The Alchemy Of Character Development

In The Alchemy Of Character Development a character's frequency of consciousness is the most important thing about them. It is the driving force that impels them to take action. It is the fundamental explanatory power that makes sense of the character's station of birth, their basic motivations, intentions and aspirations. The rising and falling of this frequency of consciousness is what makes a piece of dramatic fiction interesting.

There are three main parts to this book.

The first describes the seven steps of the Mithraic Ladder, the axis along which alchemical development occurs. The bottommost step is lead, and the alchemist ascends through tin, iron, copper, silver and mercury to reach the top step, which is gold.

The second explains how a character can move up from one step to the one above. This is keeping in accordance with the principle that people like to read about main characters who overcome challenges and transform themselves while doing so.

The third explains how a character can move down from one step to the one below. This is in keeping with the principle that stories of linear progression are not very interesting, and so readers prefer stories in which the protagonist suffers setbacks, withdrawing temporarily so that they can rise again (or even descend further, in the case of tragedies).

The totality of this book is about how a writer can understand the Hero's Journey from an alchemical perspective.