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“The archetypes are an infinitely flexible language of character...
They can help make our characters and stories psychologically realistic.”
— Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers |
“What a Character!”
Protagonist and Antagonist, with Archetypes
What makes a character compelling? To evaluate yours, consider:
Have you truly laid the plot foundation within your character development? Does your plot
arise from your character’s desires and fears, so readers will believe that your protagonist’s problem is valid
and consequential? Or did you instead start with a conflict, independent of character?
Conflict and character can’t effectively be glued together. In a strong story,
plot evolves from character. The following questions will help define your main character’s conflict as it will appear
in your story line (see Saturday session). These questions will also address credibility: Why is your character in
this story situation—and why does it matter?
Pre-workshop Assignment
Part A: Protagonist
Identify your protagonist, or main character. Answer the following:
1. What does your character want more than anything?
2. Why does your character want this?
3. What stands in this character’s way of getting what he or she wants?
4. What are the consequences of your character getting what he or she wants—and the
consequences of not getting it? |
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Pre-workshop Assignment
Part B:
Antagonist
Identify the antagonist, or force working against your protagonist, which may be:
1. Another character. In this case, answer Part A questions applied to your
antagonist.
2. Your protagonist working against himself or herself—for example, through erroneous
belief, fear, or another form of self-sabotage. Explain why your character holds this belief. What
prevents him or her from releasing it?
3. Your protagonist working against nature—for example, battling a blizzard. If nature
is the only antagonist in your story, brainstorm an additional character to work against the protagonist
in a more personal way. Then answer Part A questions about this new character. |
An unusual, creative group activity will
enliven our discussion. Of the myriad real-life archetypes we see, each has its psychological and dramatic
functions—as well as developmental levels and stages of growth. Over the weekend, we’ll explore these. For a
jumpstart, including a powerful prompt, read Laura Backes’ Children’s Book Insider article about archetypes.
It begins:
“A wise owl. A trickster fox. An innocent heroine who needs a brave warrior knight
to save her. How many stories can you name that have versions of these characters? Throughout the ages, writers
from William Shakespeare to George Lucas have drawn from archetypes, or prototypical characters, to populate their
stories. Certain character types have always fit into the literature that’s been passed down over time. Psychiatrist
Carl Jung said archetypes are part of our collective unconsciousness...” Read more.
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20 years of Master Class to Masterpiece