use a shapeshifter to create depth in
your fiction the shapeshifter is an
archetypal character who is subordinate
to the hero difficult to define and
depending on the type of the story
changes his shape his mind his side of
the battle or anything else while this
type of character can be very
frustrating for the hero of the story
they keep the plot moving in things
interesting so let's take a look at how
this is done the dramatic function of
the shapeshifter shapeshifters exists in
stories to provide an element of doubt
there the wild-card you never know what
they'll do as a writer this is great for
you because if you've written yourself
into a corner and don't know how to move
the plot forward you can simply add a
dash of the shapeshifter to shake things
up as a reader shapeshifters are great
because they provide an element of
suspense that keeps a story interesting
some examples of this character would
include miss wonderly in The Maltese
Falcon who's continually lying about who
she is and what her intentions are the
Wicked Queen and Snow White is a more
obvious shapeshifter when she disguises
herself as a kindly old crone and gives
Snow White a poison apple the deeper
purpose of the shapeshifter
shapeshifters served a psychological
function that provides a deeper level of
depth and substance to the story they're
essential to the archetypal story
structure of the hero's journey as
defined by Joseph Campbell in his book
the hero with a thousand faces and which
is further illuminated in books like
Christopher Vogler's the writers journey
and James bonnets stealing fire from the
gods all books that I highly recommend
this is because as bonnet reveals in his
book stories are actually vehicles that
inspire psychological growth in the
reader psychologically shapeshifters
represent the female part of male
psychology and the male part of female
psychology this archetypal character is
the physical manifestation of the
repressed elements of our personality
that we all have according to the
psychologist Carl Jung those elements of
our psychology which we repress will
ultimately manifest themselves in our
physical reality
this characteristic shapeshifters is
represented when they shift their shapes
and cause problems in the real world
that the hero was subconsciously hoping
to avoid for more information on how to
write a novel publish it and Mark it
online visiting novel advisor calm
