Essay On Character Archetypes

Many people find writing difficult, and others may find it easy. There are many details to think about, and each one can be a struggle. Some people can create a plot easily but when it comes to the setting they don’t know what to do. Some people might only be able to create characters and settings but not know where to start with the plot. Some people have great characters, settings, and a great plot but don't know where to start with the actual process of writing the story. Every detail of a story has little details of its own too, like a character's backstory or creating the culture of a whole fantastical country. The writing process can be broken down into steps, like creating the characters, the details of your world, the plot of your story

However, creating characters can be difficult, there's a lot to think about when creating a unique character. The personality of the character, their backstory, and how the character would develop as the story progresses are just a few of the details one can add to make the characters feel more unique and realistic. Figuring out a character's personality can be made a lot easier when taking a look at character archetypes. Character archetypes are things that can be used as a baseline for who a character is. Some people might be familiar with some of the most basic archetypes constantly used in the media like the rebel or mean cheerleader. There are also some things called the Myers-Briggs personality types, or even the enneagram types that people may recognize, those are also archetypes. One of the first documentations of archetypes was by Carl Jung, who believed these archetypes were deeply rooted in our history and our minds (Gaynor-Guthrie, 2023). The protagonist of a story often follows the hero archetype, the character that sets out on a quest to save someone or something and stop something perceived as “bad” or “evil.” This is one of Carl Jung’s archetypes, but as the years came and went, more and more archetypes were created. It’s hard for a character to not follow an

It's why they are the way they are and why they do what they do. One thing that can help create backstories is creating a timeline of events in their life. Answering questions like whether or not they had a good relationship with their parents or any romantic relationships can establish a base for a character’s experiences. However, it is best not to go overboard in writing the story. A backstory should only include details relevant to the story (Guide & Brown, 2021). Backstories provide a reason for their action in the present timeline of the story the character is a part of. If a character is fighting against oppression, their backstory should talk about their experience with it and show how it affected their life or the lives of their loved ones. A backstory should usually include their family, education, friends, lovers, work experience, and other details that can help reveal who they are. Many authors draw from their personal experiences to create their characters' stories, because it is easier to write what they already know (Silvera, n.d.). Even when an author knows their character’s backstory it can be hard to tell the