trust and loyalty, she’s a good friend to her peers, and she can also disappear into the shadows and change her identity like a chameleon.

Looks: Cora has dark skin, cobalt blue eyes, and short dark hair that she either keeps out or under an elaborate wig. She usually wears clothes that don’t attract attention, and blend into the crowd

Backstory: Cora was born into a loving, middle-class family. They lived a comfortable life, and were grateful for what they’d got. That all changed for when Cora’s sister was thrown in Jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Cora got herself thrown in the same prison, but within a few hours after her trial, she blew up the building and escaped within the chaos. Now wanted by several different governments, Cora became a master of disguise, juggling several different identities at once. But there were several people who always saw through her aliases.

Extras: She likes to compare life to her favourite books, and people to her favourite characters, and tends to overreact about minor situations. She also spends way too much time writing songs that relate to the crazy life she’s living.

Credit: Made by @Kat_Camps

Credit: Made by @Kat_Camps

The importance of an arc to me is how it helps my writing process go a bit smoother. It’s like I have this clear idea in my head about what I want to happen. I usually tend to picture it out as if it was a film inside my head. Then I grab my laptop, sketchbook, notebook, or whatever is nearest to me for visualising my idea’s. While I find it hard to stitch a moral into my story, honestly it’s near impossible to hide a subtle message for my readers to overlook, yet take in at the same time, I admire anyone who can do that perfectly. Probably my moral would be ‘don’t overlook what seems unimportant.’ I can see how it’s hard to see that in my ark, due to the fact that it’s rather simple. I guess what this ark means to my story is that change comes fast, and sometimes there’s not much you can do about it. Like how one second it’s your birthday, and the next you’re busting out of jail. Honestly, defining your character changes are one of the hardest steps of planning. Every little change your character develops is easier if you place it in your ark. Let’s face it, things are awkward when you try to write something that wasn’t in your planning. My character Cora is used to things happening in her own life, but she still finds it hard to seperate reality from the fictional worlds she often escapes to. This changes when she realises that her real world is seriously messed up and nobody seems to notice except her and a select group of friends. Her character changes from an innocent and oblivious girl, to a fearless leader who has to make the deciding decisions that could save an entire population. Talk about pressure. Not to mention the fact that Cora’s doing all of this while switching identities. Characters are my favourite part of planning my story. Like you're completely in control of their lives. It’s kinda satisfying when something amazing happens to them, and if you’ve planned your characters perfectly, you’ll feel incredibly concerned when your characters are in grave danger. Character changes help your readers understand and perhaps relate to your characters. It’s basically a long road trip where you go over a few bumps, find yourself at a couple of crossroads, and make some changes to your journey. And if you find yourself making changes midway through your story, that’s okay too! With characters, and planning, and arcs, they can take a while to map out

Credit: Made by @Kat_Camps