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An Easy Way to Use Archetypes to Enrich Your Characters

Feb 9, 2017 | Writing | 4 Comments

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Archetype is defined here as a type of person whose typical behaviors are the same as those of others of the same type. For example, cowards exhibit some typical behaviors. They fear danger, lack courage, and avoid or quit dangerous situations.

Before I list 79 archetypes and a way to use them, here are some of their benefits in fiction.

Why Archetypes Are Useful in Building Character

They can help to

define the roles of characters.

narrow our characters so they’re not like all the other characters in our story.

expand and deepen our characters so they are multidimensional.

add interest to a character when using a distorted version of an archetype.

make a character original when choosing an unexpected archetype.

make realistic and identifiable characters because archetypes are built on real typical behaviors.

create conflict, tenderness, and tension when characters appear together in groups because each has a unique mixture of archetypal behaviors.

remind us to make characters act, react, and make choices in accordance with or occasionally the opposite of their archetypes.

bring out flaws in a character that he can conquer by story’s end.

Story Characters

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Protagonist
Antagonist
Love Interest
Mentor
Sidekick
Other Character

An Easy Way to Use Archetypes

For each character above, choose two to three archetypes from the list below. Mix up archetypes across characters.

Start with the Protagonist and understand from his combination of archetypes, how he thinks, acts, and reacts and what he dislikes in others.

For the Antagonist, perhaps he’s the epitome of what the protagonist dislikes. Or they have characteristics from a same archetype that helps them understand each other.

Since readers like the idea that opposites attract, choose at least one archetype for the Love Interest that’s opposite to one of the Protagonist’s.

The Mentor doesn’t have to be wise. Possibly, he’s accomplished in the area where the Protagonist is weak.

The Sidekick could be a combination of archetypes, some the Protagonist likes and others he tolerates. Possibly, the only thing that makes them a team is how loyal the sidekick is.

Archetypes

Addict	Hero	Masochist	Rebel	Survivor
Analyst	Heroine	Masquerader	Reformer	Teacher
Anti-hero	Imposter	Mediator	Revolutionary	Tempter
Artist	Innocent	Messenger	Rival	Thief
Benefactor	Introvert	Monster	Rogue	Thrill-Seeker
Betrayer	Invalid	Mother Figure	Ruler	Trickster
Bully	Investigator	Narcissist	Sage	Tyrant
Rule Keeper	Jester	Outlaw	Samaritan	Victim
Corrupter	Know-it-all	Parent	Scapegoat	Villain
Coward	Leader	Peacemaker	Scholar	Waif
Dreamer	Loner	Penitent	Seductress	Warrior
Enabler	Lover	Perfectionist	Show-off	Watcher
Explorer	Loyalist	Pessimist	Skeptic	Womanizer
Feminist	Macho-man	Pleaser	Slave	Youth
Fool	Manipulator	Predator	Spoilsport
Go-Getter	Martyr	Psychopath	Superpower

Example:

Protagonist: an analyst, an explorer, and an imposter.

Sidekick: an addict, pessimist, and loyalist.

What came to mind is:

Dickson is a young college man. One summer, he poses as a census taker and travels from town to town to collect data and write a paper on the perfect single woman. While he charms young women, he records 1-10 ratings for twenty traits he deems important.

Dickson’s teenage brother, Dean, travels with him. The only things that placate and keep Dean with Dickson is the promise of receiving a used jeep and a daily supply of three six-packs of diet soda loaded with caffeine. He believes Dickson won’t find the perfect women going door-to-door, and he reminds his brother daily of the fact. But as long as he has his caffeine fix, he faithfully keeps the truck running in case he spots a cop cruiser or Dickson’s interview ends badly.

79 archetypes and how to use them to create interesting characters. Click to tweet.

What archetypes could you pull together to make an interesting character?

12 Story Plot Twist Ideas – Part 2

Feb 2, 2017 | Writing | 2 Comments

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This is the second installment of 12 plot twist ideas, examples, and the expected questions readers will have. See Part 1 for more ideas and examples.

Twist Ideas, Examples & Readers’ Questions

Betrayed by an oh-so-helpful friend. Hero’s friend helps him cruise his new sloop from Maine to Florida, then sails off with it. How will Hero retrieve his boat before his “friend” removes all identifiers from the vessel?

Shame revived. Hero is faced with rescuing a friend, but this reminds him of when he was unable to save a friend in the past. His shame paralyzes him. Will the Hero snap out of his angst in time to save his friend?

