17 April 2013

R is for Roles In The Writer’s Dreamkit


Think about the roles of the characters in your novel. Do you have a balance in the types of characters you depict? I was curious about my own novel and poured over the plot to ensure I had a healthy balance of these types of roles found in Writer's DreamKit, a novel writing software application my husband purchased for me as a gift last Christmas.

The Protagonist – This is the character who will journey forward through crisis and change.

My protagonist, Kelly Cooper, definitely encounters crisis and she develops from a rebellious, down trodden detective into a fighter of justice for the dead.



Antagonist – This is the bad guy, and not necessarily the villain.

Though I have a serial killer on the loose in my novel, he's not clearly the main antagonist. Lyle Adams is an egotistical and proud detective who seeks to keep Kelly from performing optimally. He keeps information from her and he even lies when he has an opportunity to help her. The reason for his actions will be revealed later, but yes, he is definitely the main antagonist in Precinct 9.



Guardian/Mentor – This is the voice of change for the protagonist. This is the character who unveils the weakness in our protagonist and who challenges her to surpass her obstacles, driving her toward her goal (change).

Captain Grant Elliot, Kelly's new boss, is definitely the mentor in Precinct 9. He believes in her, even though all evidence indicates she murdered her ex-boss. He, at times, and without his knowledge, provides her with all the tools and opportunities she needs to fulfill her tasks. He has a duplicate role as the reasoning character, the one who takes action based on logic, not emotion.



Tempter – This is the character who sides with the antagonist. He also does not want the protagonist to succeed, though his reasons are completely different from that of the antagonist.  He and the antagonist do not have to team up, nor must they know each other.

The killer in my novel doesn't want Kelly to succeed. He'd rather her remain impotent,  keeping her from discovering his identity and bringing him to justice. He tempts her, in a fashion, leaving his digital prints all over the Internet. However, Lyle's antagonism stems from pure pride and ego, having missed opportunities in capturing the killer years ago.



Sidekick – The best friend, the loyal brother, the doting mother, they can all be sidekicks. This character is so close to the protagonist that they at times become frustrated and accrue angst over their loved one’s fate or future.

Do I have a sidekick? Yes. Kelly has Benjamin at her side. He is a large, Belgian Shepherd she acquired during her years serving as a K-9 handler. He's very loyal and protective over his master. He has a duplicate role as the emotion character, one which responds with feeling, whether angry or joyful. Can an animal character be an emotion character? They can in MY novel!




Skeptic – This character does not believe in the importance of the overall goal of the protagonist. The skeptic has her own goals and will protect those over those of the protagonist.

Kelly's mother is the main skeptic. She thinks Kelly needs to find a man and settle down. You know, have children. Kelly has no intention of continuing with the awkward, casual dates her mother insists upon. How else is she to find a man? Besides, men are scum. Read about the minor skeptic next.

I do have a minor role for another skeptic. It is Kelly's ex-boss. The reason she'd been transferred out of his precinct is because she had lodged a complaint against a fellow officer and the boss didn't want an embarrassing scandal on his hands. He eventually gets murdered, because skepticism has no place, long term, in my novel. His murder quickly becomes an obstacle for Kelly, since all evidence points to her as the suspect.


How many of these archetypes fall within your current work in progress? Which is your favorite archetype?


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16 comments:

  1. Wow, I never even thought about calling them archetypes. I just wrote what came out and it seems I have all those characters you mention. Thanks for making me think about these things.

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    1. And each and every one of them live in our minds, according to the developers of Dramatica! No wonder I can't get these guys to shut up in my head. lol

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  2. I don't think I've used a full antagonist yet. My main character is his own worst enemy already.
    Diane, I saw your comment at Alden's site about not getting into science fiction books and wondered if it wasn't due to the hardness. That's very likely. I don't like the hard tech science fiction for that very reason. My books fall into space opera and are character-driven. In fact I've been really surprised how many people have read and enjoyed my books that have never read a science fiction book in their life. I guess it's my focus on relationships rather than science.

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    1. I think you may be right. I enjoy the closeness and connection when characters are focused on each other and their relationships. It's what keeps me immersed in the story!

      I have two antagonists. It's going to be hard to bring their stories to an ending which makes sense, but I'm trying. :)

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  3. Nice look. My sidekick is also my tempter, except it's more like a traditional temptation thing. And there's some action between the sheets as a result. Which isn't a good thing at that point in the story.

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    1. OMG!!!!? Action like that with sidekick AND tempter!?

      Okay, when is the release date, Chris?

      This is so horrendous I have to read it, unless you are going to tell me WHY this occurs? Then it will be ruined, so don't! :D

      I can only imagine a few situations where a sidekick would be a tempter, but they never went between the sheets (that I remember!).

      Moonlighting? Cybil Sheppard and Bruce Willis?

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  4. Since I'm writing my memoir, I have all of the archetypes. Some people switch roles from story to story as most people do in real life. I've never thought of my "characters" as types, but they certainly are. Thanks for this thought-provoking blog.

    The new look is much easier for me to read with my old eyes. It is clean, crisp and elegant. The photos provide a "pop of color," as designers say, that keeps the eye flowing down the page. I'm not a fan of pink and gray, but it works well with your title graphics. This color scheme is sophisticated. If you like it, that is all that matters. ;)

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    1. Wow, thanks Jenny! Blogger keeps putting your comments in the spam folder and I'm not certain why.

      This design is easier on my eyes too! People keep telling me that my fonts are too big, but heck, I have to have them big so I can see them. lol

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  5. Interesting take on character roles. I knew about protagonist/antagonist but not the others in this way.

    I think I've got most present in my current WIP, but not always one-for-one with actual characters and not always clearly identifiable. I guess it doesn't help that my antagonist isn't even a person :)

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    1. Writers DreamKit helped me narrow the focus of my main and subplots by making me pinpoint these character types. I had no idea these even existed in a story form.

      I plan to purchase Dramatica Pro in the future. It's the more detailed software from the same developers. :)

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  6. I am with Mr. Botanist in that some of the characters in my WIP are neither readily nor clearly identifiable. That said, I do have a protagonist (naturally), an antagonist, a sidekick and a skeptic, event though I have not really thought of the last two as such. Thank you Diane!

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    1. Glad you liked it. The software is flexible and the same characters are likely to have dual roles, etc.

      Great feedback!

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  7. Nice breakdown! Even though the list is deceptively simple, these are key roles in any story.

    It's a great guide for people who are learning storytelling and basic writing. It's also great for experienced writer to see a simple list and remember where we all started.

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    1. I've either played each of these roles or have been exposed to the character types while playing Threshold

      :D

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  8. Love the new look! I never thought of my characters that way but I have someone to fit those roles- some fill more than one. My favorite is probably the sidekick. I have a dog in that role as well. ;) He's as much a character as the people.

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    1. Thanks, glad you like.

      I love animals in novels!

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