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The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes Kindle Edition

by Tami D. Cowden (Author), Carolyn LaFever (Author), Sue Viders (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 218 ratings
Review
An invaluable resource for writers working in any genre.... -- Prof. Richard Walter, Screenwriting Chairman, UCLA Dept. of Film and Television, letter to author, 5/4/00

Finally! Fiction Archetypes made easy. . . . Stuffed with examples and cleverly organized, [this book] earned a spot on my crowded bookshelf. -- Debra Dixon, author GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict, 1996; and Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes, 2000; email to authors 4/00

The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines takes the mystery out of creating compelling and memorable characters. Every writer should own a copy. -- Deb Stover, award winning author of nine time travel and historical romances, email to authors. 4/00

The authors have developed a clear and usable system for creating memorable characters. -- Kevin J. Anderson, best-selling co-author of Dune: House Atreides, email to author, 5/25/00.
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  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 16, 2013
  4. File size
    724 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many books attempt to show writers how to create believable characters. This one is unlike the majority: it specifically identifies 16 "master archetypes," complete with thumbnail sketches and descriptions of specific qualities, flaws, background, styles, and possible occupations. The authors, all writers and writing instructors, detail eight male and eight female archetypes in Sections 1 and 2 and then in Section 3 discuss how the characters can interact and evolve, often warning that "a writer cannot simply lift the archetypes from these pages." Although these archetypes from these pages." Although these archetypes are admittedly rather stereotypical (e.g., the Chief, the Bad Boy, and the Warrior, or the Seductress, the Waif, and the Nurturer), the book does provide a thought-provoking exploration of character development and its myriad possibilities. Useful examples from literature, television, and cinema are included in the appendex. Although the book is written in an easily accessible writing style, it nevertheless contains more detail than would be needed for most undergraduate programs. It is therefore more suitable for advanced creative writing programs. Recommended for midsize to larger public libraries.
Angela M. Weiler, SUNY Libs. at Morrisville
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An invaluable resource for writers working in any genre.... -- Prof. Richard Walter, Screenwriting Chairman, UCLA Dept. of Film and Television, letter to author, 5/4/00

The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines takes the mystery out of creating compelling and memorable characters. Every writer should own a copy. -- Deb Stover, award winning author of nine time travel and historical romances, email to authors. 4/00

Finally! Fiction Archetypes made easy. . . . Stuffed with examples and cleverly organized, [this book] earned a spot on my crowded bookshelf. -- Debra Dixon, author GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict, 1996; and Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes, 2000; email to authors 4/00

The authors have developed a clear and usable system for creating memorable characters. -- Kevin J. Anderson, best-selling co-author of Dune: House Atreides, email to author, 5/25/00.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00HD176J2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Archetype Press (December 16, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 16, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 724 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Sue Viders

    Sue Viders

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    Sue Viders, with a B.F.A. degree, began writing in national art magazines to help artists market their creative endeavors, but then switched over to teaching writers, around the world, how to better organize and write more effectively so their books would sell better. Her most well-known nonfiction book often called the Bible of building characters, is THE COMPLETE WRITER'S GUIDE TO HEROES and HEROINES, SIXTEEN MASTER ARCHETYPES.

    Approaching the big Nine 0, and having survived numerous bouts with cancer, and other interesting medical problems, along with raising five children and assisting her attorney husband with her typing skills, she is proud to present her essay book. It all started with her newspaper articles, which gradually morphed into the OUT-OF-THE-BOX ESSAY book, containing 44 short thought-provoking and humorous comments on life and living.

    However, she also has other numerous nonfiction books, WRITING A NOVEL, CREATING A GREAT VILLAIN, and a card game, DEAL A STORY, THE WRITER'S TOOL BOX, for aspiring writers available with several more writing workbooks on the drawing board.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Tami D. Cowden

    Tami D. Cowden

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    Tami Cowden lives and writes in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her first novel, Cruising for Love, won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America, and was published initially by Avalon. It is now available from Montlake Romance.

    Tami is also the coauthor of The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes, a guide to characterization for writers. Tami has presented writing programs on characterization, plotting and scene building at more than 100 writing conferences and retreats, as well as online. Due to popular demand, she also authored a follow up book, Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Villain Archetypes.

    A lawyer by day, she is now working on a mystery series about a divorce lawyer who inherits a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Tami lives in Las Vegas with her husband, two basset hounds, and four cats.

