The Secret to Creating Memorable Characters in Your Middle-Grade Novel
Unlocking the magic of character archetypes
As a writer, I sometimes struggle with creating memorable characters in my middle-grade manuscripts. I want my characters to be unique but sometimes I find myself creating characters that are flat and uninteresting.
When I mentioned to my writing mentor that my manuscript was missing something, she suggested incorporating character archetypes.
I was skeptical at first.
Aren’t character archetypes filled with cliches that make your characters stereotypical, and ultimately, not unique at all?
After some research and experimentation, I realised using character archetypes can actually be useful and effective in developing a compelling story.
What are character archetypes?
Character archetypes are universal patterns of behaviour that can be found in all cultures and societies. These patterns are recognisable to readers and help them connect with the characters on a deeper level. By incorporating these patterns in my novel, I’m able to create characters that are not only unique but also easy to relate to.
