What is an anti-hero? A brief look at Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, where the focus is on the hero, and then a shift to the structure of the anti-hero’s journey, where the focus is on  the Shadow/antagonist and his role in the story.

Assignment: To write a brief sketch of a relatable anti-hero.

What is the influence of the Shadow and how does this archetype inform the anti-hero’s journey? The anti-hero, just as the hero, must have a character arc that builds in intensity as he faces off with the hero. You will be given a list of questions to ask your anti-hero that will reveal whether he will move toward the light or continue to deteriorate and ultimately descend into the void that is his unconscious.

Assignment: To write a pivotal scene for the anti-hero that shows how his Shadow is increasingly informing his choices.

What is the difference between the hero and the anti-hero? Finding your anti-hero’s voice is key to creating a believable antagonist. You’ll learn how to play with this voice using obsession, unconsciousness, aggression, and desperation--all of the places the anti-hero can go inside of himself in order to maintain his dark side.

Assignment: To write two short scenes from two emotionally different dark places in the anti-hero.

How are the anti-hero’s yearnings different than the hero’s? Or are they different at all? Learn to see the anti-hero as a human being with the same needs and longings as everyone else, who simply hasn’t learned to ask in a healthy way for what he needs. These yearnings are what drives his behavior. You’ll be given a list of questions to answer about your own feelings and observations toward your story antagonist.

Assignment: To write a scene where the anti-hero is horrified to see that he has any yearnings at all.

What is it that your anti-hero wants to do in the story you’re creating for him? Just like your hero, your anti-hero is on a quest. It might be to rob a jewelry store or to push your hero off a cliff, but to him, it’s real and it’s important.

Assignment: To write a reflective scene for your anti-hero that shows him coming up with what he considers to be a brilliant scheme to get what he wants and that will put your hero in harm’s way.

Where’s the redemption in the story about the Tragic Hero? The answer to this question is found in what the reader learns about himself through reading the story about the kind of “hero” who makes bad decision after bad decision and ultimately destroys himself. In this way, the Tragic Hero is a teacher.

Assignment: 1) To write a one-line synopsis of a story with a Tragic Hero at the center and 2) to write a scene that reveals the pivotal moment where he can’t turn back.

What will make a reader stay tuned in to a story about an anti-hero? Many things, and they’re all up to you to bring out. Everything learned so far about the anti-hero is required in this assignment so as to make the reader care about this character.

Assignment: To write a scene from the viewpoint of your anti-hero/protagonist that emotionally engages your reader.

How does the anti-hero’s story end in a way that’s satisfying for the reader? The story isn’t usually about the anti-hero—rather, he’s the hero’s teacher--and so the lesson learned is because the anti-hero has pushed so hard against the hero that the hero can shine.

Assignment: To write the last scene of a hero’s or anti-hero’s story that reveals that character’s transformation (or deterioration, but it still must be a satisfying ending).