ESTP

Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I have identified my antagonist Name To Be Determined as an ESTP. ESTP stands for Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving.

Key Characteristics

ESTPs are very observant and impulsive. They find solutions to problems quickly, without a lot of planning, and take immediate action. This behaviour is often seen as reckless, but ESTPs just make quick decisions based on their impressions and logic.

Cognitive Functions

Dominant: Extraverted sensing (Se)
ESTPs are realistic and learn through experience.

Auxiliary: Introverted thinking (Ti)
ESTPs combine their excellent observation skills with logic to determine solutions that they can immediately apply.

Tertiary: Extraverted feeling (Fe)
ESTPs enjoy being the centre of attention, but may suppress their own needs and feelings to keep others happy.

Inferior: Introverted intuition (Ni)
Although ESTPs may experience the occasional "gut reaction" to situations, this reaction is inaccurate enough times to lead them to believe that they do not have good instincts.

Personal Relationships

ESTPs enjoy being around other people. They are skilled at interpreting nonverbal communication.

Career Path

ESTPs need to work with other people. They are action-oriented and resourceful. They thrive in a fast-paced job that offers variety. Strong communication skills make ESTPs great candidates for jobs in sales and marketing. Careers favored by ESTPs include salespeople, first-responders, and police officers.


[Cherry, Kendra. (August 8, 2019). "ESTP: The Persuader (Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving)." Very Well Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/estp-extraverted-sensing-thinking-perceiving-2795986]

Who is my Antagonist?

The next set of challenge questions from #findingthegraypreptober are about the antagonist.

October 8: Describe the antagonist. What do they care most about?

It's a fairly straightforward question... except I haven't identified my antagonist yet. So, I ask, "Who is my antagonist?" First, a quick overview of my protagonist.

Alina Lehrer

• psychic fairy
• cares about her family
• pressured to restore her family's heritage
• certified life coach
• business owner
• INFJ
• recently rejected by a love interest
• recently found proof of her family's claims to the crown
• recently suffered a trauma that resulted in PTSD
• wants to take action to restore her family's heritage

Who would oppose this character? Regaining the crown would certainly be a sensitive topic for those currently in power. Namely, the other sect of fairies. In A Wizard's Choice, the book preceding this one, I eliminated one major threat from that group of fairies and imprisoned another. Antagonist Option 1: threat from Book 2. Antagonist Option 2: introduce another fairy from the other sect. In Alina's story, I reveal the existence of a secret fairy court. Antagonist Option 3: someone from the fairy court. I also plan to have her meet someone on a plane trip who will be connected to her mystery. I haven't decided if this person will be friend or foe... or perhaps a friend but seen as a foe or vice versa. I like a multi-dimensional character. Antagonist Option 4: plane passenger. And, perhaps, the antagonist is someone she already knows. Antagonist Option 5: betrayed by a friend or family member.

After all that internal discussion transferred to blog post, I'm still uncertain about my antagonist. I like the idea of making them seem like a friend, but I'm not sure if Alina has already met this person or not.

For the purposes of this exercise, I'll start with Option 4. A handsome male passenger—tall, dark, and mysterious—is seated next to her on the plane to France. This is not a coincidence. He has been tailing her in Chicago for some time which will come out later in the story. He is perhaps connected to the fairy court (Option 3) and will seem like a friend at first. This character will be outgoing and engaging toward Alina. But he has the aptitude for deep duplicity and military-like strategy. He is extremely intelligent and cunning. His actions are taken to protect a family member, perhaps his sister, and conceal a wrongdoing that will be revealed if Alina's family is in power.

INFJ

Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I have identified my character Alina Lehrer as an INFJ. INFJ stands for Introverted INtuitive Feeling Judging.

Key Characteristics

INFJs use their intuition and empathy to act on their strong beliefs and help other people. They are idealistic, although they are able to view the world objectively, and want to make the world a better place. They take personal feelings into account, rather than objective facts, when making decisions.

Cognitive Functions

Dominant: Introverted intuition (Ni)
INFJs focus on their internal insights and hold fast to their initial perspectives.

Auxiliary: Extraverted feeling (Fe)
INFJs tend to be more aware of other people's feelings than their own.

Tertiary: Introverted thinking (Ti)
INFJs make decisions based on their intuition when alone and the feelings of other people when around others. Wanting to please other people influences their decision making.

Inferior: Extraverted sensing (Se)
Being aware of their surroundings helps INFJs live in the present moment.

Personal Relationships

INFJs maintain a small circle of very close friendships. They are excellent listeners and care deeply about other people.

Career Path

INFJs tend to work in jobs where they can express themselves creatively. They tend to avoid jobs that involve a high level of routine or strict adherence to rules. With their strong sense of morality, they gravitate toward careers that support their values. Although INFJs have good leadership traits, they often have difficulty exerting authority. Careers favored by INFJs include artists, actors, musicians, counsellors, psychologists, and writers.

[Cherry, Kendra. (August 30, 2019). "INFJ: The Advocate (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging)." Very Well Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/infj-introverted-intuitive-feeling-judging-2795978]

Character Description

Okay, it's October. Time to start preparing for NaNoWriMo. Am I doing it again? Yes! Yes, I am. Definitely, yes. I recently found #findingthegraypreptober and thought these daily challenges might make fun blog posts...

October 1: Describe a preptober focus character. What do they care about most?

Meet Alina Lehrer. I first introduced the fairy Alina in A Wizard's Choice, The Magicals Series Book 2. She uses her special gifts, including extrasensory perception (ESP), aura readings, enhanced awareness, and clairvoyance, in her work as a life coach at Vibrant Life Incorporated.

I designed a logo for Alina's company using Canva. I had originally planned to make Alina the love interest for my main character Kurtis Warde, but Kurtis had other ideas. Alina did develop feelings for Kurtis and, for a while, it seemed like he had feelings for her as well. We—Alina, Kurtis, and me—were all terribly surprised when Kurtis ended up pursuing a different love interest. I had been so certain Alina and Kurtis were meant for each other. I even included Alina on Kurtis' family tree.

[I made the family tree in Word so the conversion to jpg came out a little fuzzy.]

In A Wizard's Choice, Alina wants her independence, which includes breaking the contract for an arranged marriage, to start her own company. Later, as her company is more established, she envisions finding love. When she meets Kurtis, he becomes a very viable candidate. He's handsome, intelligent, and connected. Kurtis is a wizard with important familial connections that have the necessary influence to end a long-time fairy-wizard feud. Alina has a vested interest in ending the feud. She wants to reclaim the crown her family lost when the feud first began.

Which leads me to what my character Alina Lehrer cares about most. She wants to restore her family to their rightful place in the fairy monarchy.