by Lindsey Brackett @LindsBrac
If you want to develop authentic characters, learning the Enneagram is a great place to start. This old tool suggests nine basic personality types for people—all focused on identifying a person’s underlying motivation (or core sin). Enneagram experts believe every person carries tendencies of the nine different types—which makes us (and our characters) incredibly complex. If you’ve been following this monthly series, you know we’re ready to dive into Type Five.
Perhaps it’s because my husband identifies as a Type Five, but I believe our Fives are the most misunderstood of all the Enneagram types. Often classified as detached, portrayed as cold, and perceived as shy, type fives are so much more. When studying the type purely for the joy of creating a character, it is easy to see the positives.
Fives are …
- Detail oriented
- Focused
- Able to process complex problems
- Great in crisis situations
- Observant
No wonder they are known as the “Investigator” and renowned for their cerebral intensity. Fives study the world—both the one around them and the ones they create in their own heads. They are strategists and problem solvers. Always searching, questioning, and learning, Enneagram Fives want to know why the world is the way it is.
What a great foundation for building a character, right?
Especially if you are writing suspense or mystery, you want someone who is there to investigate, who can assess and decipher the situation—and most importantly, relay it back to the audience in an understandable manner.
However, this is where being—or creating—a Five becomes challenging and interesting. At their core, Fives fear being useless or incapable. It is this fear more than anything else that drives them to keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves until absolutely certain. They want to be seen as experts in whatever field they are pursuing, and if they believe they have made a mistake, they shut down and withdraw.
In my marriage, this means if I devalue or dismiss my husband’s ideas, he no longer offers them. Which of course leads to a communication breakdown. Great conflict for novel writing … but not so much fun in real life.
This summer we took the time to listen to author Annie F. Downs on her podcast, That Sounds Fun, as she interviewed everyday people about their Enneagram type. During her interview with a Five, he mentioned how much he hates to be interrupted. This was a lightbulb moment for my marriage. Suddenly I realized that my tendency to run right over my husband’s thought was actually telling him I saw no value in what he had to say—even if what he’d had to say is the very thing that spurred my own excitement.
As you use the Enneagram to help build better characters, you will not only improve your writing. You may also learn to better navigate the most important relationships in your life.
For more Enneagram Study:
Enneagram and Coffee on Instagram
Enneagram Types of 99 Fictional Characters
Don’t miss the rest of the posts in this series!
- Part 1: How to Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write
- Part 2: THE PERFECTIONIST: How to Type Your Characters with the Enneagram
- Part 3: Enneagram Type 2—How to Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write
- Part 4: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Three
- Part 5: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Four
- Part 6: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Five
- Part 7: Use Enneagram To Type Your Characters – Type Six
- Part 8: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Seven
- Part 9: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Eight
- Part 10: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Nine
Lindsey P. Brackett writes southern fiction and cooks big family meals, but she complains about the dishes. Her debut novel, Still Waters, released in 2017 and was named the 2018 Selah Book of the Year. Her latest novel, The Bridge Between released July 31, 2019. Someday she hopes to balance motherhood and writing full-time. Until then, she’s just very grateful for her public school system.
Connect with Lindsey and get her free newsletter at lindseypbrackett.comor on Instagram@lindseypbrackett.
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