Developing Iconic Character Dynamics

So let's take a step back and just really set the table for listeners who are Enneagram curious, but maybe not fluent.

How do you explain the Enneagram? What is it to a writer? Like, what is it? How does it work? That sort of thing.

And what it is not as well.

What it is not, right.

Okay, well, let's start with what it is, which is a personality framework.

So it's really just kind of a map of personality.

But what is at its core, what defines one of the nine types? There are nine, enia being the Greek root for nine, enia gram, gram just being the shape of the nine.

There are nine types, and each one is defined by its core motivations, right? So this is a core fear and a core desire.

And these are social motivations, right? It can be survival, but it's survival within a group since we're a social species.

So for instance, one core fear is being... bad, wrong, corrupt.

That would be the type one, right? The nature of the type one is trying to not be those things and trying to be good and right, correct, have integrity.

And that's really the central motivating force of the one.

And so you can see how that leads to certain patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving in a character.

And I mean, what do we always taught about writing characters? Know what their motivation is.

And that can be hard because a lot of the times we were like, well, their motivation is to get to the train station, right? And it's like, but why? Because two people can be motivated to get to the train station for completely different reasons.

And so we really immediately unlock this deeper level of motivation for our characters with the Enneagram.

Because a one who wants to be good might get to the train station because they told someone they would be there on time, right? And they don't want to be a bad friend.

Meanwhile, there's another type.

You know, well, there are eight other types, but there, you know, another type, for instance, the eight, the challenger, it's called, is all about not being harmed and controlled.

Right.

So this this type is doing everything to be independent, not be harmed and controlled.

They may get to the train station or want to get there because someone told them they couldn't.

Right? So those are very different motivations for the types.

But as the author, if you know what it is, you know, the stick in the carrot for your character.

Yeah, as you're going through this, I'm thinking, gosh, like, thinking about romance genre, and then thrillers and horror, and how it's just going to completely change these character dynamics.

So let's take a step back and just really set the table for listeners who are Enneagram curious, but maybe not fluent.

How do you explain the Enneagram? What is it to a writer? Like, what is it? How does it work? That sort of thing.

And what it is not as well.

What it is not, right.

Okay, well, let's start with what it is, which is a personality framework.

So it's really just kind of a map of personality.

But what is at its core, what defines one of the nine types? There are nine, enia being the Greek root for nine, enia gram, gram just being the shape of the nine.

There are nine types, and each one is defined by its core motivations, right? So this is a core fear and a core desire.

And these are social motivations, right? It can be survival, but it's survival within a group since we're a social species.

So for instance, one core fear is being... bad, wrong, corrupt.

That would be the type one, right? The nature of the type one is trying to not be those things and trying to be good and right, correct, have integrity.

And that's really the central motivating force of the one.

And so you can see how that leads to certain patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving in a character.

And I mean, what do we always taught about writing characters? Know what their motivation is.

And that can be hard because a lot of the times we were like, well, their motivation is to get to the train station, right? And it's like, but why? Because two people can be motivated to get to the train station for completely different reasons.

And so we really immediately unlock this deeper level of motivation for our characters with the Enneagram.

Because a one who wants to be good might get to the train station because they told someone they would be there on time, right? And they don't want to be a bad friend.

Meanwhile, there's another type.

You know, well, there are eight other types, but there, you know, another type, for instance, the eight, the challenger, it's called, is all about not being harmed and controlled.

Right.

So this this type is doing everything to be independent, not be harmed and controlled.

They may get to the train station or want to get there because someone told them they couldn't.

Right? So those are very different motivations for the types.

But as the author, if you know what it is, you know, the stick in the carrot for your character.

Yeah, as you're going through this, I'm thinking, gosh, like, thinking about romance genre, and then thrillers and horror, and how it's just going to completely change these character dynamics.