    See more on the author's page
  3. Caro LaFever

    Caro LaFever

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    Caro LaFever writes sexy contemporary romance in a cabin in the woods. She's friends with a raccoon, some wild turkeys, and occasionally, a bear. Oh. And she has a few human friends as well.

    Join her reader's group now and receive freebies and so much more! Yippee! Go to her website at: www.carolafever.com and sign up.

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  4. Tami D., LaFever, Caro, Viders, Sue Cowden

    Tami D., LaFever, Caro, Viders, Sue Cowden

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  5. Caro LaFever, Sue Viders Tami D. Cowden

    Caro LaFever, Sue Viders Tami D. Cowden

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
218 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this writing guide easy to understand and a must-read for authors of all levels. The book serves as a great resource for creating characters, detailing hero and heroine archetypes, and helping readers open their eyes to character development. Customers appreciate the book's information quality, particularly its great reference for understanding basic archetypes.

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33 customers mention "Readability"33 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a must-read for authors of all levels that is easy to understand and serves as an excellent writing companion.

"...The margin notations make it easy to grab helpful info at a glance, and if you want to know more about how these characters influence each other step..." Read more

"This is my favorite how to write book. Why? Each of the 16 character types has three virtues and three flaws to guide their decisions...." Read more

"...Both 45 MC and VP provide an easy to understand breakdown of Maureen Murdock's The Heroine's Journey, which itself is a feminine..." Read more

"...The text is clear, readable and entertaining...." Read more

27 customers mention "Character development"23 positive4 negative

Customers find the book a great resource for creating characters, detailing hero and heroine archetypes, and helping them open their eyes to character development.

"...It is fantastic for keeping my characters in line--mine sometimes get away from me, doing things that don't make sense...." Read more

"...It not only has a character archetypes, but a complete breakdown and worksheets for charting the different adventure paths for males vs. females...." Read more

"There are numerous books on creating characters, writing believable stories, etc. This book will help you spark ideas and conflict...." Read more

"...This book is about writing characters that resonate. I use this book, on some level, for every book I write now...." Read more

24 customers mention "Information quality"24 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's information quality, particularly its great reference value for understanding basic archetypes and providing useful examples. One customer notes how the different tropes interact, while another finds the archetype interactions portion extremely helpful.

"...I also found the archetype interactions portion to be extremely useful, as this is an an area other texts have failed me...." Read more

"...It provides great examples of this theory from blockbusters like Star Wars, Star Trek, the Dark Knight, etc...." Read more

"...This book will help you spark ideas and conflict...." Read more

"...of flipping back and forth through the succinct and easily scanned archetype descriptions, and I finally had her nailed, along with all the..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • ADM
    5.0 out of 5 stars The book on archetypes I've been looking for
    Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I've read a number of other texts on archetypes, but this is the most useful I've found. I wanted a book which would not just offer insight, but which I could keep on hand for easy reference—Because let's be honest, no matter how thorough and insightful one of these texts is, we're not going to remember every detail once we're done reading. Being able to quickly find what I need is important. Rather than a wall of text on each archetype, they're broken down into easy-to-locate sections that are genuinely useful to actual writing, such as Flaws, Background, and Occupations. This is as clear a road map as can be given without the authors writing your character for you, I think. I also found the archetype interactions portion to be extremely useful, as this is an an area other texts have failed me. The margin notations make it easy to grab helpful info at a glance, and if you want to know more about how these characters influence each other step-by-step, you can delve further into the text itself. I'm really very impressed with how practically useful this guide is.

    As for my quibbles, the references to existing characters are a bit dated (I was surprised to see this had been revised in 2013), and if there was any information given on how archetypes can be either gender, I don't remember seeing it. I went into this book already having that information, but new authors may feel a bit pigeonholed if they believe they're limited to only 8 options because of their character's gender. Something to consider for future revisions.

    As an aside, I also appreciated that I could purchase a physical copy, as that way I can keep it at my desk and avoid the distractions of the internet.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Doom
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This is my favorite how to write book. Why? Each of the 16 character types has three virtues and three flaws to guide their decisions. I find a character without weakness is not very likable. It is fantastic for keeping my characters in line--mine sometimes get away from me, doing things that don't make sense. It also forces me to actually plot out what traits I want to this character to demonstrate. It gets rid of that blurry character feeling I sometimes have. The book also helps in the blending of types allowing something like a Warrior/Chief to have the strengths and weaknesses of both archetypes.

    Could the book be better? Absolutely but I still give it five stars.

