I see you have considered books targeted more towards the field of psychology in understanding characters. Have you ever come across Steven Reiss, who wrote the book "Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities?" Perhaps I am exposing my own bias (and maybe the very reason I can't exceed a short story as of yet), but I honestly feel this gives one the understanding to get at the heart of character motivation. A student may want to pass a test, but that doesn't make us care. What makes us care is why. In this case, perhaps the student wants to pass their final exam because they see it as the last domino to fall between them and the life they believe academic success promises them. It isn't the test that the student wants, but they inherent "basic desire" they believe passing that test would fulfill - perhaps in this case Independence, or acceptance
Now halfway through your book. I love grand theories. Yours covers so many situations and fits them into a neat framework, like MBTI. Other people write about different archetypes but not their arcs. Others come up with their own structure but it is one-size-fits-all. You have given us a grand theory of archetypes, their arcs, and how they link to each other. Thank you.
Just watching this... I had started down the feminine version of the Hero's Journey a couple of years ago, with Maureen Murdock's book, which I really liked. I just recently bought Gail Carriger's book, so I'm excited to keep plugging away at my manuscript. I just recently heard about your character archetypes book, so I would definitely like to read that. It's come highly recommended!
I found your podcast breaking down the Maiden arc and it was a game changer! I’m halfway through Kim Hudson’s book now. I’ll definitely be picking up yours next! It feels so good to know what I’m writing is already a thing that I blindly hit beats on. No more square peg for that round hole. What a relief. Thank you for all you do! Peace and blessings ❤
I think it's a brilliant book. I'm only about half way through. It would also be a good framework for teaching English/English Literature - even just taking the basic idea of different stages of life.
She: Understanding Feminine Psychology by Robert A. Johnson The current printing was 2020. I read it around 1990. A short and interesting comment on how girls become women, using the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros.
I just want to say, I thoroughly enjoy what I’ve seen of your work and your insights into writing. I would also like to ask if you have any good resources for finding critique partners? It is dreadfully difficult in my neck of the woods to find that kind of support. Thank you again for all the good you’ve brought to us writers so far!
Hey! Thanks for the kind words. :) You might check out the "writing buddy roundup" I posted recently, which allowed writers to seek critique partners in the comments. There are a LOT of comments at this point, so you might find a good fit. And if you don't want to scroll through all the comments, I will be refreshing the post again sometime in the future so people who didn't find a partner can repost. www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/need-a-writing-buddy/
It's so great to see you back on RU-vid and I am going to buy a copy of your book today :) I do have a question I would really appreciate your take on: For years I have written stories based on individuals with a lot of attention to individual character arcs and progressions, but as I am getting older I find the focus on one singular individual in my writing to be more and more limiting. Do you have any advice on writing “ensemble” stories? (I'm a huge fan of films like "Magnolia" and "Short Cuts")
Interesting video! I have a question about Negative Arcs... I know you've talked about three kinds of Negative Arcs on your blog. However, is there such a thing as a Negative Flat Arc (character clings to the same Lie)? It seems to make sense that there would be, but I'm not sure if I've ever heard any writers talk about it. I'm thinking of this arc as more for a supporting character since I'm not sure how effective it would be if used for an MC.
The way I learned my big life lessons follows the hero’s journey, and I’m a female 😊. So the deep underlying beats are the same for the heroine’s journey and the hero’s journey - it’s just that men and women have different lessons to learn 😁.
Good morning! I am working on a story now that includes a young boy as a "King" archetype. In my research, I found a sub-archetype called the "Divine-Child Archetype". What are your thoughts on this idea? (I trust you way more than I trust the website I found it on:)
As I see it, the Divine Child fits more properly in the youthful arcs of Maiden and Hero. However, there can certainly be crossover. For instance, if the Divine Child holds a great deal of power--and sacrifices it--that will certainly mirror a King Arc.
