hey writers in honor of the paperback of my fantasy novel finally publishing next week i
asked you guys what writer topic you'd like to see this week and a bunch of you were really excited
to learn how to use the enneagram to develop strong relatable characters just like i did
with my large cast of faeries i think we can all agree that having strong characters in our books
is essential while our story concept might draw readers in what they stay for are the characters
if our characters don't feel believable or relatable in a way that gets the readers invested
into their journey it's more likely that they'll just put the book down and never reach the end
of the stories that we've worked so hard on while editing my series that has one main character but
four other pretty important supportive characters a pixie pirate a mute beast tamer a flirtatious
merman a half-blind artist and a pompous princess all competing for the faerie crown i worked really
hard to go deep with these characters to make each one distinct relatable compelling and for
each one to have their own character arc and the easiest tool i found to help me do this by far is
the enneagram while i still make use of character profiles which can be really helpful if they're
set up effectively many profile templates i've seen include so many extraneous things that don't
often feel pertinent to my character or my story and i found that these type of profiles actually
distract and frustrate me more than help me nail down my character and actually get to writing
using the enneagram however has really streamlined my process to creating a great foundation for
really strong characters so in this video i'm excited to show you what i've come to believe
are the essentials for making a strong relatable believable fleshed-out character or even a large
cast of characters and their character arcs and how the enneagram pretty much gives us all the
basics we need i'll give a quick overview of the enneagram it's nine types and tips for how
you can use it to create your characters along with specific examples of characters from popular
stories like harry potter marvel's adventures and the tv show friends plus my own characters from
my serial series on wings of ash and dust which is finally coming out as one complete paperback novel
in less than a week and if you stay until the end i'll share how you can download an easy enneagram
reference guide for character building that i've seriously been wanting to put together forever
plus my free character profile based on this process it's been so great to see reviewers of
my series comment on how real and flesh out my characters are so i can't wait for you to use
this tool to help get the same kind of reactions from your readers first let's talk about the main
things i've come to feel are essential for any character aka if nothing else this is what goes
in my character profiles and how the enneagram basically gives you everything you need to fill
out each item for the essentials i like to use the list jessica brody gives in her novel craft
book save the cat writes a novel because she focuses less on the nitty-gritty details at first
like what's their favorite snack but instead focuses on what character elements will help
us shape the transformation or growth arc the character must go through throughout the story
to learn their life lesson i've come to believe that a compelling character arc is what really
takes hold of a reader and doesn't let them go until the end because that's what each of us are
ultimately going through in our own lives too we can find almost any character super relatable as
we watch them desire something deeply struggle tooth and nail to get it finally figure out what
they've been missing all this time and eventually grow from a place of weakness to strength broken
to healing beaten down to victorious believing lies to believing the truth and changing from
wanting a superficial desire to a deep-seated need to do this save the cat outlines the following
things to figure this out one who basically is your hero maybe the initial inspiration you had
for them their gender age personality physical appearance strengths and skills then jessica
says to focus on their weaknesses which leads to their main problems or flaws also their backstory
where their wounding shard of glass lie misbelief whatever you want to call it that's causing their
problems and flaws came from and how that brought about their deepest fears this then leads to an
external goal they have or if you want to call that a desire a want of motivation but ultimately
leads to an internal need the truth or life lesson they need to learn in order to experience
transformation which could also be translated as your book's theme and of course we have to think
about those pesky obstacles internal and external that they'll have to overcome along the way
so how do you effectively come up with all these things this is where the enneagram is a lifesaver
so what's the enneagram according to a research i've done the enneagram is a typology system that
describes human personality as nine distinct yet interconnected personality types each of these
can help you develop more of who your hero is and we'll do a quick overview of each type in just a
bit within that personality each type usually has certain strengths that come out when they're in
a healthy or safe place in their life and also weaknesses that come out when they're unhealthy
or in stress these strengths and weaknesses are usually rooted in the person's childhood