    --Need more film and book references to match the characters. Agent Booth in Bones is a Warrior, etc. There are several examples in book but can you really have too many examples?

    --It is missing villains. Okay, duh, read the title but still. I actually use 45 Master Characters, my second favorite writing book, to flush villains out. 45 Master Characters goes into more depth and talks about gods--I love when we get back to Greeks. The 16 archetypes line up perfectly with the 45 Master Characters. Okay, you may have a point: 16 is not equal to 45 but I'll let you read them to see what I mean.

    --I find the archetype interaction fairly uninteresting as this seems to have just as much to do with plot as personality.

    --It would have been cool to have archetype conflict resolution approaches and dialog. Situation: my dog got hit by a car. Warrior reaction: "The guy who did this going to pay. I will beat him to a pulp."

    --Three virtues and flaws is great, why not have more? Sure there is a core three, but it would be to have options, almost like a creative kick starter.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Baron Von Cool
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good, comprehensive book on character archetypes
    Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Good, comprehensive book detailing hero and heroine archetypes and how they interact with each other. Followed by Tami Cowden's solo sequel, Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Villain Archetypes, which is also good, but unfortunately does not attempt to explain how the villains interact with the heroes and heroines in this book.

    Another book I like that offers the same idea as this one is 45 Master Characters, Revised Edition: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Schmidt. It not only has a character archetypes, but a complete breakdown and worksheets for charting the different adventure paths for males vs. females. Also recommended is The Virgin's Promise: Writing Stories of Feminine Creative, Spiritual, and Sexual Awakening by Kim Hudson, which focuses on a step by step guide to creating feminine adventures vs. male ones (but a slightly different system than in 45 Master Characters). Both 45 MC and VP provide an easy to understand breakdown of Maureen Murdock's The Heroine's Journey, which itself is a feminine version of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell) (the Hero's Journey; theory of mythic storytelling structure used in Star Wars, The Lion King, etc., which Christoher Vogler breaks down for writers in The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition).

    And not just for its screenplay advice, but because it is easily adapted for novelists, I recommend My Story Can Beat Up Your Story: Ten Ways to Toughen Up Your Screenplay from Opening Hook to Knockout Punch by Jeffrey Schechter. It espouses a Jungian theory of a "unity of opposites," so both the hero and the villain and their teams will be mirror images of each other and be out to prove the opposite (or some more reasonable compromise) of the story's theme (such "faith vs. technology" in Star Wars). It provides great examples of this theory from blockbusters like Star Wars, Star Trek, the Dark Knight, etc. If you go to the author's website (with the url link in the book), you can download a cut chapter that extends the mirror image theory not just to the characters, but the first half and last half of the story. So some action that happens in the first half is repeated in the second, only on a larger scale with more dramatic results, which readers like because of its circularity.

    Unfortunately, not all of the archetype books mesh well with each other's systems (nor do all the story structure ones), so you might want to pick one to get you started. What's nice about The Complete Guide to Heroes and Heroines is it has the villain sequel, however, that doesn't mean these are the best books on the subject. They're a perfectly good choice, and deliver exactly what they promise, but I love getting the mythic hero/heroine journey story structure help and find myself referring far more to those books throughout the writing process than books that solely provide archetypes.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • WoD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really helpful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I hesitated to buy this book because there were a few reviews that said it lacked examples. But I've only had this book a day or so and it's been a massive help with my numerous WIPs.
    It's incredibly helpful as a writers resource. Highly recommended.
    Report
  • JANINE BRAY-MUELLER
    5.0 out of 5 stars For writers who find Enneagrams complicated, here is an alternative.
    Reviewed in France on March 1, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Yes! Helpful reference book for fiction writers - especially when you find enneagrams complicated or too time-consuming. This is your alternative to creating protagonist archetypes.

    This beautifully formatted book contains helpful and informative guidelines for beginner and experienced fiction writers. Well worth buying the printed version.
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  • MJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars This system works really well for me
    Reviewed in Canada on September 27, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have always struggled with enneagram and Myers-Briggs systems for understanding personalities and creating characters/arcs. For whatever reason, this system of 16 archetypes really resonates with me. It’s changed how I approach my own writing and how I read novels too. I find the section on character interactions especially useful for writing and reading romance.
    Report
  • Leanne Lovegrove
    5.0 out of 5 stars Useful
    Reviewed in Australia on July 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fabulous guide for writers, a starting point to allow you to fully explore your character.
    Report
  • G C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Character traits made easy.
    Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    A fantastic read.
    Report

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