This is the sixth installment of my Writing Archetypes series, where I talk about certain roles, scenes, and plot points that can be found repeated in many stories. They synchronize stories with the narrative instincts of the human mind, and imbue them with a distinct psychological presence.

You don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-wool Jungian to recognize that archetypes are a core element in storytelling. You don’t even have to like the term “archetype.” Call them what you want: tropes, memes, patterns, threads, modes, models, Platonic forms, şurôt, whatever.

But, no matter what you call them or why they exist, they do exist, and they have undeniable storytelling power.

Before moving on to the subtler aspects of archetypal storytelling, I want to get through what I consider the Big Four characters. So far, we’ve looked at the Hero, the Rough, and the Guru. Today’s installment is the Companion.

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This is the fourth installment of my Writing Archetypes series, where I talk about certain roles, scenes, and plot points that can be found repeated in many stories. They synchronize stories with the narrative instincts of the human mind, and imbue them with a distinct psychological presence.

You don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-wool Jungian to recognize that archetypes are a core element in storytelling. You don’t even have to like the term “archetype.” Call them what you want: tropes, memes, patterns, threads, modes, models, Platonic forms, şurôt, whatever.

But, no matter what you call them or why they exist, they do exist, and they have undeniable storytelling power.

Before moving on to the subtler aspects of archetypal storytelling, I want to get through what I consider the Big Four character types. So far, we’ve looked at the Hero and the Rough. Today’s installment is the Guru.

Continue reading →

We’re two roles deep in the Writing Archetypes series (Hero and Rough), and it might be a good time to make an important point about what archetypes are.

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This is the first installment of my Writing Archetypes series, where I talk about roles, scenes, and plot points that can be found in many stories, synchronizing them with the narrative instincts of the human mind and imbuing them with a distinct psychological presence.

You don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-wool Jungian to recognize that archetypes are a core element in storytelling. You don’t even have to like the term “archetype.” Call them what you like: tropes, memes, patterns, threads, modes, models, Platonic forms, şurôt, whatever.

But, no matter what you call them or why they exist, they do exist, and they have undeniable storytelling power.

Let’s start with an easy one. Let’s start with the central one. Let’s start with the Hero.

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You don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-wool Jungian to recognize that archetypes are a core element in storytelling, whether they come from some deep-rooted collective unconscious or are merely persistent cultural constructs.

You don’t even have to like the term “archetype.” Call them what you like: tropes, memes, patterns, threads, modes, models, Platonic forms, şurôt, whatever.

But, no matter what you call them or why they exist, they do exist, and they have undeniable storytelling power.

Continue reading →