Remember the movie Castaway? Tom Hanks ends up painting a face on a volleyball and talking to him, even crying when 'Wilson' floats away after he's gotten over the reef in attempt to be rescued.
Humans are social creatures. And in order to write an interesting book, we have to have our main characters, but in order to understand them a little better, we need to see them interacting with friends and family. Enemies. People you pass on the street.
Secondary characters add depth to your story, and yes, even provide comic relief. I loooooooove Kelly Kirch's Puck character in Marriage Plot, and wish she would write another story around him. He was funny; he pursued his woman in the background, and was loyal to his friend Nicholas.
I was thrilled to learn two of my fellow authors actually bought and read All She Ever Wanted, and emailed me privately, asking for a sequel. Seems they were intrigued by one of the characters, mentioned late in the story, and want to see why he's the way he is.
They got their wish; I was beginning to write a story, based on an idea I had thrown at me by a former classmate, and wrote a few scenes. But it didn't really come together until I received the email. I went back, changed the main character's name....and suddenly, I couldn't seem to stop writing! Class Reunion is in final edits and should be releasing sometime this year.
But honestly, can you imagine Harry Potter without Neville or Luna? How about Scarlett without Prissy or Mammy? Anny Cook's Mystic Valley without Tyger, Lyon, or any of the rest of Jade's children? Or even Came-A-Lot without Pansy the Tooth Fairy? Arbor University's Emery Hall without Bonnie, the Resident Assistant? Eureka's Cafe Diem without the customers?
Okay...bear with me...I feel a PBS flashback...'who are the people in your neighborhood...'
Everyone around you adds to your lives, whether you're conscious of it or not. Why should it be any different in the lives of the characters we're creating?
Who are some of YOUR favorite secondary characters? Think about that the next time you fall in love with a book.
Don't you love when you get emails requesting a sequel? Love them :)
ReplyDelete@Amber: As I was writing, the characters from a completely unrelated story entered, and suddenly BAM! My stand alone book suddenly became a trilogy.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for Off The Clock to be accepted; I subbed it over a year ago.
I love secondary characters. Their parts of my stories are always the easiest to write. :)
ReplyDeleteSomehow I find it easier to let loose with my secondary characters. Guess I don't feel as pressured with them to get them exactly right.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, really got me thinking about secondary characters I've loved reading about. Some authors who write military suspense have left me with memorable secondaries and have masterfully set them up to be the primary character in a sequel. I love it when that happens!
ReplyDeleteI love secondary characters. I think since we're not so heavily invested in them as the protagonists, they're actually more fun sometimes--both to read and to write.
ReplyDeleteI love when secondary characters get their own story. It's always fun to get wrapped up in a series and look forward to the next interesting character getting their own story.
ReplyDeleteI think secondary characters are easier to write because we set them up in the previous story.
ReplyDeleteSecondary characters are some of my favorites! (In mine and other people' stories.)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a huge plus to have people requesting to see more of the people in your stories, whether they are primary or secondary characters. I have yet to have a request for secondary characters, but I'm good on the primary character front. :) Abbey, it seems, is a little addictive. lol
You have great secondary characters all around in your stories. I enjoy reading them; they add tons to the stories.
BC Brown ~ Paranormal, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy
"Because Weird is Good."