or backstory in some way which leads to a core wounding shard of glass lie misbelief and fears
are we seeing where this is connecting a little bit to what we just talked about these woundings
give this type a core motivation or want or desire which can lead to a certain kind of external goal
but ultimately the enneagram's goal is not to label people or put them in a box with their
personality type but instead the enneagram is all about transformation it's designed to help someone
become the healthiest version of themselves by identifying what a certain type's biggest internal
need is the obstacles that might get in the way of them getting to their need and how ultimately to
get them there just like a character arc isn't it cool to see how everything the enneagram gives us
actually ends up fulfilling all the essentials to any character arc that we listed before so what
are these enneagram types and how can you use them for your characters first here's a diagram that
shows the nine basic types what they're sometimes called and how they are interconnected but as i go
into each more in depth let me first make this clear that the descriptions i'm about to give you
are not my own but are a collection of things i found helpful from a bunch of different enneagram
resources like the book on the screen the road back to you which i love and highly suggest
reading and the enneagram institute website which i'll share links to that and a bunch of others
down below if you're anything like me you might want to take a few notes on each type as i talk
about them but i'll also share at the end how you can download that easy enneagram reference sheet
so feel free to sit back and just take it all in as well i'll also list some characters that fit
these types from other stories and it might be fun to try to identify which type fits your characters
or even which one you might be yourself let's start at the beginning with type 1 commonly
called the perfectionist but i've also heard it referred to as the reformer which i kind of prefer
overall ones are conscientious and ethical with a strong sense of right and wrong they are teachers
crusaders and advocates for change always striving to improve things but afraid of making a mistake
while organized orderly and fastidious they try to maintain high standards but can slip
into being critical and perfectionistic digging a little deeper some of their strengths are being
responsible and idealistic while some of their weaknesses are sometimes being judgmental and
hyper-perfectionistic then if we look at more of their transformation journey and arc where they
will begin is often with a fear or lie which for type 1 is usually corruption they fear becoming
bad evil or defective saying to themselves i'll only have peace on the inside when everything is
perfect on the outside their key desire or want is perfection to be good to have integrity to be
balanced and their key motivation our goal is to be right to strive higher and improve everything
to be consistent with their ideals to justify themselves to be beyond criticism so as not to
be condemned by anyone when they're in a place of stress their flaws come out and like an unhealthy
four this is being moody and irrational but as they grow the healing message or inner need or
truth they need to learn is you don't need to be perfect to be good you are loved in all your
imperfection tranquility only comes when you surrender your compulsive need for perfection
and stop stifling your emotions in a healthy place once become more like a healthy seven
more spontaneous and joyful and at their best they are wise discerning realistic and noble
and can often be morally heroic some examples i have on the left here are harry potter captain
america from the avengers and monica from the tv show friends but what about type 2 the helper
twos are empathetic sincere and warm-hearted they are friendly generous and self-sacrificing
but can also be sentimental flattering and people-pleasing they are well-meaning and
driven to be close to others but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed they
typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs their strengths
are being kind and generous while their weaknesses are sometimes being intrusive and needy on their
journey to transformation they might start out believing the lie of unworthiness they fear being
unloved or unwanted for just being themselves and having needs they might say to themselves i
am unlovable the only way to be loved is through hiding my vulnerabilities their key desire is to
be loved and valued their goal is to be loved to express their feelings for others to be needed
and appreciated in stress they're like unhealthy aids aggressive and dominating but once they
embrace their inner need or truth they start believing that it's healthy to have needs that
they are loved and wanted just as they are in a place of growth they are like healthy for
self-nurturing and emotionally aware and at their best they are unselfish altruistic and have
unconditional love for others examples of a two might be dobby from harry potter spider-man from
the avengers gunther from friends and then i've also included my character aeron from on wings of
ash and dust if you want to hear how i figured out how aeron is in enneagram 2 how figuring that out
helped me develop his character more plus the same kind of behind the scenes details for each of my
characters you can check out this video i did last year starting at the 26 minute mark where i go