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3. A lie uncovered. Hero has always believed his mother died in a car accident when he was two, but he learns she died rescuing him from a house fire his father had caused while drunk. He travels home to confront his father. What will happen between Hero and his father?

Led off the scent. Hero leads his men to save another platoon, but incorrect intel has led them in the opposite direction. How will this affect the other platoon and was the bad intel a sloppy mistake or sabotage?

Assistance turned down. Heroine refuses Hero’s help, gets lost, and is attacked by hornets. How will she receive the medical help she needs?

A careless mistake. Heroine fumes over gossip she hears between two customers and incorrectly fills a prescription. She’s fired. What is she going to do now?

A rash response to danger. Hero jumps into turbulent water to save a man, but the currents overpower him, and he ends up lost down river. How will he get back to civilization, and what has happened to the man?

Unreciprocated love. Heroine loves the hero, but he has a girlfriend. Then he asks her to meet him at a café, where he confesses his longtime love and asks her on a date. Is he two-timing his girlfriend?

Wrongfully accused. Heroine is the caretaker of a poisoned woman, and she’s the one the family falsely accuses. How will Heroine prove her innocence?

Mistaken identity. Prince Hero sends a messenger to invite the beautiful woman he recently met to the palace for a private dinner. The messenger invites plain-Jane Heroine by mistake. What will Hero do when she arrives?

11. Greatest fear realized. Hero fears being trapped. He must visit a locked psychiatric ward to talk to a patient. When he’s ready to leave, the nurse won’t let him out, because all patients say they should be released. How will he overcome his fearful reaction and convince her he’s sane?

12. A death occurs. Heroine’s bodyguard takes her to a safe house. As soon as she’s secure inside, she sees around the cracked door the host shoot the bodyguard. How can she escape the same fate?

The second 12 story plot twist ideas with examples in Part 2. Click to tweet.

What story twist idea can you share that hasn’t been mentioned?

12 Story Plot Twist Ideas – Part 1

Jan 26, 2017 | Writing | 8 Comments

image by rkit

Possibly you have the big, must-have twists, such as the inciting incident at the story’s beginning, the mid-story crisis in which the protagonist realizes his underlying problem, and the black moment event near the end. But plot twists are also needed during the in-betweens.

The list below gives the first 12 plot twist ideas, examples, and the expected questions readers will have. In Part 2 next week, I’ll supply a second set.

First, here are two tips for twists in general.

Twist Tips

Avoid obvious solutions to a twist’s problem; don’t give readers what they expect.

Don’t resolve twists with coincidences.

Twist Ideas, Examples & Readers’ Questions

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An accident leads to a bad situation. The backhoe that Hero operates injures or kills a worker. Will Hero be charged? How will he deal emotionally with his part in the accident?
1. A place or person no longer exists. Hero has tracked a man who knows the location of the cult, but he’s dead. How can Hero find his wife now?
1. An overwhelming responsibility arises. Single Hero hikes a remote spot as a last hope to deal with mounting pressures in his life. He rescues an injured three-year-old survivor of a crashed Cessna, then loses all his equipment and food. Will he give up or cope?
1. The truth about biological parenthood is revealed. Hero learns his sole teenage son, who is nothing but nasty trouble, isn’t his own. Will he take the easy way out and leave?
1. People think the liberator they’ve expected has come. Hero comes home to his family and an old girlfriend. He’s broke and defeated, but townspeople think he’s the one who can save their town. Will he tell the truth, take advantage of them, or run?
1. Success turns out to be failure. Hero thinks he’s won Heroine, but she’s upset with how he treated the other contender. How can he show that his competition is an evil person?
1. Guilt won’t let go. Hero has performed a wrong and legally gotten away with it, but guilt grows and begins to consume him. Will he do what must be done to make things right?
1. An enemy is necessary. Hero’s enemy is the only one who can help him, so he allies with his enemy. What will happen after they succeed?
1. image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images
  Revenge presents itself. Heroine’s harassing ex uses evidence that wrongfully gets Hero arrested. How will Hero escape injustice?
1. Disbelief attacks a relationship. Hero doesn’t believe Heroine visited his enemy to help Hero’s cause. What will this do to their rocky relationship?
1. Moral standards lowered to satisfy a goal. Heroine lies that her illness is terminal to keep Hero from going on a dangerous mission. Will she lose Hero when he finds out the truth?
1. Temptation lures a poor choice. Just when Heroine is gaining her family’s trust by staying home more, she takes a career-promoting assignment overseas. Will her husband once again wait for her?