Antonio del Drago

I received a free copy of this for reviewing several months ago and although I'm not finished with the book, thought I'd go ahead and share my thoughts with you. The only reason I'm not finished is because I've been working through the steps Dr. Drago sets out to solidify some of the characters I'm working with in my WIPs. Since I haven't been writing much the last the last three months, I haven't been thinking along the lines of improving said writing.

I did however get 45% through the book and have found it to be very helpful with digging into the subconscious motivations of my own characters. I read one review where the reader complained that this felt like a psychology book, this is one of the things that I liked about the book. They also complained that it was similar to other books on the same topic out there. Not having read any other books on this recently I can't comment on that. I can only say it was helpful for me. I also liked how he used characters from popular movies and books to illustrate his point.

I've been going through slowly, step by step with each of my characters. As I get to know how their minds work I'm understanding how they will act and react to certain situations. When I get to sit down and finally write, I'm hoping this will result in realistic and natural progression of the story.

If you are having trouble figuring out your characters, this is a great place to start.… (mehr)

I received a free copy of this for reviewing several months ago and although I'm not finished with the book, thought I'd go ahead and share my thoughts with you. The only reason I'm not finished is because I've been working through the steps Dr. Drago sets out to solidify some of the characters I'm working with in my WIPs. Since I haven't been writing much the last the last three months, I haven't been thinking along the lines of improving said writing.

I did however get 45% through the book and have found it to be very helpful with digging into the subconscious motivations of my own characters. I read one review where the reader complained that this felt like a psychology book, this is one of the things that I liked about the book. They also complained that it was similar to other books on the same topic out there. Not having read any other books on this recently I can't comment on that. I can only say it was helpful for me. I also liked how he used characters from popular movies and books to illustrate his point.

I've been going through slowly, step by step with each of my characters. As I get to know how their minds work I'm understanding how they will act and react to certain situations. When I get to sit down and finally write, I'm hoping this will result in realistic and natural progression of the story.

If you are having trouble figuring out your characters, this is a great place to start.… (mehr)

The Mythic Guide to Characters is a well-written guide to help writers flesh out the conscious and unconscious drives which will predict how their characters will act in any given situation. The best writers develop well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that begin to develop a life of their own. Have you ever tried to get your character to do something and they won't cooperate? It means you have (yourself) given some thought to the unconscious drives that shape your character. This book will help you give those factors conscious thought so that you, too, can take that step between a character who's so palpable on the page your reader falls in love (or hate) with them and a flat, two-dimensional character.

The Mythic Guide to Characters covers the following psychological theories of personality development:

-unconscious mind (inner wounds and what lays beneath)
-the Enneagram (unconscious drives and motiviations)
-Bartle types (game theory)
-Five Great Relationships (formative people in your characters life)
-Archetypes (Jungian psychology 101)
-The Soul Triptych (your characters 3 most influential people)
-Proactive v. reactive
-Physical characteristics (how it affects your character)
-Dialogue and speech patterns

For each theory that is expounded, the author uses as examples at least one (and sometimes two) examples of each character archetype using current, popular examples from movies and literature that a lay-novelist can easily identify with and understand. Examples include Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and other popular modern media. The theories are explained in plain English anybody can understand and does not resort to 'psychobabble' or spiritual nonsense.

There is also a helpful character worksheet at the end of the book and a bibliography of further reading if you wish to educate yourself further.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? My undergraduate degree is in psychology, and while the book's examples are impeccable, that part of me which is a writer wished some of the well-known line drawings of each theory had been included to help 'ground' the idea for somebody with a non-psychology degree. The writer in me also fervently wished there had been 2-3 short writing exercises at the end of each 'Layer' to take the theories the author had just explained and then apply it to my OWN characters. This has become a standard and expected part of writing novels and I noted their absence. I would most definitely come back and upgrade my 4-star rating to a 5-star rating if the author releases an updated version of this book with a writing exercise at the end of each chapter. Even without those exercises, however, I found this book to be extremely helpful and would recommend it to fellow writers.

I received this book for free after the author contacted me requesting an honest, unbiased review.… (mehr)