super in depth and we had a lot of fun talking about these characters i really struggled with
aeron in the beginning particularly because i wasn't fleshing him out enough on the page
for everybody to really love him especially my developmental editor who actually wanted uh quinn
to be romantic interests with somebody else and um so we talked through this and i thought that
aeron was a seven which is the optimist or enthusiast but then i was talking with my editor
and she and was telling her like all the things that like i really feel he is and she's like i
don't think he's a seven i think you're playing him as a seven but i think what you really think
about him is that he is a two the helper which yes which is hollywood thinking i was like you
know what i think he's a two yes for now let's go to type three the achiever threes are self-assured
attractive and charming ambitious competent and energetic they can also be status conscious and
highly driven for advancement they typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness
their strengths are being productive and adaptable while their weaknesses are being overly image
conscious and sometimes out of touch with their emotions at the beginning of a story their main
fear might be worthless being without value apart from their achievements basically believing i am
what i do their key desire is being valued to feel worthwhile their goal is to be affirmed
to distinguish themselves from others to have attention to be admired and to impress others
in stress they are like unhealthy nines disengaged and apathetic but the truth they need to embrace
is it's okay to just be you are loved for who you are not what you accomplish when healthy and
embracing this truth they are like healthy sixes more cooperative and committed to others and at
their best they are self-accepting authentic role models who inspire others type threes can
be like hermione granger iron man rachel from friends and my character vale from on weighings
of ash and dust for type fours or individualists they are self-aware sensitive and reserved they
are emotionally honest creative and personal but can also be moody and self-conscious withholding
themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and effective they can also feel disdainful and
exempt from ordinary ways of living they typically have problems with melancholy self-indulgence and
self-pity their strengths are being creative and idealistic while their weaknesses are being
self-absorbed and unrealistic their key fear or lie is commonness they fear having no identity or
no personal significance saying no one understands me there must be something wrong with me their key
desire or want is authenticity to find themselves and their significance with an identity that is
unique and special their goal or motivation is to express themselves with their individuality
to create and surround themselves with beauty sometimes to withdraw to protect their self-image
to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else in stress they are like unhealthy
too's over-involved and clinging but the truth they need to hear is you are whole and complete
just as you are now nothing within you is missing you are seen and beautiful so don't be ashamed
as they heal and grow they're like healthy ones objective and principled and at their best they
are inspired and highly creative they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences
great examples of type 4s are luna lovegood from harry potter loki from the avengers mike from
friends and my character hickory from on wings of dust type 5 or the investigators are very
interesting as well and i can say this because i am one fives are alert insightful and curious they
are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills independent innovative
and inventive they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts in imaginary constructs
they become detached yet high strung and intense they typically have problems with eccentricity and
isolation their key strengths are being perceptive and self-reliant but their weaknesses are being
emotionally detached and cynical their key lie is that they believe they are useless they fear
being helpless or incapable believing i am not competent to handle the demands of life their
key desire is competency to be capable and secure their goal is to possess knowledge to understand
their environment to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from external
threats in stress they're like unhealthy sevens hyperactive and scattered but the truth they need
to embrace is you are competent and have all the wisdom you need embrace abundance not scarcity
don't be afraid to be generous with your time knowledge and affection and let others in so that
they can be generous with you too in a healthy place they're like healthy eights self-confident
and decisive and at their best they are visionary pioneers often ahead of their time and able to see
the world in an entirely new way great examples of fives are snape from harry potter doctor strange
from the avengers and ross from friends how about type 6 the loyalist sixes are reliable
hardworking responsible and trustworthy excellent troubleshooters they foresee problems and foster
cooperation but can also become defensive evasive and anxious running on stress while complaining
about it their strengths are that they are loyal and engaging while their weaknesses are being
reactive and fearful their key fear is isolation having no support or guidance being unable to
survive on their own believing that the world is not safe their key desire is to want safety
