Ok to be honest I always rolled my eyes at using personality type stuff to make characters cuz it just never worked for me. I think it was because I always looked at it as a way to create characters, not STRENGTHEN them like you mentioned. So now that I’m watching this I feel like I finally get the hype and I’m totally going to be using this for my main character!!
I totally get where you're coming from. When I first started writing, I just thought a character needed a name, a basic physical description and a few personality traits which ended up being 'she's kind, smart, caring' and a male character would be 'protective, tough, caring of those he loves'. But over the last decade I've expanded on my character profiles, dug deeper to find more traits for them and I try to 'interview' with each character once a week to help me get into their heads (I tried this with a male protag and I learned exactly what I was missing to flesh him out and kickstart his own character arc. Wow! What a great day!). About two years ago I started using their birthdates to find their astrological sign, or using their core personalities to track down their sign so I can generate a birthdate. And about a year ago I started adding in the complexities of their Hogwarts and Ilvermorny houses, their wands and patronuses to add more depth (I can't even explain how helpful this has been! I never would have pictured myself as a Hufflepuff as a kid but now I'm older and I wouldn't choose another house, and my wand is a unique mix that speaks to my being individual in all of my subtle ways, and my patronus is AMAZING in that its more than a cat....its a Norwegian Forest cat - an extremely tough wildcat in Norway that helped us to create the domesticate cats we have today. So even though the species is common and 'cute', which I'm totally okay with, they picked a breed that resonated with my own core beliefs and strengths in a different way from my House and wand. And I like my Ilvermorny house, too, but there's not a whole lot of info on those but I like the idea of being a Thunderbird Adventurer.), but because of the nature of the Pottermore tests, I'm only doing this for my favorite characters and I'm gonna have to find out for myself where each supporting character fits into the Hogwarts world. It won't be perfect but even creating that image, writing down that information, will be a big help because it'll add to my mental image of that character. And I've only recently started to use MBTI's for all of my characters as well, not just my favorite protags. When I took the test, I was floored by how accurate it was and it gave me a lot of answers to questions I literally hadn't asked, hadn't known I needed to ask, but gave me the tools to understand myself a bit better. Now I've applied it to my characters and its so much easier for me to switch into their mindsets. And I'm excited to add Enneagrams to the mix, to help me tap into what the characters believe which I can then use to figure out their needs, wants and misbeliefs.
The enneagram is new to me. I have a supporting character I am trying to flesh out. There is a conflict where this character’s identity is kept hidden from the main character as a means of protection, so much of what is done is outside of the main character’s sight and knowledge, at least until the point of revealing that hidden identity. What type or types would best fit a supporting character like this?
Be careful. if you talk to a psychologists they will point you are the eneagram is EXTREMELY faulty at pointing the conflicts and sufferings of a person. It is a very very simplistic tool that assumes are more or less NORMAL LIFE person. A simple example where it fail completely is in a War scenario.... the point is.. people are not FIXED forms... modern psychology doe snto support that people are of a type A or B, but that each build a set of tools and practices to deal with the environemnt and each moment you use a subset of that.
Since one of my protagonists is a psychologist I just had a meta thought that he'd probably know about the Enneagram. But EVER BETTER, he would be absolutely conflicted with his answer!!
TIMESTAMPS!!! 1- The Performer 4:40 2- The Helper 5:48 3- The Achiever 6:16 4- The Individualist 6:44 5- The Investigator 7:22 6- The Loyalist 7:51 7- The Enthusiast 8:24 8- The Challenger 8:57 9- The Peacemaker 9:30
I was so worried my character's misbelief/fear/desire didn't make much sense, as I'd based it off a pretty particular theme. Took the personality test for my character and was basically given the exact same fear/misbelief/desire I'd already planned out. Which is a huge help because now I know I'm on the right tract. Sure, this isn't a be all end all. But it was really helpful, and now I feel ready to move on to other characters. Thanks so much!
Just finished writing a YA book that has the Enneagram at the heart of the story, and a Five as the protagonist. MC's secretive personality doesn't allow her to deal with the truth/reality of her father's death (or any deep emotional pain), or to speak about it with others. She learns a better way to cope eventually... and therein lies the story.
I just decided this morning to watch your entire character series to help me with my novel, so this is an amazing coincidence: thank you for the amazingly helpful video!!
