Writing Essentials: Ego/Shadow/Self

To summarize what we’ve looked at so far: we bring meaning to our story, a meaning that resonates with our reader, by looking for ways to make our narrative character driven.

For example:

• Story is created when a character comes across/is confronted with an event that makes them react.

• Their reaction leads to them making a choice.

• The choice ties directly in with the plot progression: an event at point A leads to a reaction and a choice, which takes the character to point B where an event leads to a reaction and a choice, and so on.

A way to approach a character driven narrative is by providing it with a core thematic question.

This thematic question is imbedded in our narrative’s subtext.

A prevailing core question for character driven narratives is: What does it mean to be human?

By keeping this core question at the heart of our narrative, we will ensure our story connects and resonates with our reader.

How do we keep the question at the heart of our narrative?

By considering the Ego/Shadow/Self dynamic.

This dynamic is what determines our character’s reactions/choices and it’s through their reactions/choices that we highlight our view of what it means to be human.

Let’s look at an example from a previous post of how the character journey can inform plot:

·       A character begins flawed, learns lessons along their journey, and evolves into a more self-aware person.

·       The lessons challenge their self-perception and push them out of their performative persona into a more authentic version of themselves, reflective of their true self.

·       Accepting the journey and learning the lessons (typically) results in the character being rewarded, not with what they consciously wanted at the beginning of their journey, but with what they subconsciously needed all along.

Pulling on the Ego/Shadow/Self dynamic we can deepen the above plot progression and make the intention of the character journey more pronounced:

·       Our protagonist begins at point A, unaware of who they are truly meant to be, and is set on a journey of self-discovery.

·       As they discover they are led to make choices—some good, some bad; each choice teaching a lesson offered to open them up to more and more self-awareness.

·       This is because each choice makes them confront aspects of themselves that they never realized held sway over them.

·       Shadow aspects such as shame, guilt, fear, regret, and so on.

·       Being confronted with these aspects and having to face them is designed to teach our protagonist that what they thought was true within their own self-perception is marred by self-deception.

·       Shifting their self-perception brings self-acceptance and self-honesty, connecting them with who they truly are.

·       This begins the integration process, allowing them to start making better and better choices for themselves.

·       The better choices reflect the reason they’re on their journey to begin with and warrants them reaching a satisfying endgame.

Let me add a caveat: This is not a cookie cutter approach to the character journey but is meant as a malleable template based on a deeper understanding of why character as narrative cornerstone works so well. This deeper understanding means we can place the cornerstone in whatever way works best to convey our view of what it means to be human, since the themes attached to this universal question are endless.

With character as our narrative cornerstone, the Ego/Shadow/Self dynamic is our mortar. 

Our approach to this dynamic can be kept simple to begin with for us to expand on the simplicity, either during the writing process or in the editing process, until our character/s internal world is as complex as any human.

Example:

Ego/conscious self: I am placid.

Our character’s self-perception is that they’re collected and easy going. This is how they appear to everyone around them when faced with any event that is familiar. Society’s impression of our protagonist is the same as their impression of themselves: they’re reliable, steadfast, quiet. 

The trick here is to understand that how a character perceives themselves does not show the reader who the character really is underneath it all.

The writer’s job is to put a character into situations that niggle, poke, and prod the character into a reaction because the reaction/choice/action is what works to bring the truth of the character onto the page.

Reaction/choice/action pushes awareness of the hidden parts of them (the suppressed/repressed parts of them) that they must face in order to reach a satisfying endgame via integration.

Digging beneath the surface of our character adds tension to our narrative through how a character’s actions contrast with the parts of themselves they’re unaware of.

The parts that shine through in our subtext.

Shadow/subconscious self: I am fearful.

Consider our character’s calm is really the result of a carefully cultivated persona that they present to the world.

We ask the question: Why did they cultivate this persona?

Because when there is a lack of self-awareness, the Shadow is the one in control.

The Shadow is caretaker to all the suppressed/repressed emotions and memories of our character, and the Shadow’s role within a personality is to maintain the status quo.

What is known and habitual is safe; the Shadow leans towards that sense of safety.

The persona is our character’s internal status quo manifested.

The persona, this false sense of safety based on self-deception, traces back to unresolved trauma.

One specific traumatic event that needs to be confronted, unraveled, recognized, accepted.

A specific traumatic incident gives us our character’s core flaw.

The Ego isn’t aware of their core flaw.

This lack of self-awareness when our narrative begins means that the Shadow is the aspect of our character with control over their reactions to any given situation and, before our character has grown their awareness, the Shadow also has control over their choices.

At any turn in the narrative, the Shadow is subconsciously pushing for the character to return to the status quo.

With just one morsel of self-awareness, however, the Ego may begin to turn toward resolving the trauma instead. Once they begin to open up to awareness, the Self is there to support them, pushing them toward self-discovery.

This battle between Ego/Shadow/Self creates internal obstacles as the Ego stands with one foot in the status quo (conscious want) and one foot edging towards the unknown (subconscious need).

To find our core flaw we look at the Shadow traits and how to put them in opposition to our character’s persona.

Our character’s persona is calm and collected.

The opposite to calm is fear.

Our character’s persona stems from fear.

If our character is triggered in any way, they won’t react calmly but fearfully. The level of fear depends on what benefits the story we’re writing and the character journey we’re exploring. Everything from the quiet to the hysterical is workable.

The root of the fear can be: fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of judgement, fear of failure etc.

What root the fear has determines the trigger.

The origin of the root is typically childhood based (as with most of us) and linked to a traumatic incident which shocked the Ego to the point that their Shadow had to step in and craft the persona for them, as the persona keeps the trauma repressed. Out of sight, out of mind.

When a character begins to drop their persona to show the wounding underneath, aka when a calm character loses their shit over one very specific thing, the reader gets to see who they truly are.

And the character gains self-awareness as well.

Conflict is necessary to bring our character’s Shadow into the light, little by little, throughout our story, because putting our character in uncomfortable situations means they have little choice but to face the internal flaws holding them back, and overcome them.

Note: A character might refuse their internal growth, unable to face their flaws, but a refusal often results in a tragic ending. This can also be spun if the character is an anti-hero that comes to terms with their flaws in the climactic moment, only to be sacrificed/sacrifice themselves due to all the bad that’s happened in the narrative because of them.

Self/true self: I am compassionate of myself and others.

The Self represents our character’s identity and is home to our character’s core traits.

A character’s core traits counterweigh any Shadow traits.

In the scenario above, to find a working contrast with our character’s core flaw, we counterweigh fear with what our character needs to discover within themselves to overcome that fear.

Let’s decide that what they need to discover is their capability for compassion.

As our protagonist’s self-awareness deepens, the events of the plot will also offer opportunities for the character to recognize their innate compassion, each opportunity lessening the fear until they learn the lesson: self-empowerment comes when we release fear and embrace compassion.

This way we ensure that the lesson the narrative has been aiming to teach our character ties directly in with answering the core thematic question of what it means to be human.

In the next post we’ll dig even deeper into Ego/Shadow/Self along with ways to use choice and consequence as an effective narrative tool.