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The Enneagram for Beginners

Book Review | The Enneagram for Beginners by Kim Eddy

Over the last few years, I have seen more and more questions referring to the Enneagram. It’s yet another in a long line of personality assessment tools designed to help people understand themselves and others better. The author points out that what differs differentiates the Enneagram from other personality assessments is the focus on motivation.

The Enneagram for Beginners has a lot of applications for Christian fiction writers, regardless of what you think about the tool itself.

It gives all of us a window into other’s hearts, helping us to see the person, not just their actions.

That statement caught my attention, because I could see how it applies to writers. Many writers have trouble articulating a goal and motivation for their characters, which is an issue:

  • Without a goal, there is nothing for the character to come into conflict with.
  • Without conflict, there is no plot.
  • Without motivation there is no reason for the goal, no conflict, and no story.

The other difference between the Enneagram and other personality assessments is that most assessments categorise people into a box that is supposed to describe them. For example, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator categorises people with four letters representing four alternatives:

  • Introversion (I) or Extroversion (E)
  • Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)
  • Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
  • Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Thus, your Myers-Briggs Type might be an ISTJ or ENFP or any other combination of those four letters.

Once you have that those four letters, the tool shows how you are similar to or different from others, and points out certain personality characteristics you might have in common. The underlying principle is that our “type” doesn’t change, but we can learn how to maximise our own strengths and learn to work with those with different personalities.

In contrast, the Enneagram shows users a way to develop and change.

Sometimes this development and change can be positive, and sometimes this is negative. The author says:

One of the purposes of learning about our Enneagram type is to be able to grow beyond it.

As writers, we call this growth the character arc.

The Enneagram gives each of the nine Enneagram types a desire, a fear, a struggle, and a lie that Type believes.

As we authors know, the lie the character believes (aka the emotional wound) is one of the essentials of good characterisation.

For example, Type 3s prioritise being successful and achieving their goals. Why? Because Type 3s live with the lie that they will only be loved and respected if they live up to the expectations of others.

It’s easy to see how this lie can influence a fictional character.

The character wants to be admired and respected, so works hard and always presents a perfect persona to the outside world. I would guess that The Duchess of Cambridge (aka Catherine Middleton) is a Type 3.

But this belief is a lie, and a lie which tells us the lesson the character needs to learn as the novel progresses. A Type 3 character needs to learn they are more than the image they create, and that being perceived as a failure will not be the end of their lives. Instead, they need to learn that they have worth regardless of how others perceive them.

Each Enneagram type also has a growth type and a stress type.

For example, a Type 3 will grow to show some of the positive characteristics of a Type 6. They may become more cooperative loyal, and more of a team player as they put aside the emphasis on personal achievement and focus on others.

Infographic showing the Enneagram

But a Type 3 character operating under stress could move towards the unhealthy characteristics of a Type 9. They might become more stubborn, more withdrawn, and more prone to becoming a workaholic in order to impress others.

I am no expert on the Enneagram and certainly have no desire to start putting real-life people in an Enneagram box.

But I think the concept has great applications for Christian writers, especially fiction writers. As such, I can see the book providing some great ideas and opportunities for character development e.g. if you want to understand your character’s underlying motivation, the lie they believe, and the kind of event that will produce a believeable and meaningful black moment or dark night of the soul.

The Enneagram for Beginners by Kim Eddy is a Christian guide to the Enneagram ... and is also a great resource for Christian fiction writers. #BookReview Click To Tweet

I especially like the way the book showed the blindspots each character type is likely to have the growth opportunities for the individual, for the individual with their families, and for the individual in the wider community or work setting. It went on to show the growth opportunities for each Enneagram Type, and how to become more like Jesus.

That, to me, was the real strength of the book. It said it was Christian, and it was Christian.

Everything in the book was bringing the concept of the Enneagram back to our relationship with Jesus and how Jesus is the answer to our problems (you know, like the Bible says).

The book didn’t quote other Enneagram experts (although it’s obvious the author has done her research and read widely are on the subject), but focused on practical steps about how to move from unhealthy or average to healthy for our Enneagram type (or our character’s type).

