This is one of the most confusing parts of characterization. All major characters should have dramatic roles, but some authors are unwilling to use their archetypes because using them might seem unoriginal. This fear has no basis because the dramatic functions of characters that authors are unwilling to use are usually needed to enrich the story.

Authors create their characters quite differently. Some make up a bunch of interesting characters and put them in situations where problems force them to interact with each other. These interactions eventually help the authors to come up with a plot. The interactions also help authors to determine the unique features of each character. In a sense, the characters choose their own roles. This is one way of creating very original characters. The downside of this method of creating characters is that an author can get too attached to them such that he might be unwilling to remove them if they have no significant roles.

Other writers come up with a topic for their story and choose the message that the story should convey. Afterwards they create their characters based on the roles that come up in the process of making a story. Regardless of whichever method an author uses, he might not come up with the main characters until the story has developed considerably. The best way to avoid this is to come up with character functions early in the story. Determining the story goal and making a plot outline can help an author to figure out who the important characters are and what roles they should play. Mostly archetypal characters are made this way and they make the story more dramatic. Here is what authors should do to create compelling characters.

Archetypal characters and their dramatic functions

Let us take the example of a well-worn story idea. A powerless uncle is forced to take care of an orphaned boy whose parents were killed by the story’s villain. This boy is watched over by a powerful wizard who tells him about his heritage after he comes of age. The wizard then trains the boy to use his inherited powers to prepare him to avenge his parents’ deaths.

This is the idea behind excellent stories such as: Harry Potter, King Arthur, Eragon, and Star Wars. The archetypal characters are: the powerless uncle, the orphaned boy, the villain that killed his parents, and the powerful wizard. The story goal in this case is revenge and the roles of each archetypal character are very clear. The author might be tempted to avoid using his characters’ archetypes because they might seem predictable. However, if the author fails to use the predictable archetypes, the story will lack any dramatic edge.

Creating archetypal characters by grouping functions

Archetypal characters are simply stereotypical ways to group and implement the dramatic functions in a story. There are many archetypal characters that authors can create from grouping functions. For instance, a protagonist pursues a story goal and considers its importance whereas the antagonist tries to prevent him from pursuing the goal and urges him to reconsider.

A sidekick shows unwavering support for the protagonist but skeptics are pessimistic and oppose all actions the protagonist makes to achieve his goal.