Find Your Character's Growth Point
Impactful fiction doesn’t happen by accident. If you want to change the world, one reader at a time, you have to be intentional about what you’re writing and why.
The key to impactful fiction is a powerful protagonist.
What makes a powerful protagonist?
A powerful character arc.
The Enneagram is SO helpful for building a powerful character arc.
It not only tells you how each type behaves in the world but WHY.
With this knowledge at your fingertips, you can write a protagonist with a kickass character arc, one that will:
Stick with your reader
Make them feel seen
Help them understand someone else’s perspective
Give them hope
Each Enneagram type has certain growth points they’re more likely to experience.
If you know what you’re trying to say about life through your novel, you can pick an Enneagram type who needs to learn that idea, resulting in a powerful character arc.
Here are some of the growth points for each Enneagram type:
Type One
Accept their own goodness
Let people do things their own way
Allow themselves to have fun and do something other than the next right thing
Type Two
Acknowledge their own needs and accept help
Let others do things on their own
Love themselves
Accept love without stipulations
Type Three
Separate their value from their achievements
Be vulnerable
Show their flaws
Connect with their own and others’ emotions
Type Four
Take action regardless of their emotions
Accept what is rather than dwelling on what could be
Know they are complete as they are
Type Five
Accept what they don’t or can’t know
Acknowledge and express emotions
Move from analysis to action
Know they are enough to meet what’s demanded of them
Type Six
Act on their own knowing
Believe that things will be okay
Feel safe in themselves
Type Seven
Connect with their own and others’ negative emotions
Be present
Be still
Follow through when things get boring or uncomfortable
Type Eight
Acknowledge their own vulnerabilities
Recognize the needs of others
Think before they act
Type Nine
Acknowledge their desires and act on them
Acknowledge their anger
Believe that conflict will not mean separation
Choose themselves
Want to hear me talk more about using the Enneagram in writing?
Check out the podcast interview I did with Jonathan Small at Write About Now.