While The Enneagram for Beginners isn’t intended as a writing manual for Christian fiction writers, I do think it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for another approach to characterisation, or want to consider how motivation and lies can play a part in Christian fiction.

Do you know your Enneagram Type?

Have you used the Enneagram as a tool for characterisation?

About Kim Eddy

Kim Eddy
Kim Eddy is a Christian Enneagram Coach, speaker and author. Her passion is helping people of faith use the Enneagram to understand themselves and others better so they can grow in their life, relationships and wellbeing. Kim is the daughter of a pastor and a nurse, and is one of 9 children. She lives in sunny Arizona with her two world-changers-in-training little girls.

Find Kim online at:

Website | Podcast | Instagram

About The Enneagram for Beginners

Recognized as a valuable tool for identifying recurring patterns of unhealthy behavior and the ways we try to earn God’s favor, the Enneagram is used by churches, ministries, and families to grow more like Jesus and be closer to one another. While its wisdom is highly sought after, the Enneagram system can be complicated to navigate for first-time users. In this highly accessible spiritual guide, Certified Enneagram Coach Kim Eddy breaks down the essentials to help beginners discover their type and break free from fear and shame by knowing and experiencing the unconditional love, forgiveness and freedom in Christ.

The Enneagram for Beginners features:

  • Enneagram 101: that includes everything you need to know about the Enneagram, such as the triads, subtypes, wings, levels of health, ongoing struggles, and more
  • Easy and supportive steps to find your true type
  • Deep explorations into each of the nine personality types to understand the ways in which you experience the world and how you can find Jesus everyday
  • Type-focused scripture that reveals what God says about you
  • A special prayer for each type

This book is an essential tool for beginners who want to learn their type and find their own transformative path, all while keeping their faith and relationship with Jesus at the center.

Find The Enneagram for Beginners online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

Six-Stage Structure

Plot and Structure: Michael Hauge’s Six-Stage Structure

I’ve been wanting to write a blog post about Michael Hauge’s Six-Stage Structure since attending his all-day session at the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference in August 2016. I did write a summary post (Identity, Essence, and God), but I didn’t cover the detail of his approach to writing novels and screenplays.

I couldn’t. Because it can’t be boiled down to a 600-word blog post. But over the last year I have come across some free and paid resources where Michael Hauge explains his approach to plot. So I’m going to share those instead of trying to cover everything myself.

Michael Hauge is best known as a screenwriting consultant, and his books do tend to focus on screenplays. But (as he argues), the essential elements of fiction are the same, whether the medium is novel or film or TV. And many writers would like to see their novels adapted into a film—it seems to me that we give ourselves the best chance of making that possible if we start by writing a novel that is structured like a film.

Yes, structure is the key.

A lot of writing instructors focus entirely on plot or structure. It’s not that they ignore character. It’s more that they place structure first. Plot then falls out of that, then character. But if you’ve tried to write a book like that, you’ve probably found it more difficult than it sounds. I think the reason is that it’s easy to explain structure: it’s a formula (and that’s not a bad thing). It’s engineering, and there is a right way to build a story.

Character is harder. Everyone is unique, and our characters also have to be unique. But trying to develop unique characters can’t be reduced to a formula. And that’s where Michael Hauge’s Six Stage Structure can help. (Click here to download a copy.)

Hauge’s methodology complements the work of many other leading writing teachers, e.g.

Here are a few key lessons from Michael Hauge:

  • Your role as a writer is to elicit emotion in the reader. That’s it.
  • The way you elicit emotion is by introducing conflict. Internal and external conflict is what engages your reader (or viewer) and gets them to care.
  • You can manipulate conflict using techniques such as a ticking close, or superior knowledge.
  • All stories are about a character who wants something, but something stands in their way. This must be a visible goal.
  • All characters have an emotional wound they are trying to overcome, and the best way to reveal the wound is through dialogue i.e. show, don’t tell.
  • Avoid multiple-hero stories.

For more information:

Film Courage Interview

Film Courage interviewed Michael in January 2017, and the 90-minute recording is available on YouTube. It’s their most-viewed interview of 2017, and I can see why.