I just took the 16 Personalities test, answering as if I were my characters, and it was super helpful! It let me see how they would interact with each other, their motivations, etc.
Funny that this came up! My daughter, a life coach on personality types, says enneagram is better than MB because it shows weaknesses. Well done! This is what I am using.
Actually, the Mbti and enneagram complement eatch other, I saw a post that said the mbti is the glass, and the enneagram is the water, and both are ur personality.
Abbie, your writing channel is by far one of the best on youtube because you focus more on the internal aspect of storytelling-- the part that makes the story matter.
My MC is a type 6 but at the same time one of her desires is freedom even though she also wants security. She has a lot of internal conflict. Maybe she will find a balance!
I don’t comment often, but this helped me so much! I’m currently planning a novel. Without knowing it, I made one of my POV characters an enneagram type 3 and the other a type 5. Reading through the in depth descriptions is helping me tighten up their character arcs and giving me ideas for new conflicts and character interactions. It was so cool to read the descriptions and think, “That’s 100% my character!!!” Now I understand my imaginary friends better :)
This is so helpful! I was just thinking of how to apply the enneagram concepts to my characters. Thank you so much for breaking this down. I'm a 5 and I'm thinking my MC is a 3.
I was SO excited when I saw the title! I feel like a lot of people haven't heard of the enneagram before which is unfortunate because it's so interesting! My type is 4 and I have several protagonists but I'm pretty sure my central one is a 3. Also! I noticed the tin of Harney and Sons Paris tea in the background! XD I love that tea haha
I think my protagonist bleeds into about three of these... He definitely doesn't want to be seen as worthless or incompetent and works tirelessly to fix his perceived weaknesses, but he's also going through something of an identity crisis as he's never really had the guts to sit down and ask himself "who am I? What do I REALLY want out of life?" He's also an idealist, so he's very hard on himself and judgemental of others who fall short of his ideals. But especially towards himself.
in enneagram theory, people usually have a dominant type and then a "wing" that they share a lot of traits with so that's totally normal. and it's normal to relate to many or all types (this is based on the little I know about enneagram)
I've been obsessed with MBTI for the last year or so and know so much about my type (ENFP) only really discovered the Enneagram late last year, but couldn't figure out how to find out what mine was......now I know! Type 2w3 which makes 100% sense. I'm so glad that you're obsessed with this stuff too because everyone thinks I'm so weird. Hahahaha. I'm also loving your channel, you always have such great examples for everything you're talking about and it makes it so much easier to understand than a lot of other things I've watched or read. Thank you!!
Thanks a lot Abbie ! This is so helpful !! I believe in what you say about internal conflict but always got lost when trying to find answers even to the questions of your character template. The enneagram is going to help me alot with a new story I'm currently beginning to write, and it also just made me realize something that I think is of vital importance to a writer: your characters don't just fall in love with each other because they're handsome or funny or smart, or just because you decided it would be so before you even began writing. They do because they fill each other's NEEDS, because their personalities are complementary. I think this as well is going to improve my writing a looooot. Thank you for your awesome content, I love the energy on your channel, you sound so passionate & everything is fun with you !
I first heard of the enneagram when a friend was suggesting it to help me create characters. She’s not even a writer but now I know that that’s a brilliant idea! When I finally got a handle on the enneagram I tried to figure out which type my characters were but I just couldn’t figure it out. I already had my second draft completed so I was kind of working backwards. (And since I’m finding out I lean more towards the pantser side I prolly will always be working backwards on figuring out my characters enneagram) anyway, but I LOVE this system you’ve created to finding your characters enneagram and I LOVE that it ties into the theme!! So important and so brilliant of you! Thank you for this!! I’m writing a love triangle and I now know my MCs enneagram and the 2 love interests too! The MC is a 3w2, one love interest is a 2w1 and the other is an 8, not sure about his wing yet. THANK YOUUUUU!!