to have security and support and their goal is to get that security to feel supported by others
and to fight against anxiety and insecurity in stress they are like unhealthy threes competitive
and arrogant and the truth they need to embrace is you can trust yourself to courageously handle
whatever happens you are more resourceful than you know so hold on to faith as they grow they
are like healthy nines relaxed and optimistic and at their best they are internally stable and
self-reliant courageously championing themselves and others great examples of sixes are neville and
also ron i think from harry potter black panther from the avengers and chandler from friends three
more types to go we have type 7 the enthusiast seventh are extroverted optimistic versatile and
spontaneous playful high spirited and practical they can also misapply their many talents becoming
overextended scattered and undisciplined they constantly seek new and exciting experiences
but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go their key strengths are being optimistic
and fun while their weaknesses are being impulsive and under-disciplined a seven's basic fear is
having a boring or painful existence being deprived or trapped in pain believing i must
run from negative feelings and chase the next exciting moment to be happy their key desire is
many experiences to be satisfied and content to have their needs fulfilled their main motivation
or goal is to maintain their freedom and happiness to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences to
keep themselves excited and occupied to avoid and discharge pain in stress they're like unhealthy
ones perfectionistic and critical but in a healing place they can embrace their truth everything
you could ever need you already have embrace and steward your suffering rather than running from it
rest and be as they grow they become like healthy fives focused and fascinated by life and at their
best they focus their talents on worthwhile goals becoming appreciative joyous and satisfied great
examples of sevens are fret and george from harry potter star-lord or quill from the avengers and
joey from friends type eights are our challengers eights are self-confident strong and assertive
protective resourceful and straight talking and divisive but can also be egocentric and
domineering they feel like they must control their environment especially people sometimes becoming
confrontational and intimidating they typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing
themselves to be vulnerable their key strengths are being bold and decisive while their weaknesses
are being domineering and combative eight's key lie is loss of control being harmed or controlled
by others they believe only the strong survive their key desire is autonomy to protect the self
to be in control of their life and destiny their key motivation or goal is to be self-reliant
to prove their strength and resist weakness to be important in their world to dominate
the environment and to stay in control of their situation in stress they are like unhealthy fives
withdrawn less connected to emotions secretive and fearful hyper vigilant about betrayal and even
more uncompromising the truth they need to embrace is vulnerability is a strength betrayal is a real
risk but there are trustworthy people in the world and love and connection will forever elude you
unless you lower your defenses life may hurt but you're strong enough to survive it as they grow
aids are like healthy twos more caring they don't hide their tender side and they listen and trust
more allowing others to take care of them at their best they use their strength to improve others
lives becoming heroic magnanimous and inspiring characters who fit the eight type are mad i moody
from harry potter black widow from the avengers janice from friends and my own main character
quinn from on wings of dust finally we have type 9 the peacemaker which is also the type my husband
is nines are accepting trusting and stable they're usually creative optimistic and supportive but
can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace they want everything to go smoothly
and be without conflict but they can also tend to be complacent simplifying problems and minimizing
anything upsetting they typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness their main strengths
are being calm and reliable while their weaknesses are being passive aggressive and unmotivated
nines fear loss most of all particularly losing or being separated from loved ones
fearing rejection just for being who they are so typically they think to themselves what i think
feel or want doesn't ultimately matter they mostly desire stability to have inner peace of mind and
avoid conflict their goal is to create harmony in their environment to avoid conflicts and tension
to preserve things as they are to resist whatever would upset or disturb them in stress they are
like unhealthy sixes more anxious and worried but the truth they need to embrace is you are
seen and important just as you are your life and what you think matters the absence of conflict is
not the presence of peace peace requires work and risk wake up and say yes to the adventure
of your own life as they grow they become like healthy threes more self-developing and energetic
and at their best they are indomitable and all embracing they are able to bring people together
and heal conflicts examples of peacemaking nines are hagrid from harry potter bruce banner aka
