The second week of 2026 has come and gone…time isn’t real and possibly a scam. But with another week comes new lessons. As a reminder, I have built myself a personal curriculum and for the first quarter of the year (Jan-Mar) I am studying “Author 101” and “Painting Basics”.
I also like to throw in some life lessons as well as those are the ones that stay with us the longest. So, without further ado- here’s what I learned this week.
Author 101
I am currently working on editing my psychological thriller- and this week’s assignment was to explore character arcs and motivations. This is the nitty gritty that I personally love seeing that my favorite part of reading is character development. Getting a better understanding of the author’s perspective when creating that arc was really fun.
These are some of the interesting tidbits-
I learned that character development is primarily comprised of backstory, believable traits, and their flaws vs their strengths.
When creating the arc itself– you need to establish your starting point (your character’s current fears, strengths, weaknesses, etc), define the direction of your arc- then you can decide on you catalysts and challenges, when you want to introduce them, and how the plot will shape their character.
To choose the direction of the characters arc you have to decide if it’s positive, negative, or a flat arc (one where their inherent character doesn’t change all that much). This will be the guiding line as to what your character chooses to do when faced with a decision.
The backstory will be the deciding factor on what is “The Lie” that your character believes. The Lie is basically whatever flawed philosophy your character has that consciously or subconsiously leads their character. How they handle this lie will also be determined by what kind of arc they will be having. Will they be facing this lie and have a positive change or will they double down and let it be their demise?
“The Line They’d Never Cross” is the fun juicy detail for writing you character. Figure out what they would never do and then, as the author, figure out how to force them to. This can be good or bad-
1. Good: They would never fall in love again.
2. Bad: They would never betray their friend.
Making your character cross their own boundaries is very, very juicy for your reader’s and makes for a beautiful character arc.
Last but not least- motivations. Your character’s motivations are often rooted deep within their backstory, fueled by “The Lie”, and will more than likely make them cross that line. A character without strongly written motivation are just a shallow character making willy nilly decisions. Defining their motivations will also help you keep your character consistent and avoid having them make confusing decisions that go against their character.
Painting Basics
This week I practiced some shading with water colors and I completely my first still life of fruit. This was genuinely a great time and harder than I was expecting. As someone who is a self-taught artist (that has just skipped the basics and jumped to the fun part) the basics have been genuinely humbling to say the least. This is my little homework assignment.
Life Lesson
Learning the difference between a fight that is beneficial vs a fight that the cost of winning is too great. Sounds a little pessamistic- but it’s an important lesson to learn.
A lot of times we are fighting for all the right reasons- but no matter how hard we want to make a change…some fights just drain your energy and don’t really budge anything in a better direction (or just send you in a worse direction.).
Now- this DOES NOT mean you don’t fight for a better life, your relationships, or a better world. However- this concept will help you navigate which fights you pick vs which fights you walk away from.
Some examples:
If you are constantly getting into heated, draining conversations trying to explain yourself to someone who is determined to misunderstand you- walk away.
If you see something in the world that you wnat to change and even if your individual acts don’t solve the whole problem but inch you and others closer to a solution- stick it out.
If you keep doing the same things and it’s not working (reminder that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity)- the don’t walk away from what you want…walk away from that particular path.
It’s a very nuanced lesson- one I have to relearn repeatedly. But it’s important to remember to let go of what you can’t control and take action on what you can.
That’s all for this week’s lessons- thank you for reading.
<3 KR