This is a brilliant episode. I’ve been obsessed with Myers-Briggs, but had only a passing knowledge of Enneagrams. I love how you put it to use for character development - really something I hadn’t thought about and I’ve spent more than a few years with different character development methods. After watching this the f irst time I took a couple of online tests (I seem to be a solid 4, but that could be the Norco talking…😊) and thanks to your intervention I have a good idea how to proceed with applying it to my current novel in progress. I only recently found your RU-vid (Praise the Algorithm)to ooand I’m thoroughly enjoying going through your catalog. I follow you on Patreon and I’m looking forward to perusing your archive and catching your new episodes (and your sister’s). Your content is superior and that’s what matters. You have amazing production values and that makes your work art unto itself. Thanks for sharing your talent and wisdom.
I love MBTI and never really looked into enneagrams. This video was so helpful and I’ll definitely be using them now. I always find something in your videos that I’ve learned, but completely spaced when writing. Your videos are fantastic and I’m obsessed!! I just ordered your book because I’ve been so into your videos. 💛
Just took the instinctual version of the test for myself and the results gave me chills. During my next writing session, at a moment when I am deeply emersed in my first person protagonist's world view, I will go take the test again. I can already see that this is going to be instrumental for me, both inside my fictional worlds and out here in the real. Thanks!
12:41 -- Very good point. I'll never forget a review of one of Arthur C. Clarke's novels that said that the trouble with all the dialogue between his characters is that it sounds like Arthur C. Clarke talking to himself. I take that assessment as a cautionary tale for my own writing.
Hi! I've been studying storytelling by a more "plot driven" perspective with books like Story Engineering, Save the Cat! and Book Architecture, along with some character oriented books like Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland. But I really liked the way you present story drawing as character oriented process, in the sense that although important, plot must be justified, and is linked to, the character arc. So, I would like to know if there are some books that you recommend to study in more depth this approach. I already pinch Story Genius and Wired for Story from your videos, and find this book: How to Write Great Characters - The Key to Your Hero's Growth and Transformation, which I think is about using the ENNEAGRAM on character creation, but I didn't find any other book, specially regarding the plot structure of external events and its connection to the character arch and its progression. I'm loving your videos and sorry for the odd English, but I'm Brazilian and an English self learner.
I first watched this video a year ago, and it was my first encounter with Abbie. I can't overstate how much I have learned from her! So thankful I stumbled upon this when I did. I've been in the brainstorming/outlining process for a novel this past year and I can't imagine doing it without the principles I've learned on Abbie's channel!
a couple months ago i came up with this idea of using the enneagram for my characters but they started to get muddled and i was discouraged. i’m so excited that i found this video and your channel because you’ve given me hope!! i’m trying to re-spark my enthusiasm for the novel i’m working on and taking small steps with character building is helping so much. thank you!
I was scouring RU-vid a few days ago looking for a youtuber who gives practical, specific writing advice and I magically found this channel. New subscriber here! Love this content!
This is exactly what I needed right now. I was having trouble feeling one of my MC's was deep enough. I realized watching this that he is #4, the individualist. What I was missing was his desire to individuate himself. At the same time I realized I needed some work on a second MC. He is a mix of #2 and 3, the helper and the achiever. I realize I could do more to deepen his complexity and conflict in a way that better serves his relationship with other characters.
I was listening to the description of #1 and thinking "that's me!" Then I listened to the rest and saw myself in a bunch (but not all). I'm going to try using the enneagram role as a place where my character is the strongest, but also not be afraid of mixing and matching in other types as appropriate. Actually, that probably makes for a better character. Thanks for the video!
abbie I just wanted to come back and say thank you because this was genuinely some of the most useful advice I've ever been given- I implemented it into my newest story plan and so many things make sense now that didn't before! I think I'm going to be using this hack from now on - thank youuuu x
I am a 4W5 and I agree that this is a good starting place for character development. It gets tricky however when you go into other "realms." The more "alien" or "unusual" a character the more distinctive they may become. These characters may well be better suited to relating to your theme. Enneagrams are still essential, however, as your story will have many characters and ALL of them have some sort of desire and fear.
