Much like the gods and goddesses of Hinduism and Yoruban spirituality reflect the forces of the human mind and heart, archetypes display aspects and dimensions of character and personality. They show the various degrees of evolution of the human soul from birth to death.
Archetypes and Story Read More »
“Summoned or not, the god will come.” –motto on the door of Carl Jung’s home. Archetypes help writers clarify a character’s function and role in the way of plot development and the evolution of personality regarding the protagonist. Stories are about growth and change. And archetypes carry energies.
Characters viewed as archetypes can be seen as facets of the protagonist’s personality come to greet her or him in the journey towards achieving a goal.
Archetypes and Human Needs Read More »
Conflict arises from a character seeking to achieve a goal and encountering an obstacle along the way. Another way of looking at this is CHARACTER + GOAL = CONFLICT. It is most helpful, when writing a story, if you can define the character’s goal in physical terms. But what if your protagonist desires love?
Conflict and Desire Read More »
A writer has three questions she or he must answer before or when beginning a story. Who is my protagonist? What does she or he want? And what is getting in her or his way? Each of these aspects delivers an important component of story. Together they create a force that propels plot. A story
Character, Goals and Obstacles Read More »
What a character hates or despises says much about what she or he loves, adores, and that for which she or he yearns. The adage, “You can’t hate what you don’t love,” is as true for our characters as it is for us. A protagonist who hates their mother or father, most likely yearns for
American Buddhist nun, Pema Chödrön, writes in “Comfortable with Uncertainty” that, “…When we start to meditate or work with any kind of spiritual discipline, we often think that somehow we’re going to improve [ourselves], which is a subtle kind of aggression against who we are…Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become
Loving Our Characters Read More »