One thing that constantly pisses me off about writing is how people keep confusing between a Glow-up and a Grow-up in characters.
So Imma explain wtf is a Grow-up and Glow-up
A Glow-up is a when a character evolves physically. Like they go from borderline average looking to drop-dead-bitch-they-beating-Greek-Gods level hotness, they become more refined, express better mannerisms or just look different. Glow-ups don’t necessarily affect a character’s personality.
A Grow-up is a much deeper concept. It’s when the character evolves mentally. A childish character that becomes mature after some experience, a foolish one comes to their senses, or a betrayed/bitter character becomes darker.
Grow-ups are also commonly known as Origins, while a Glow-up can happen through the entirety of the story. Grow-ups are a defining moment in their life, which makes them realize something and it consequently changes them.
A Grow-up and Glow-up are mutually exclusive, though both CAN happen at the same time. However, a character having a Glow-up might still remain the same as a person and a Growing-up character might not change outwardly noticeably enough.
The two are completely different, even though they are both changes in a character. And they shouldn’t be confused as the same thing. Because the depth of both are completely different.
A writer can choose to represent the evolution of a character through both or either one of these changes, though its not set in stone. Character evolution has infinite different paths, its the choice of the writer and their writing style.