Hi Abbie. I think that most people are a mix of these. I don't think you would fit into the first category like myself, for you seem to be agreeable and not judgmental as a person. People that have a very strong moral compass and a very rigid and unshakeable sense of right and wrong, like Atticus Finch will not hesitate to express negative or even seemingly condemning criticism, something that would render them quite unpleasant. I personally think that you would be a mix of the following: The helper, the enthusiast and the peacemaker. Due to your highly extroverted nature, you are willing to be of help towards others, but in return you expect appreciation and confirmation. You really enjoy having your curiosity satisfied but only as a means to keep yourself intellectually pleasantly occupied, not out of some fear that is rooted in some sort of traumatic past that compels you to feel in control of the situation, so that the painful experience will not repeat itself. Finally, having seen you interact with your sister, even though you were the more talkative type, when she did express herself in a more precise and reserved manner, almost taciturn, you never turned her down, you never berated her, you never interrupted her flow. On the contrary you were open to examining things under a new light. Which means, that you tend to absorb and almost yield to an opinion opposing yours, instead of clearly expressing that you disagree. Achiever and Investigator are types of qualities less pronounced within you, for you do take good care of yourself as well as the space where you record your videos but not to the point of an obsessive neuroticism. If someone messes around a little bit with the order which has been established, you will not reprimand this person as if he were committing a sacrilege. That is what pure perfectionist types would do. Your inquisitive type of personality is transparent, but in order to qualify as an investigator your perception of threat would have to be much higher, so that your survival instinct would point you towards maintaining the upper hand in order to ensure a fragile sense of safety. Anyway, could be wrong. Keep up being in high spirits!
This is the video I was looking for. It's been a struggle for me writing my characters especially antiheroes with blurred moral codes due to not being very familiar on how to determine an individual's beliefs. It was fun watching all of Abbie's videos on story arch structures, outlining, and a whole bunch of her other discussions out there, but I guess it's about time I should continue working on my own novel. A graphic novel to be more specific by the way.
Seems like you could create a really deep character and plot just by taking of these and outlining their backstory, figuring out how their past has effected the manner in which they pursue their basic desire. Maybe also figure out where they are on the introvert-extrovert scale to clarify how they go about it but that should be just about all the info you need.
I didn't use the Enneagram to create my characters, but my MC ist definitly a Nr 8, and his fears and desires fit in. Nice tool, it's fun to check the characters and see how it all works together
This video is fantastic! I've been watching your channel for a few days now, originally trying to create good dialogue and stay true to my characters' personalities in a story that I'm writing. But I stayed and have watched nearly 20 of your videos! Checking for Enneagram types and MBTI's has helped me feel so much better about the characters in my story, and I've had way too much fun nailing down the fears, desires and misbeliefs based on their types. And it fits excellently! Thanks for the help, Abbie! You've got a subscriber out of me!
Just yesterday I dabbed into Enneagram and I immediately though how useful it would be to help create realistic and compelling characters. And today I discovered your video about that! A well explained video that introduced this typology clearly, with great exemples. Like you, I think personality types are a great tool for self improvement and writing. For the last months I "studied" MBTI. It's different from Enneagram but I think it could be a complementary tool to flesh out characters. Especially for a story with more than one POV, I think it could help give everyone their unique perspective and voice.
My MC is an artist in a future world and she fits into type 4 so well without me even realising I was using that. But now I can streamline it more and reinforce it, in as subtle a way as I can
I read The Wisdom Of The Enneagram ages ago and I always thought it was interesting. To be honest, I found it much more science based version of the Zodiac signs before I read it. Afterwards, I definitely had a lot more respect for it. To this day, I don't know many people outside of this video that's even heard of the Enneagram,. much less used for the purpose. It's very cool to see.
I am a type 8, but I used to be more of a seven when I was younger. I still hold on to my seven wing at times, but I am very distinctly an eight. My next protagonist in a seven with a wing of six and it's been fun to learn about that type of character and, simultaneously, learn more about myself and how I used to be.
I took the test in the description. It said that I’m a 6, but from the description it gave me, that just means I have anxiety and trust issues, which I already knew.
Some character examples for a few enneagrams are: Draco Malfoy for type 3 Harry Potter for type 9 Angela from The Office for type 1 Dwight Shrute for type 6 and Michael Scott for type 7 Also, you should look into triads in the enneagram as well and the SLOAN typing system
I'm creating a character, and I have a backstory and some basic personality traits. I 'm looking for ideas to help flesh her out. I'm familiar with the Enneagram but hadn't thought to use that until watching this. What's interesting is how perfectly the personality bits I already had aligned with the enneagram. She's someone who is motivated by empathy to help people (base 2). She's a traveler who has seen a lot of garbage and injustice that she tries to fight to change (1 wing). She is quick to anger and gets into fights easily, as a defense mechanism (8 stress). And she is trying to get back home to her family, a literal place of magic (4 growth).