the hulk from avengers phoebe from friends and my own character alys from on wings of dust isn't it
so cool how much information the enneagram can give you for each kind of character you create
plus these types really help make your characters more relatable and real because these are actual
personality types that have been studied and tested this way readers will easily be able to
identify either themselves or another person in their life in your characters doing this work on
your character can also be so helpful when writing or editing a scene and trying to determine how
a particular character would believably react what they would say how they would feel which
helps keep your character consistent believable and unique i wouldn't say you need to create a
character that matches an enneagram type exactly but it is helpful to pick one that is closest so
you have a good starting point now that you have a good handle on the enneagram types here's some
ways i suggest to start using the enneagram to develop your characters first if you've already
started working on a character i would start with the basic idea you already have then read through
all the enneagram types to see which one most closely matches your current character and use
all the other details listed in that type to flesh out your character even more if you've already
written your first draft or two you can also use this process in the editing stage to develop your
characters further which is what i did with this series let's go a bit deeper though if we were
starting with one character the easiest place to start is to identify four keys to any character
transformation arc their goal their desire want or motivation their lie their misbelief caused by a
wound their backstory what has shaped their lies wounding desires basically where they originated
from and their truth the life lesson or theme they need to learn in order to transform if you
already know one of these four key elements i'd start with that one and then use that to figure
out the others for example if you know what the lie is that they're believing use the enneagram
to find out which type has the lie you already have in your character and that enneagram type
will tell you the truth they need to learn their key goals or desires and even a possible backstory
that will help you fill out the rest again you can check out my reference guide to find all of these
details you can also find their key weaknesses or flaws and their strengths how they react in health
or stressful situations and your characters are bound to go through both stages throughout your
story plus there's one more level to the enneagram called wings wings help us see that there are
actually variations within each type while you might be a certain enneagram number you also might
lean towards characteristics of another number which will be one of the two enneagram numbers
on either side of you in the enneagram chart for example my character quinn is an enneagram eight
which means she can be an eight wing seven or an eight with a seven wing or she could be an eight
wing nine which is an eight with a wing of nine after studying both of these subtypes it was quite
obvious that she was an eight wing seven which is also called the maverick they are more extroverted
enterprising energetic quick materialistic interested in power and can be egocentric
so if only having nine types to choose from feels limiting for your characters the wings actually
extend the nine types to 18 subtypes which all have their own mini description that i've included
in the reference guide i'll give you at the end what if you're looking to add more characters or
side characters to your story or give distinct personalities to a character that feels flat or
empty maybe it's a friend of your main character an acquaintance a parent a romantic interest an
antagonist a great place to start is asking which enneagram types are missing in your story read
through those types and see which characters might be a good support foil or villain for your current
characters and then build a character around that type this helps ensure that you don't just have a
book of all the same kinds of characters but your world feels fleshed out with a bunch of different
kinds of people similarly if you have a large main cast like i do it's helpful to make sure
that all of your characters have different types this helps create a well-rounded cast and can even
help define relationships between them there are actually whole articles and books that describe
how different enneagram types relate to other enneagrams types as friends romantic relationships
work relationships etc i know that was a lot of information to swallow but i hope you can see
how helpful doing a little studying of the enneagram can be for creating your characters
if you want even more don't forget to sign up for my newsletter link down below where you can
download my enneagram reference guide and my story templates including my character profiles largely
based on this enneagram process plus you'll get links to other helpful enneagram resources
and if you want to see my characters and their enneagram types in action you'll get links to my
ebooks plus you'll get alerted when the paperback comes out next week so you can see in action how
i use the enneagram throughout my story with a bunch of different character types i'm so excited
to celebrate the book's release next week with you guys i've got a bunch of really fun things
planned but until then check out one of these two videos for even more and we'll see you there