Some years ago, I developed a framework that I dubbed the “Storytelling Superpower.” This framework is designed to help you figure out what character archetype you are writing, so you can create a story that is most likely to resonate and be compatible with that character. To figure out your character’s archetype, you must take into consideration two factors: the character’s type and their desire.
Define Your Character’s Type
In terms of type, there are essentially only two types of protagonists in all of storytelling: the relatable character and the aspirational character. Sure, you can also have an antihero (who doesn’t really fit either of these types) but these are rare and not likely to appear in most types of stories. In most stories, though, the main character usually falls in one of two buckets: relatable or aspirational.
The relatable character is like a Bilbo Baggins or a Luke Skywalker type. They may seem like a regular person at first, but when we get to know them more deeply we come to realize that there’s more to them than first appears. In fact, as writers, our job is to show that these relatable characters have the potential for greatness. For instance, Bilbo Baggins outsmarts the stone trolls early on The Hobbit, and we learn fairly early in the Star Wars saga that Luke’s family is strong with the force. It turns out while these may seem like everyday characters, there is nothing ordinary about them.
The thing that makes the relatable type so compelling is that we readers see ourselves in these characters. When we see a relatable character overcome great odds and win the day, we think: “If they can do that, maybe I can do something extraordinary myself.” We identify with these characters and relate to them on a deep, emotional level because they are regular people, just like us.
Aspirational characters, on the other hand, are essentially the opposite of their relatable counterparts. Readers don’t see themselves in these characters, but they see what they would like to become. These are larger-than-life heroes who don’t reflect readers as they are, but who instead show readers what is possible. Aspirational characters include superheroes like Superman and Batman, as well as characters with big personalities or unique abilities like Jay Gatsby and Sherlock Holmes.
The key with aspirational characters is not to make them seem extraordinary (they already are) but to show their vulnerability and reveal a chink in their armor. Every Superman has their kryptonite, after all. Just as we must show a relatable character’s potential or greatness, we need to show the aspirational character’s vulnerability, something that makes them seem more human.
In other words, with each of the character types, our goal is to show their potential to be the opposite of who they are. A relatable character must demonstrate the possibility of doing something extraordinary, whereas the aspirational character needs to show some characteristic that makes them more human, more relatable.
In truth, both relatable and aspirational characters are at opposite ends of the same spectrum. The key to crafting a compelling protagonist is to make it possible for that character to become the opposite of who they first appear. In other words, if both types of characters are on the same spectrum, our job as a writer is to nudge them gently in the opposite direction.
Determine Your Character’s Desire
The second parameter in identifying your character’s archetype is to determine their desire. What does your character want? This want should drive the story forward and be tied to the major dramatic question (MDQ) of the story. For example, in The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen wants to win the games. This is directly tied to the MDQ which is “Will Katniss survive the Hunger Games?” Similarly, in The Wizard of Oz movie, Dorothy wants to get home from Oz. This again is directly tied to the MDQ, which is “Will Dorothy get home to Kansas?”
When it comes to identifying your character’s desire, there are basically two possibilities. Either the character wants to change something in themselves, their surroundings, or the world at large, or the character wants to preserve something in themselves, their surroundings, or the world at large. Pretty much any character’s desire boils down to one of these two options.
For example, in The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to win the games. This is essentially a change-driven desire because she wants to go from a humble tribute from one of the outermost districts to being the victor of the entire games. Similarly, in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet wants to find happiness, which at first starts out as simply helping her sister Jane find true love with Mr. Bingley, but eventually leads to Lizzie finding true love herself in Mr. Darcy.
On the other hand, some characters’ desires are focused on preservation. For example, superheroes like Superman and Batman want to save people or bring criminals to justice, thus reestablishing a sense of law and order. Any desire that is at its core about protecting others or creating order are preservation-based desires.
Notice that depending on how you frame a desire, it could be either change or preservation-driven. For instance, if we consider Katniss’ desire to be one of survival, it would be a preservation-based want, whereas if we think of it as a desire to win the games, it could be considered a change-driven want. Often change and preservation are two sides of the same coin and the main difference between them is how we frame the desire.
Figure Out Your Character Archetype
Why do we care about character type and desire? Well, if you cross these two parameters together, you get a 2×2 matrix where each cell of that matrix represents a different character archetype. The underdog is a relatable character who wants change, while the disruptor is their aspirational counterpart. The survivor is also relatable, but now this character seeks preservation, while the protector is their aspirational equivalent. (See the image below.)
What’s the point of these character archetypes? Different archetypes are compatible with different “signature stories” and when you pair the right character with the right story, you get storytelling magic. For example, underdogs do well in rags to riches narratives or “us vs. them” (big guy vs. little guy) types of stories. Disruptors and protectors often appear in stories about epic quests—disruptors wanting to change the world while protectors strive to save it. Survivor characters are most compatible with survival stories or narratives about overcoming adversity.
Just because you have a certain character archetype does not mean you have to adhere strictly to its signature stories. For example, you might have an underdog character who appears in an “overcoming adversity” type of story. This is perfectly doable. The key is that you make small, subtle shifts to the character archetype so that it better aligns with the story you want to tell. In this case, it may mean making a small shift in how you present the character’s desire so that it feels more driven by preservation than change.
For example, at the start of The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen is very clearly an underdog type of character: she is a relatable character who wants to win the games and change her life circumstances. That said, if we shifted the focus from winning the games to survival, her desire goes from being change-focused to all about preservation. In that way, you could easily reposition her character archetype from underdog to survivor.
The point of these archetypes is not to constrain your writing. It’s not about making you feel like you have to paint-by-numbers or are stuck with limited options for your story. Instead, by understanding your character’s archetype you can get a better handle on their motivations and you can craft the narrative in a way that is more compatible with the character that you have. And if the character is somehow at odds with the story you want to tell, you can make subtle shifts in the character’s archetype to better align it with your narrative.
Now, it’s your turn…
Consider the following questions about your current project:
- What archetype is the main character of your current work-in-progress? You can figure this out by determining both character’s type and want, then plotting it on the archetype matrix.
- What type of story are you telling and is it compatible with the archetype of your main character? If not, how can you shift the character’s archetype to help it align with the story you want to tell?
Until next time, keep writing and keep being awesome!
P.S. For more info on Gabriela Pereira, the founder and instigator of DIY MFA, check out her profile page.