I know how you feel about the Enneagram. I love talking about it and diving deeper. I am a 1 as well, with a double wing (2 & 9-- which means basically I lean into either a 2 or a 9 depending on the day, or the hour, or lets be honest, by the minute) I knew I wanted to figure out my characters' numbers but I hadn't taken the time to do it. But I feel like it right now lol. I've got 7 couples to type (7 books in the series I'm writing) and another handful of regular side characters that i'd love to figure out. I've got both of my first couple narrowed down but I need to continue working on it. This video is 3yrs old so feel free to revisit this now that you're further along in your Enneagram journey ;) I'd love to know how its going.
I know this is an older video, but it was super helpful to me. i am also a lover of the Enneagram so I will definitely be watching all your videos with Enneagram info next. Thanks so much
I found your channel this week and you have such a clear, direct way of boiling down story into a concise package that I can wrap my head around so much more easily. The comments I get from agents are that my writing, description, etc, are great, but plots need work. After watching many of your videos... I think it's truly my CHARACTERS that need work! This feels like a breakthrough. And this method of using the Enneagram is completely revolutionary. Thank you so much for this channel!
I adore Larkrise to Candleford, and i’m so happy you dropped some refernces to it here. I think Harriet Smith from Emma fits neatly into the Peacemaker category. And seriously> this is a fantastic way to focus on some inner conflict and keeping it very separate from the exterior goal. Ilove this video
Thank you for your video! Type 5 here! When you gave examples for each type I struggled a bit to relate since a majority came from Chick flicks. I know I know. I'm an uncultured nerd of anime and comic books still I got a lot of value, thank you!
Thank you Abbie! I adore using personality type stuffs for myself and my own life as well as for creating characters. I'm definitely type 7 and ENFP so I'm just all over the place with ideas, always thriving for entertainment. My novel's MC is somewhere around a type 1 and a type 2, in having as main desires to feel loved and to do the right thing. I would say that she naturally is a type 1 but her life's experience made her tends on a type 2 kind of emotional person. Thanks for the sheet, super handy!
I freaking love the enneagram! Thanks for making a video explaining how to use it for character development! If you want examples of how the different types play out for real people, I recommend a podcast called Typology hosted by Ian Morgan Cron. Its a real banger.
I'm a year and a half too late here but I thought I'd answer this to help your YT algorithm. Also as someone who can talk Enneagram all day long, I know I'd love to hear my readers' Enneagram types even a year and a half late. I'm a devastated 2w3 whose worst fears were confirmed on both the 2 main type and 3 wing last year, and is still trying to find the road back. I write protagonists of all 9 types, but I have particular difficulty writing 7's.
Abbie, as a fellow Abbie, may I just say, you’re channel is the best RU-vid channel. Ever. School is out and I am binge watching u every day while plotting my novel and you have helped more than you know, from clearing the fog in creating characters or pushing thru my personal doubts and fears, you are DA BEST. Thanku thanku. ~Abbie P.S. also, as a fellow personality nerd, I loved this video, and, I confess, am just dying to know what your Myer-Briggs type is…? Lol thx
I always shyed away from these eneagrams in my character sheets because I grouped it with the 16 personalities. I saw it as limiting & I was told the personalities were inaccurate so I assumed the eneagrams were too. Little did I realize, I was already inspired by a few that I saw in a video about creating villains. I just didn't know it was these. I just picked up a few things in the video and used it in this story i'm currently planning. When I saw this title, the first time, I rolled my eyes but then later, for my theme, i chose to watch it, and I realized it. I was too ignorant & stubborn before despite not knowing what they were.
