Writers often project themselves into their stories, so characters tend to think and talk alike, with predicable actions and boring plots. If you use your personality for a character, don’t let any other character in the story be like you. Make your story more compelling by focusing on personality differences.
Conflict quickly arises when a character wants something but an associate wants something else. The Myers-Briggs Type indicator is a useful tool to identify and contrast character traits so your stories will be interesting and unpredictable.
| Social: Information: Decision Making: Lifestyle: |
Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I) Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N) Thinking (T) or Feeling (F) Judging (J) or Perceiving (P) |
In each of the categories above, decide which way your character leans. Use those four letters to identify one of the general categories below.
| ISTJ Inspector ISTP Crafter ESTP Promoter ESTJ Supervisor |
ISFJ Protector ISFP Composer ESFP Performer ESFJ Provider |
INFJ Counselor INFP Healer ENFP Champion ENFJ Teacher |
INTJ Mastermind INTP Architect ENTP Inventor ENTJ Fieldmarshal |
For the most dramatic contrast, identify your hero’s personality and use the opposite core values, goals, and outlooks on the opposite side for your antagonist.
ENFJ: An organized and decisive person who sees potential in everyone |
ISTP: Someone who sees only himself as qualified to fix all the big problems |
Moving Pictures
2009 Keynote:
