The Enneagram Institute's website says, "The Enneagram is a powerful tool that helps us understand our motivations, core beliefs, and unconscious patterns that drive our behavior. We have all 9 Types in us, although one of the Enneagram Types is dominant for each of us."
I highly recommend checking out their website for a more in-depth exploration of the nine types, but here they are briefly (borrowed from The Enneagram Institute):
1. The Reformer
Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil/defective
Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced
2. The Helper
Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved
Basic Desire: To feel loved
3. The Achiever
Basic Fear: Of being worthless
Basic Desire: To feel valuable and worthwhile
4. The Individualist
Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance
Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity)
5. The Investigator
Basic Fear: Being useless, helpless, or incapable
Basic Desire: To be capable and competent
6. The Loyalist
Basic Fear: Of being without support and guidance
Basic Desire: To have security and support
7. The Enthusiast
Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain
Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content–to have their needs fulfilled
8. The Challenger
Basic Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others
Basic Desire: To protect themselves (to be in control of their own life and destiny)
9. The Peacemaker
Basic Fear: Of loss and separation
Basic Desire: To have inner stability ("peace of mind")
Two different characters might do the exact same thing in a certain situation, but if they are different Enneagram types, their reasons for doing so would be completely different. So instead of looking at what a character does, it's helpful as the author to know why they are doing it.
The Enneagram has led me to four core questions that I ask about my major characters:
1. What do they want?
2. What do they need?
3. What/whom do they hate?
4. What/whom do they love?
5. What/whom do they fear?
This boils down to: Wants, Needs, Hates, Loves, Fears.
I like listing several things for each question, ranging from the silly or trivial (e.g. they love ketchup, they hate spiders) to the serious and deep (e.g. they need forgiveness, they fear being left behind).
Hates and fears can be easily confused. Sometimes I write something in one category, but when I think about it, it actually falls into the other category. (Sometimes the character really does both hate and fear something or someone, and that's good to know too.) This affects how the character acts throughout the story and the choices they make.
This gets to the core of your character, but it's also helpful to ask questions like:
- What do they look like?
- Is there an article of clothing or jewelry that they always wear, and does it have a special meaning for them?
- Do they have any scars/tattoos/birthmarks? How might that play into the story?
- What are their hobbies?
- What do they sound like?
- Do they have any pet words or phrases? (E.g. "Naturally", "Obviously", "Actually", "If you ask me", "Personally", "Unbelievable", "To be honest", "As well", "You know", etc.)
Part 2 of this post, which I'll do my best to post on April 10, will be a couple example character analyses from my own writing!
What's your Enneagram type? Let me know in the comments! (I'm a Type One.)
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