Okay so, you said that if we had something to say about the enneagram types we should comment here. So I'm not here to judge how you typed each character, since I think you're mostly right, but it's more about the enneagram itself and how you explained it. You really explained it well, and explaining more would make the video too long. First, the enneagram you talked about was the Core descriptions. Like just e7 or e8 etc. But in Enneagram there are also the Wings which are "w8" "w2" etc, There's also the subtypes, like So/Social, Sx/Sexual/One-to-one and Sp/self-preservation/conservation which are applied on each Enneagram, There's also the tritypes/trifix which you take your enneagram and two others from the other two triads. (The triads: Gut-e8, e9, e1 Heart-e2, e3, e4 Head-e5, e6, e7). For example I personally am a Self-preservation 7 with a wing in 6 and as fixes (from trifix) 2 and 1. Which I will write, Sp721(w6). The best test is Sakinorva Enneagram test, sakinorva.net/test/enneagram
My primary protagonist is somewhere between a 5 and a 6. She is broken 6 with significant trust issues and lack of relationships growing up so she overcommitted to her 5 tendencies to cover her insecurities. She likes to hide behind the confident investigator veil but her arc will revolve around learning to trust others and help others. It's somewhat similar to me but I like to think I am a lot healthier than she is at the start haha
I just want to specify that MBTI is not about How you behave it's about WHY you behave. What causes you to behave in a certain way. Many people miss this but it's important to distinguish because this is how we end up with annoying things like "that person's super emotional they MUST be INFP" when they could literally be any type. Also, I'm INFP enneagram type 4. I read type 4's description and already knew it was me. Didn't even need the test lol.
I just did a test and it turned out I'm the loyalist. I was a skeptic, thinking that it can't be so easy to just classify someone, however, being a loyalist is so true, that now I started to believe in the enneagram. Also, great video! I've learned so much!
Hi! Thanks Abbie, this will help so much!! (I'm a 9, btw 😁) My current protagonist's enneagram type is a 7. She's constantly seeking fulfillment and not finding it...yet.
I am always a bit cautious regarding this kind of tests, but, of course, I was curious and took the Enneagram test. It turned out I was a Five and the description on their website is really me in a nutshell;-) Amazing. Since I am really struggling with the internal conflict of my protagonist, I now have a more precise sense of what he is dealing with on the inside. (It might be not too narcissistic to write a first character that one feels most close to, right?) This was great help, thanks a lot, Abbie! I am new to your channel and highly appreciate the enthusiastic and well-organized work you do here. Good luck for your own writing:)
It's surprising how many people shirk advice on Enneagrams. I've been using it (Richard Rohr's book in particular) for years. I've tried sharing it with friends, talking it up, heaping praise on the thing, and reactions always seem the same: a shrug, an eye roll, a loose promise to look into it. Few ever do. People don't know what they're missing out on. Nine numbers. That's plenty to go around for your characters.
Someone on the NaNoWriMo forums recommended your channel, so I've been going back through a bunch of your videos... I know this is a couple years late, but I love the idea of using Enneagram types to this degree to help build characters! Personally, taking the Enneagram test was weird for me, because I got two really close. 9w1 was one possibility and the one I feel like I maybe vibe with most; I was only four points higher on 9 than on 4, though, and my w1 was really low. 4w5 is another possibility; I scored slightly lower on 4, as I said, but my w5 was actually quite high, much more so than my w1. I've been considering myself 9w1 mostly because "Nine" by Sleeping At Last hits me REALLY HARD in some parts (though so does "Four" tbh). It was really cool to explore the story I'm working on this NaNo through Theme and Enneagrams. My theme is something like "sometimes it's more important to come together than get ahead," and I already knew that my main character's main flaw(s) would be that they're dishonest and a bit self-centered. Their misbelief (that I hadn't really thought about before your channel) would probably, in this case, be that you have to hustle and focus on your own desires to achieve them (not wrong, imo, but incomplete without the community-minded element), and I think their fear would be that they won't be capable of accomplishing their goals in the end, that the people they want to impress won't think they're anything special. I think this clearly places them as a 3, an Achiever, and probably given other story and personality elements, a 3w4. And figuring this out was really cool; I'll have to go through this with my MC's love interest and best friend as well as the antagonist, and maybe one or two other key characters, in order to figure them out as well! (Is the love interest a 9w1 like I might be or are they a 5w6? Is my antagonist a 7w8, or a more imbalanced 3w4, like a dark mirror of my MC? I can't wait to tool around this Preptober and nail that down before NaNo starts!)
