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.
This book identifies and analyzes sixteen character archetypes (eight male, eight female) and not only explains them, but also shows how they interact with others. My favorite part, though, was how they took one archetype and showed how it was used in different books/movies in different ways to prevent it from becoming a stereotype. I’m already recommending it to other writers.
One thing worth noting: this book is terribly edited. If you can’t look past incorrect punctuation, formatting issues, and more, you won’t want to read this book. If, however, you can look past the problems and focus on the content, there’s a lot to be learned.
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