The King Arc begins the second half of the life cycle of archetypal character arcs. This placement as the fourth of six arcs necessarily makes it a turning point within the overarching “story structure” of life. We can recognize this particularly in the King’s relationship to his archetypal antagonists. The first three arcs—those of Maiden, […]
September 27, 2021 by 28 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for the King Arc: Cataclysm and Rebel
September 20, 2021 by 19 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for the Queen Arc: Invader and Empty Throne
As the third of the life cycle’s archetypal character arcs, the Queen Arc is that of the mature adult who has completed the youthful arcs of Hero and Maiden and is now challenged to grow into a position of greater responsibility and leadership. This is the tale of someone who has so far proven herself […]
September 13, 2021 by 27 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for the Hero Arc: Dragon and Sick King
The well-known Hero Arc offers us the exciting story of a brave youth fighting to discover and earn his own worthiness. It follows on the heels of the Maiden Arc‘s initial individuation from the Authority Figures that dominate one’s youth, and it offers the young adult the opportunity to discover what he is meant to […]
August 16, 2021 by 13 Comments CharactersWhy You Should Always Identify Characters Pronto
As the author of your story, you not only understand everything that’s going on, you’re also able to see behind the curtains. You understand even those intimate and intricate gears and switches that readers will never see. Possessing this inside knowledge is essential for crafting a deep and dimensional story. However, don’t lose sight of […]
September 6, 2021 by 24 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for the Maiden Arc: Authority and Predator
As the first transformational archetype within the “life arcs” cycle, the Maiden Arc is the quintessential “coming-of-age” story. It is the story of teenage angst, the joys and heartbreaks of growing up, and the struggle to individuate into a fully autonomous and mature human being. Like all arcs, the Maiden’s doesn’t just happen. Nor (for […]
August 30, 2021 by 34 Comments CharactersArchetypal Antagonists for Each of the Six Archetypal Character Arcs
Antagonists are an interesting consideration for any writer. So often, when we conceive or plot a story, the antagonist may be an afterthought—especially in genre or “plot-driven” fiction in which the antagonist is less likely to be in a relationship with the protagonist and more likely to be a “Big Bad” of some sort. But […]
August 2, 2021 by 44 Comments CharactersHow the Antagonist Functions in Different Types of Character Arcs
Most of the time when we think about a story’s antagonist, we simply think of the “bad guy.” The antagonist is the character (or force) that opposes the protagonist’s forward progression in pursuit of the main plot goal. This is fundamental plot theory, linked to the old saw about “no conflict, no plot.” The antagonist […]
July 12, 2021 by 85 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 23: Summary of the Archetypal Character Arcs
This post (as the final one in our series) is intended as an easy reference that lists comparisons of the archetypal Positive-Change Arcs, so you can see them all in one place. Each of the individual posts on the specific archetypes does, of course, go into much more depth and offers much more information. But […]
July 5, 2021 by 50 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 22: How to Use Archetypal Character Arcs in Your Stories
And so we find ourselves (almost) at the end of a nearly six-month journey through the possibilities of archetypal character arcs. If you’ve stuck with me through what is by far the longest series I have ever shared, then I hope, like me, you are enthralled and excited by the possibilities that archetypes offer for […]
June 28, 2021 by 39 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 21: The Flat Archetype of the Mentor
And so we come to the final archetype within the life-arc cycle: the well-known and well-loved Mentor. This final Flat archetype, which precedes the final transformation of the Mage Arc, is one of the most significant within human storytelling. Indeed, next to the Hero, the Mentor is perhaps our most well-known of all mythic archetypes. […]
