Book Review: Writing Archetypal Characters

 Writing Archetypal Characters, written by K. M. Weiland, published March 30, 2023. This is the latest edition of her Helping Writers Become Authors book series. I have read many of her other books including, Structuring your Novel, Outlining your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs. In addition, I often listen to her blog posts and find her advice to be very helpful. 

That said I haven’t read her fiction books. The only one I can say anything about is Dreamlander, and I didn’t like it enough to want to read it again. I do remember the plot though, even years later, and the ideas she came up with were beautiful. 

When I first read her blog posts, which this book was based on I was blown away. I was tired of reading the same old tired drivel. I’d already outlined and written my own book, but I couldn’t stand it and it sat in my computer for years. As I read the blog posts I tried to apply what she was writing about to my own stories and I could see the fit. I was so used to the hero’s journey that I tended to ignore everything else. She helped me see there were so many other possible stories out there. In fact I liked the Queen’s story and the Kings story much more. However I never had a way to put what I could imagine onto paper. 

With the tools she has given me I feel confident that I can craft a story that will resonate with other people. In addition I was able to find some of the reference books she mentioned and absorbed the messages they have given me. 

This is not the first time I’ve read this book. It’s the fourth. I’ve gone through the blog posts at least twice. I’ve listened to them once and now I’ve read this book. Every writer who wants to create great characters and beautiful stories needs to find a mentor, someone to help them on the journey. Without the them there is no way you will succeed. 

I recommend this book and her other writing books so you can get a sense of how easy it is to create a story. I needed to learn, and she was the best teacher I’ve found. If I give you a detailed description of what’s inside that would spoil it. So all I can do is recommend it and it will help you on your journey to creating wonderful characters.