Character From Zero to Hero: Archetypes for Character Development with Johanna DeBiase

Your story surely has a protagonist, the hero of the story, but does it also have a mentor, ally, herald, trickster, shapeshifter, guardian or shadow? Who would Bilbo be without his mentor, Gandolf? Harry Potter without his shadow, Lord Voldemort? Scout without her ally, Jem? And is your hero pulling their own weight or are they floundering through your tale without agency? In this course, we will explore the eight archetypes that American Mythologist, Joseph Campbell, made famous in his academic work on the hero’s journey. Knowing your character’s archetype helps to inform their motivation and goals, so they can interact authentically and purposefully within the narrative. We will look at examples of each archetype in literature and reflect on how we can use archetypes to further develop our own literary characters. This course is for fiction writers of all levels.