The final two archetypal character arcs within the life cycle signal a distinct departure from the realm of the known. After sacrificing herself for the Kingdom at the end of the King Arc, the seemingly diminished Crone, leaves behind the “real” world of Kingdom and throne and enters instead the spooky forests and liminal hinterlands […]
April 26, 2021 by 35 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 12: The King’s Shadow Archetypes
Throughout the progression of the six archetypal character arcs that make up the human life cycle, we see a steady progression of the character’s power. As we explored in the positive King Arc, this final mid-life arc represents the height of temporal power. The King is someone who wields a vast amount of influence not […]
April 19, 2021 by 54 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 11: The Queen’s Shadow Archetypes
A character who makes it through the Hero Arc is a character who has graduated into a brave new world—the Second Act of the life cycle of archetypal character arcs. This section of life, which deals with questions of relationship and power, begins with the first of the “mature” arcs—that of the Queen. But like […]
April 12, 2021 by 42 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 10: The Hero’s Shadow Archetypes
Here in the 21st Century, we often have a confused relationship with the Hero archetype. On the one hand, he is everywhere and we love him and resonate with him. On the other hand, his sheer omnipresence has inevitably highlighted his negative counter-archetypes in almost equal force. This is because wherever we find a would-be […]
April 5, 2021 by 41 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 9: The Maiden’s Shadow Archetypes
In so many ways, we view life as a story. Within the lifelong journey of this story, the first challenge is that of becoming an autonomous individual—an independent and responsible adult. However obvious that may be, the journey itself cannot be taken for granted. Indeed, although we may all grow up chronologically, the struggle to […]
March 29, 2021 by 55 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 8: Introduction to the 12 Shadow Archetypes
Where there is light, there is shadow. Where there is a right way to do things, there are usually several ways to do it wrong. So it goes with archetypal character arcs and their potential shadow archetypes—of which there are two for every positive archetype. Over the last few months, we have explored six successive […]
March 22, 2021 by 70 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 7: The Mage Arc
The final two archetypal character arcs in the life cycle deal primarily with questions of Mortality—and thus inevitably with the ultimate questions about the meaning of life. Throughout this series, we’ve viewed the six “life arcs” as part of a unified story structure, or Three Acts. The First Act—featuring the Maiden and the Hero—focused on […]
March 15, 2021 by 69 Comments CharactersArchetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 6: The Crone Arc
Within the saga of the six archetypal character arcs representing the cycle of human life, the two “elder” arcs that comprise the Third Act of life are perhaps the least dramatized. These arcs are those of the Crone and the Mage. In studying these arcs, it becomes evident that the Third Act of story structure […]
February 1, 2021 by 58 Comments PodcastAn Introduction to Archetypal Stories
All art is necessarily both reflective and generative of the human experience. And in that way, all art both reflects and generates archetype. Some stories do this more simply and obviously than others. Those stories that we recognize as myth or fable are most blatantly archetypal. But even hyper-realistic stories—when they are well done—offer up […]
October 26, 2020 by 51 Comments PodcastThe Midpoint as the Swivel Point of Your Story’s Linked Structure
The “saggy middle” of a story is one of the biggest challenges writers face. The Second Act is twice as long as the other two acts and yet is often less clearly defined. What’s a writer to do to keep the pacing just as tight and the events just as interesting over the long haul […]
