What Are Story Character Types?

Based on the Enneagram of Personality, you can use the nine story character types to create an array of interesting and relatable people for your novel.

The nine types alone might seem limiting. When you add another nine traits for each character times the nine development levels, you end up with 729 unique combinations. That’s enough character development variables to satisfy even the pickiest of readers.

The Trellis Method guides you to create quick yet detailed character profiles.

Defining the Story Character Types

In this post, the term ‘types’ refers to the Enneagram of Personality, not another method, such as ‘archetypes.’

Many years ago, Enneagram theorists defined the nine types. They documented their definitions and tested the accuracy of their theories. Fortunately, the Enneagram provides realistic definitions of traits and behaviors, offering writers opportunities to fully develop characters.

You can use the Enneagram of Personality to show how a character’s behaviors change as they react to plot events, providing readers with realistic thoughts, choices, dialogue, and actions.

Reliable Patterns of Real People You Can Use

Many websites and books have already ‘typed’ people that often appear in the news, so you can use real individuals as ‘patterns’ for character development.

For instance, if a famous person (e.g., a movie star) has been typed an ‘8’, with a few internet clicks, you can find abundant descriptions of that person’s physical, mental, and emotional attributes. Continue searching and you’ll discover quotes, perfect for creating sample dialogue. Stories about the individual can reveal what happens when they face adversity, such as a legal challenge or a messy relationship.

Now you’re probably wondering, how do I identify the story character types?

Coming Up with Your Story Character Types

After discovering the Enneagram of Personality, I began studying many books and visiting countless websites to distill the definitions.

While researching the Enneagram, I noticed most theorists did not subscribe to the economical use of words. The effort was a challenge, like picking the bacon bits out of a chopped salad. After studying the works of different theorists, I distilled a simple yet effective three-step process to identify character types.

1. From a table of three descriptions, pick one matching the character.
2. From a second table of three descriptions, pair the first with another.
3. From a third table of nine, use the ‘pairing’ to identify the character’s type.

An Example of Identifying Story Character Types

The Character Type Identification worksheet words the descriptions like you’re taking an Enneagram of Personality test.

For example, from the first table, you choose a description that best summarizes how the character feels about self.

From the second table, you select the next description that best describes how the character feels about self.

Then use the third table to identify the character’s type, name, and traits:

The one-page worksheet makes quick work of identifying the character’s type, allowing you plenty of time to fully develop the fictional person’s profile.

The Benefits of Using Story Character Types

Enjoy the many benefits of developing characters based on the Enneagram types.

For example, a character’s type can help you:

• Understand the character’s potential range of traits and behaviors.
• Pick the character’s starting development level that fits your story, making it easier to introduce this fictional person to your the audience.
• Create a snapshot of the character, a brief but memorable paragraph and keyword phrases that you’ll use to remind readers of this character’s importance to the story.
  • Appearance
  • Role
  • Mannerisms
  • Voice
  • Story contribution
• Plot positive and negative story events that cause this character’s development level and behaviors to progress toward either the positive (i.e., optimal) or negative (sub-optimal).
• Use the type to inspire the character arc, transforming your lead as the story unfolds.
• Maintain the consistency of characters’ names and descriptions within the story, and especially for a series.

Story Character Types Are Worth the Extra Efforts

The goal is to create characters who react to plot events with the realistic emotions readers crave.

You can achieve your character development goal using these five steps:

1. Identify the character type.
2. Review the character type’s traits and behaviors.
3. Select the starting character development level that fits your story.
4. Complete the character snapshot to help readers perceive the person’s importance to the story.
5. Complete the character profile to ensure consistency (e.g., names, descriptions, plot influence, personal issues, motivational stakes, backstory, and sample dialogue).

Use the Trellis Method to develop characters, and put them to work in your novel.

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