Introduction

The Enneagram personality theory is a wonderful tool for writers. Beneath the surface of these systems nine types, you can find development guides that include all the working parts of solid transformational character arcs. As authors, we also sometimes need to write about characters who are headed in the opposite direction, away from health. In character arc speak, the thematic movements of a positively arcing character will be away from a lie or limiting belief and toward a more expansive and liberating truth. Meanwhile, a negatively arced character will be moving away from the story's positive thematic truth.