Create Fictional Characters That Don’t Suck—Without the Endless Rewrites.

Great characters don’t just react to a story—they drive it. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use the Enneagram to create a compass for your characters, mapping out their worldview, motivations, and internal struggles so they stay true to themselves while evolving throughout your story. This compass will guide you through every scene, ensuring your character’s growth feels authentic and inevitable.

By the end of this three-hour session, you’ll walk away with:
✅ A clear understanding of how Enneagram personality types and traits are formed.
✅ A defined Enneagram type for your character, shaping their core motivations and fears.
✅ A first-draft character compass outlining your character’s worldview, strengths, challenges, and emotional arc.
✅ Insight into how the Enneagram’s dynamic framework can take a character from a self-aware guru to a complete psychopath in nine steps of development—and how to harness that transformation in your storytelling.

This workshop will give you exclusive access to a proven character-mapping technique that only a select few writers use—giving you an edge in a competitive market. Whether you're working on a novel, screenplay, or short story, this workshop will transform the way you craft characters forever.

$125 - Intro to Writing w/ The Enneagram (3-HOUR WORKSHOP)

What is the Enneagram?

It’s a powerful tool for personal and collective transformation that maps nine different personality types rooted in psychology, spirituality, and somatics.

It’s a game-changer for character development, revealing the psychological blueprint that drives every choice, struggle, and transformation.

Who Am I?

Dash Donato

Filmmaker + Certified Enneagram Teacher

As an award-winning director (D.G.A.), screenwriter, and certified Enneagram teacher in the Narrative Tradition, I bring a unique blend of storytelling and deep character work to the table. My films have been showcased at renowned festivals worldwide—including Cannes, SXSW, Tribeca, Sidewalk, deadCenter, Outfest and more.

My latest pilot, The Last Record Store, won the grand jury prize at the DTLA Film Festival. My feature directorial debut, Gossamer Folds, garnered accolades like a GLAAD Media Award nomination for “Best Picture (limited release)” and “Best New Director” at the Brooklyn Film Festival—and can now be streamed on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

In 2023, when the writer’s strike put my work on hold, I turned to my other passion: The Enneagram. This powerful tool for understanding human motivations inspired me to earn my certification as an Enneagram teacher & writing coach.

Now, I’m excited to bring this transformative framework to writers who want to create characters that feel deeply real. Join me in this workshop to unlock the magic of authentic character development—from understanding your character's shadow self to crafting emotionally-driven stories that captivate audiences.

The power of writing w/ the Enneagram.

  • Emotional Authenticiy

    The Enneagram unlocks the fundamental structure of human personality, allowing you to craft characters with real emotional depth. By understanding their core fears, desires, and shadow selves, you can create authentic inner conflicts that drive compelling narratives. This framework helps you tap into the raw, often unspoken motivations that shape your characters' choices, ensuring their actions feel organic and inevitable. The result? Stories that resonate on a deep, emotional level—keeping readers and audiences fully engaged.

  • Character Mapping

    The Enneagram offers a dynamic roadmap for character development, revealing how personalities shift under pressure, stress, or growth. By mapping your character’s journey through nine transformative stages, you can track their evolution—whether they rise to their highest potential or spiral into their darkest self. This approach brings fluidity and unpredictability to character arcs, ensuring their growth (or downfall) feels natural yet surprising. With the Enneagram as your guide, your characters won’t just change—they’ll transform in ways that keep audiences captivated.

  • The Character Compass

    By mapping out your character’s worldview, core motivation, core fear, avoidances, focus of attention, and the lesson they need to learn, you create a foundation that makes them feel real—far beyond stereotypes or clichés. Rather than forcing characters to fit into a plot, this approach lets them drive the story from the inside out, ensuring that every twist and turn is rooted in emotional truth. And just as a compass keeps travelers from losing their way, this framework keeps you anchored during the writing process, guiding every scene, arc, and moment of growth with clarity and purpose.

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