How to Use the Enneagram to Create Diverse Characters
Most writers are aware of the axiom – write what you know. That certainly is the case for character development. When we start out, we tend to create characters that are like us. That might work for the first or second book, but eventually it gets to be boring and repetitious. We need to create characters as diverse and multi-faceted as the people all around us. That was when I discovered how to use the Enneagram to create diverse characters.
What is the Enneagram?
The Enneagram is a personality profile with nine personality types. Each number is connected to a way of relating to the world. Numerous books have been written on the subject, far beyond what I can include in this post. My own understanding of the Enneagram has grown dramatically over the years. (for more on this, see my blog post – How the Enneagram Has Changed over the Past Forty Years)
In particular I appreciated learning about the Harmony triads in the Enneagram. Each number is associated with a different center of intelligence, heart (2,3,4), head (5,6,7) or gut (8-9-1). Each number is also part of a triad. There are three triads – 1-4-7, 2-5-8, 3-6-9. The idea is that for harmony, we need to engage each of these centers. (For more on this, see Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram)
Using the Enneagram to Create Diverse Characters
While I was aware of the Enneagram when I first started my Dancing through Life series, my knowledge was limited. That didn’t keep me from writing great characters, but I discovered I tended to hover around the 5-8-2 triad, my triad. Since then my knowledge has increased substantially.
I’m a five—the reflective thinker. I relish spending hours alone, analyzing and dreaming. Like many women of my age group, I was pushed to be a two—the caretaker—throughout my childhood. I disowned the other part of the triangle, the eight, because of it’s focus on power, which was not seen as “lady-like.” Though I did find myself frequently in leadership positions.
When I started to apply what I had learned about the Enneagram to my characters, I realized Kathleen, a recurring character, was an eight, the challenger. Her mother Esther, was a two, and her love interest, Pastor Joe, was a five, fitting into the triad with which I was most familiar.
When It Started to Come Together
It wasn’t until book five of my series that I started to apply the Enneagram to new characters. Marcy, the heroine of Delicious Secrets, was a seven—adventurous though having a short attention span as she was easily distracted by different interests. Gwen, her best friend, side-kick, and comic relief, was a six—the loyal person. I liked Gwen so much that I decided to give her two books of her own, Beautiful Questions and Man of the Month, as she sought her place in life.
Letty, the heroin of Freedom Dance, was a four, the individualist, with a strong one, the reformer. This created inner conflict as the two numbers were often at odds. Letty’s desire to change the world was in conflict with her desire to be creative and dance. Resolving this conflict was an important aspect of the book.
In my novel, Rebound, Josie is a one, the reformer, involved with Jacob, a happy-go-lucky seven. Josie helps Jacob commit to basketball and his dream of playing in the NBA and Jacob helps Josie lighten up, realize there is more to life than her single issue.
In book eleven, Amazing, Grace, the youngest of the three Reese children, is a nine—the peacemaker (as is her father, Dale). She avoids conflict, goes along with what others want in most cases, except when it involves the area of her expertise—animals. Then she engages the three, the achiever, which is part of her triad. Grace ends up in a love triangle between two brothers, Abel, an eight, and Seth, a seven. An uncomfortable place for a nine to be, creating conflict.
In the final book of the series, Prima Ballerina, Ashley is a four, a true prima ballerina. She happily goes through life accepting the accolades that are hers, the lead dancer in her own drama, oblivious at times to the people around her. The last thing any four wants is to be ordinary, and Ashley is no exception.
Do You have to Use the Enneagram to Create Diverse Characters?
Would I have not been able to create these diverse characters without my knowledge of the Enneagram? No, you don’t have to use the Enneagram to create multi-faceted, fascinating characters. Many have done it throughout the centuries. But it helps. Instead of worrying whether my characters were copy-cat, caricatures of other characters. I do the numbers and I’m assured of the differences.
And even with only nine personality types, there are multiple ways in which they manifest that personality. Besides the harmony triads, each number has a wing. An eight may have a strong seven wing and love to party, but it won’t interfere with their work. An effective three may have a strong four wing and exhibit the eccentricities of the four. All make for myriad ways of expressing a personality.
What do you think? Have you used other personality profiles to help you develop characters? I would love to hear from you.
Opportunity to Learn More About the Enneagram
Have I piqued your interest? There is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Enneagram Harmony Triads coming this January. Motions of the Soul, offered by Crossroads Soul Resources. This training will be offered on-line and/or in person. Not only will it help your writing, it will help you grow as a person. And for those even more adventurous, there is the Crossroads School of Spiritual Direction which delves deeper into the Enneagram and how it can be used for spiritual growth and transformation as well as leading others along their journey. Click here for more information.
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