Storycraft: The Bad Boy, the Best Friend, and the Goody Two-Shoes

Time for more character archetypes, this time focusing on secondary characters. I go over three classics, including their growth arcs, traits, and typical relationship to other characters. They are: Bad Boy – a character that goes from a nihilistic or chaotic approach to life and authority to a purpose-driven life. Frequently, this is a focus for a romance story, as a Bad Boy represents a popular fantasy: a strong, confident male that can be transformed into being stable while maintaining masculine traits. Best Friend – mostly a foil for the main character, a best friend has different, often opposite, strengths…

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The Parable of the Goat and the Sheep

A sheep and a goat were standing in a fenced pasture chewing on alfalfa and wild barley. The goat, tired of the bare patches of earth made by the sheep, leapt up onto the turf roof of the farmhouse and began chewing the cud that grew upon it. “Get down from there you fool goat!” said the sheep from the ground below. “Why should I?” “You aren’t supposed to be on the roof,” said the sheep “You’re the fool. There’s no such thing as ‘supposed to.’” “Mark my words, the farmer will punish you for this.” “He’ll have to catch…

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