Udemy Course

The interview references some work Michael Hauge did with Chris Vogler, integrating Hauge’s Story Structure with Vogler’s Hero’s Journey. This is available via Udemy. The full course includes over six hours of video. The full price is $175, but Udemy hold regular sales (I got it for $10). I suggest signing up for Udemy’s newsletter so you get notified when they hold a sale.

Writing Screenplays that Sell

Michael Hauge has several books. I’ve read Writing Screenplays That Sell, which I recommend. Hauge goes into a lot of detail about character development, theme, and structure, then moves into how to write and format a screenplay. This section is of less use to novelists but is still worth reading for the occasional relevant nugget. But the book is worth the price for the information in the first section.

You can read the introduction below:

Plot: The LOCK Elements

Last week we looked at the GMC method of plotting and characterisation. This week we are looking at another acronym, LOCK, used by James Scott Bell to describe what he sees as the four key elements of a strong plot:

Lead – Objective – Confrontation – Knockout

Lead

A novel needs a lead character that readers can bond with:

  • We must be able to identify with the lead character, to relate to them on a human level.
  • We must have some sympathy for the Lead’s challenges, by putting the Lead through jeopardy or hardship, making them the underdog or making them vulnerable.
  • The Lead must be likeable. I’ve read too many books with an unlikeable hero or heroine. This is especially annoying in a romance, where an unlikable hero raises questions about the intelligence and discernment of the heroine (or vice versa).
  • There must be some inner conflict, an emotional struggle that catches our attention. Most of us avoid conflict in our personal lives, so there is a tendency to want to avoid writing about it. But:
We must not confuse conflict that can be ruinous in life with conflict that is the essence of fiction. Readers enjoy conflict because it is in fiction and not in their lives. (Sol Stein)

The reader needs to immediately know who the Lead character is, to enable us to build a relationship and develop empathy to their situation:

Ideally, the protagonist should play an important role in the first scene to avoid the reader mistaking another character for the protagonist. One of the marks of amateur novel-writing is a lack of early clarity as to whose story we, as readers, should be following. (Sol Stein)

This is one reason why prologues set in the past don’t always work: the reader is investing themselves in a character, only to find that character has no place in the main plot.

We also need to see what internal and external conflict the Lead is facing as quickly as possible:

One major problem with beginner’s manuscripts is that the protagonists aren’t pressured enough. And if a main character is not squeezed hard enough, we’re not really going to know him because we’re not going to have an opportunity to see what’s inside him. (Angela Hunt)

Objective

The Lead must have an objective, a want so strong he must have it or suffer deep loss. This gives the story forward motion. An objective could be trying to get something (e.g. in a romance, the hero and heroine are trying to get love), or to get away from something (e.g. in a thriller, the protagonist might be trying to escape the antagonist).

The objective can’t be resolved too quickly:

Everyone in your story should want something badly. Every major character should have their own script and personal goals that will, at some point, bring them into conflict with the world and/or with your protagonist. (Angela Hunt)

Confrontation

Opposition to the Lead’s objective: novels are about confrontation, about conflict. There needs to be adhesive, something holding the opposing parties together, something which prevents the Lead or opposition from walking away from the fight.

Without a strong opponent, most novels lack that crucial emotional experience for the reader: worry. If it seems the hero can take care of his problems easily, why bother to read on? (James Scott Bell)

A clear antagonist is important for confrontation. Just as there needs to be a Lead character, there needs to be someone in conflict with that Lead:

Your protagonist needs challenges to stretch and change him throughout his story journey, and that’s the role of the antagonist.(Angela Hunt)

Note that the antagonist isn’t necessarily a villain: it is the character whose goals are in opposition to the goals of the lead, causing conflict. In a romance, this might be the hero—she lives and works in the country; his career is in the city. This is actually more interesting than a villain, as there are compelling reasons for both views: neither character is wrong.

Knockout

The final battle, or the final choice, faced by your protagonist. Your objective as an author is to leave the readers satisfied, but in an unpredictable way.

As you can see, like the GMC elements, the LOCK elements are a combination of plot and character. A well-thought out GMC and/or LOCK will ensure you have sufficient conflict to drive your plot and allow your characters to grow and change.