Such an informative, amazing video like normal!! I think my enneagram is type 9 but I haven't properly looked into it yet, and, my protagonists type is type 8! :) Also, i'm not sure if you have already, but you should totally do a video about how you plan your plot for your novel, that would be amazing! Thank you for such being such an amazing and helpful youtuber
She did create a video about that a few years ago. Its a good video I 10/10 would recommend going to watch it. I would also recommend watching her plotting videos as well. They are very helpful.
I've just learned what enneagram's are, and yes, I will be diving so deep into this I lose track of time and reality itself and remerge into society like I'd been living in the woods for weeks lol. Thank you for explaining this so well! I've downloaded the cheat sheet and will definitely be checking out your other videos :)
I'm writing and listening, not really looking at the screen and as soon as you started describing "Helper", my head shot up and looked at the screen, everything that was there was definitely me! lol
I just finished abook named The tears of Mount Sinjar. It was so good, and it came up on Amazon's recondition. The book and the character were amazing, I was engaged right to the end of the book, like I was with them felt I'm part of the book,. I know it was fiction, but I keep thinking about how they are now. Hands down, I appreciate a good writer more than anything.
I've also been studying the Enneagram for a little over a year. I dabbled in it about 3 or 4 years ago, but hadn't really taken the time to truly learn about it until recently. I'm a 6 with a 7 wing myself. My female MC is a 7, I think, and my male MC is a 1.
My story has nine main characters (two pov protagonists). Yesterday I tried typing my characters into enneagram types, not only based on the quizzes but by also reading about them and all of them have different enneagrams songs I think it’s helpful to make the characters have very different problems and ways of dealing with it
I knew what my protagonist fears and what she strives towards from the beginning but never found the proper words to bring that to paper until figuring out her enneagram! It is pretty funny that i worked so hard on making her a different MBTI type than me but she still ended up having the same enneagram type 😅 I guess I truly have a message i need to learn myself as well to bring to paper. I think it is also interesting that although I am the rarest MBTI my enneagram is pretty common. I love how that actually describes me pretty well
Just took the test! I'm a type 2-Helper wing-3 Achiever. Which...makes a lot of sense, haha! My protagonist in one of my stories is definitely type 3, Achiever. The other protagonist is probably more align with me as type 2, Helper. I'm excited to explore the other types in future characters! Thanks for the awesome video, Abbie!!
Yeah I'm an 1 haha. - So funny. Also busy writing a book for filmmakers - and stumbled upon the enneagram a month ago. Definitely including this in my book along with the typical archetypes we all know.
I never gotten into MBTI because my result kept fluctuating every time. The website's graphics and UI are the only reasons I revisit, lol. Also, I could never remember which I was specifically; the differences blur. Way too many and too overlapping. My uni introduced me to Enneagram, and even though I've only taken it once and it's been a while, I still recognize what I got.
I'd been working on a screenplay about a guy who wants to be a superhero almost solely for the recognition. He felt he had no value if he wasn't loved for how he helped people. Someone recommended the enneagram to me and I found out I'm a type 2 and was like "good god" lol.
Just wanted to add something: I personally reject using the enneagram because of its occultist origins and the spiritual ways it can be used. I felt like this is part of its story too - even the origin -, and I feel uncomfortable just looking over it. I rather find my character's DFM by "asking" them directly - it feels more natural an less chliche, but this is just my opinion. For the occultist origin - this is just for anyone who didn't know this. Otherwise, I like how Abbie digs deep into the conflict of a person and makes characters 3-dimensional. Thank you for that!
Love using enneagrams & you might be the only Authortuber I've seen talk about it! I'm definitely a 4 which is probably why I love writing from my WIPs MC's POV (she's also a 4). Some of the names are different but same basic concept. Mine has breakdown of fears & also using the numbers to plot character arcs. Yup, Im obsessed too lolz.
ABBIE ABBIE ABBIE! I love love love you way too muchhh for someone I’ve never known. Your passion for psychology and writing and figure skating and optimism makes my heart melt LIKE ICE-CREAM ON WAFFLES!!! You inspire me and you help me make my dreams come TRUE. We NEED more youtubers like you in the authortube community!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much to me, and I am thrilled that the content I make encourages you to chase your dreams and make your story MATTER!
Thanks so much for the links! I took the test and as usual I don’t fit neatly anywhere. I have almost two equal main types and two equal wings. It explains a lot. 😉 I always download your ‘cheat’ sheets they are so helpful. Thank youuuuuu!
