Buddies, Sidekicks, Minions: Seduced by Secondary Characters

Part 7 of Finding Your Writing Passion

I wouldn’t mind betting you’ve all read a book where you’ve thought, “Man, I really hope she writes [this character’s] story. I so want to know about him.” This happens to me all the time. In fact, you might remember I said that I first fell for Dageus MacKeltar when I read about him in his twin brother’s book. Guess what I did—before I even finished Drustan’s book? Yup. That’s right. I ordered Dageus’ story. Then Adam Black’s story.

And the list goes on.

A well-written and “human” secondary character will have you coming back for more of that author’s work every bit as much as a gripping main character will.

So, today’s first task.

In each of your chosen books name the three secondary characters who made the biggest impression on you.

IMPORTANT: I want you to name them if possible. DO NOT refer to the book. If you can’t name them (first and surnames) then a brief one-sentence description will do. “The guy who…”

In this instance, I’m lumping villains in with secondary characters—although really villains should have a section on their own.

For example, my top three secondary characters in Naked in Death are:

1. Mavis Freestone
2. Ryan Feeney
3. Charlotte Mira

Your Turn:

For each secondary character write a brief phrase that describes his or her place with or influence on the appropriate main character.

For example:  In Naked in Death all three characters I’ve chosen are those who have most influence on the heroine—which probably makes sense because most of the book is the heroine’s journey.

1. My descriptive phrase for Mavis Freestone would be: quirky streetsmart sidekick
2. My descriptive phrase for Ryan Feeney would be: fatherly mentor
3. My descriptive phrase for Charlotte Mira would be: voice of reason and guidance

Your Turn:

What are the three character traits that most appeal to you in these secondary characters?

Examples:

I love Mavis’ joy in life, her realistic view of Eve, and her quirkiness in all aspects of her personality. She’s a foil to Eve, who is so straight and contained. She sees Eve for who she is, her softer side–one Eve herself doesn’t recognize as even being there.

Ryan Feeney is the kind of mentor everyone needs; one who encourages, teaches, guides, and then stands back to allow the student to grow beyond him. I love that he is not threatened by Eve’s ability and is quite happy to take a secondary role in the investigation although he has seniority. He recognizes Eve’s genius and facilitates things so she is able to use it to maximum effect.

Charlotte Mira is the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up. Dr. Mira is calm, nurturing, wise, and highly skilled at her job. But, while Eve sees where she has come from, and Mavis and Feeney see where she is currently, Mira sees Eve as she can be, as she has the potential for becoming. This long view enables Mira to give wise counsel in her words and perceptive support in her silences.

Your Turn:

Why do these aspects of the secondary characters particularly strike or appeal to you?

Often, things strike or appeal because we see in [that character] something we would like to have, be, become, or avoid in our own lives.  We can also see how the author has used strengths in the secondary characters to stimulate, reveal, and strengthen weaknesses in the main character.

For example:  Mira’s has a strength in her ability to be comfortable with emotion, and has come to terms with her own difficult past. Eve has not yet reached the point where she is able to take those steps. So we see her weakness. But we also see, through her interaction with Mira, Mavis, and Feeney (and a host of other characters) that she has within her the will and the determination to never again be a victim, or allow someone else to become a victim. This is a strength. But would Eve’s determination to prevent injustice in others’ live have as much impact on us if she’d come from a “normal” home, and had a “normal” upbringing? I don’t think so.

Food for thought: We identify with flaws in personality far more readily than we do with strengths simply because we believe we have so many more flaws than strengths ourselves.

One last thing. I did this exercise for all eight books and discovered something I didn’t realize. Of all the secondary characters who stood out for me in those examples, only one was a villain.

Does that mean the authors didn’t do a good job portraying their villains? No. It means that the one villain who stood out for me was the one whose villainy triggered one of my personal phobias. This made his villainy far more real to me as a reader. Gave it more emotional clout.

Your Turn:

Are there any places where you can see some of your own personal demons being stirred up by what your chosen secondary characters do, or the way they relate to the hero or heroine?

Making it real in your own writing:

Do you use some of your own hope and fears in your characters personalities?

• If not, why not?
• If so, where? What are they?

Your Turn:

Take one secondary character in your current Work In Progress and give him or her one of your personal flaws or strengths. Now write a scene where that flaw comes to light in his relationship to the main character.

• How does it change how you view the secondary character?
• How does it change how the main character sees him or her?
• How can you use this scene and this flaw or strength to increase the power of this character?

I’d love to know what you’re discovering. Please do visit the comments section and let me know.

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Tags: Character, Secondary Characters, Writing Passion