It’s an honest question.
You might think that because I’m a romance writer and one who is always talking about goal, motivation, and conflict that I would be standing here screaming “Yes! Characters must always grow. They must always learn something and develop as a person between the front cover and the back.”
Actually… I do believe that a book is better for having characters who grow, but they don’t absolutely have to.
Yeah, you read that right.
Characters do not have to grow and change.
Are you scratching your head right now? Wondering why I’m saying this?
It’s because there are some types of stories—action-filled adventures, some mysteries, sci-fi—that can be page-turning, gripping reads and the reader probably won’t even notice that the protagonist didn’t learn something or become a better human being (or whatever) by the end of the book. If a story is gripping enough, nothing will be missed.
Does that mean that all of you who write such books are off the hook to create complicated, “real,” 3-D (however you want to label them) characters?
A story is always better if the protagonist learns something or grows. It makes them that much more real. It makes us, the readers, care that much more because we’re not only rooting for them to take down the bad guys, but to become a better person.
However, if your story’s plot is so involving, so all-encompassing, I would argue that your readers won’t even notice if the protagonist doesn’t change.
An excellent example of this are the James Bond books by Ian Flemming. Bond never changes, not once, in twelve novels. Did people complain about this when the books came out? No, they did not. Have they complained about this since then? Not really, but it has been pointed out many times. Does that stop the books and the stories from being fantastic? Not one little bit.
So, while I completely believe that books are better if the protagonist grows, changes, and learns, if your story is compelling enough, I wouldn’t worry too much about that character growth.
Okay, authors, heap your arguments on me now.