 | 20 Jul 09 |
Just a note to start with: I didn’t go to the RWA conference this year, so I don’t have any info to share from there. Sorry! I’m sure the other MSW gals will be sharing their experiences, and I’m really looking forward to hearing from them!
I spent a day or two this last week going back through and weaving a thread into my three-quarters drafted book. I still don’t fully understand where this thread is going. I needed this character in the first half of the book to bring out my heroine’s past and show the danger she’s facing now.
The thread came to the culmination that I needed (a turning point in the book), and then the character, named Kyle, just disappeared. He was in the house with the main characters but had sort of turned into a ghost. No one mentioned him; he didn’t eat, didn’t walk into the room, and didn’t exist except that I knew he was there. Like a ghost.
I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Then slowly, I began realizing, HELLO there’s a male that the heroine, Ailish, has a past with living in the hero, Phoenix’s, house. How does the hero feel about that?
Come on, any guesses?
Yeah. JEALOUS do you think?
And then what if Kyle is angry at Ailish? Making her feel bad? Worried? Upset? Guilty? How would Phoenix act then? My heroes are usually alpha…see where I’m going here?
Now I’m getting excited—I’m seeing potential for this secondary character to have impact on the second half of the book. It’s too complex to get into all the plot and emotional dynamics going on. But due to a past incident, Ailish needs to protect Kyle from her demon witch mother and the coven. This is extremely important to her, a goal that to Ailish, means that she’s a true earth witch (good witch). But Kyle is shocked to learn the girl he once dated is a witch, he hadn’t even known such things existed. His life is being torn apart, and he doesn’t know who to trust. So he leaves the house. It’s too risky for Ailish to go after him. Now her very important internal goal is being threatened.
What does the hero do then? Phoenix doesn’t like this guy, is jealous (although he believes that she doesn’t feel romantically attracted to Kyle, he knows her feelings are complex), and Ailish is upset. She feels an obligation to Kyle, and her guilt is real. So what does the hero do?
Does it matter what he does?
Hell yes! This secondary character is testing the hero and heroine’s relationship. He’s important in revealing the characters. Their reactions to this guy tell us who they are:
Ailish: Feels guilt and an obligation. It’s her mother, a demon witch, who is trying to use Kyle to force the heroine into becoming a demon witch. Protecting Kyle means she’s made the right choices between good and evil. It’s that clear to her. She HAS protected Kyle up to this point in the book (little over half way through). But Ailish is also not stupid. Right now, she has to make a choice: How much does she risk her own safety to protect Kyle?
Hero: Phoenix is coming to care very much for Ailish. She’s blind but powerful. Every time he looks at her, he sees her strong face surrounding and protecting her damaged eyes and it just twists him up inside. She is so very strong with a fragile inner self. Kyle is part of that vulnerability. Phoenix understands that she needs to protect him but she can’t. (The plot explains all this—no room here). She can’t…so he does. But he draws the line, tells her that he’ll find Kyle and put him in a safe house. He will NOT have him in his house with her. Not after the things Kyle said to Ailish, and not when he can’t be 110% sure Kyle won’t betray them. Don’t ask that of him. He can’t do it. But he will make sure the idiot is protected.
Ailish accepts this. This is part of her growth. Accepting help is not easy for her.
Now I’m still not sure how all this is going to play out, but I know Kyle and other secondary characters have very important roles in this book (all books!). They help drive the plot, but even more important, they must emotionally pressure the characters so that the readers see the characters in their most raw and revealing moments.
For me, and much to my frustration, I can ONLY do this in layering. I never write a book straight through. I write few chapters then rewrite, and then write forward for a huge chunk of the book. Then I start seeing the places where I need to thread through more emotional depth—often using secondary characters as a catalyst. I love this part by the way! This is where I am getting deeper and deeper, seeing the very souls of these characters.
So that’s my long winded spiel on the very important job of secondary characters. If anyone has anything else to add, jump in!
Award winning author, Jennifer Lyon, always wanted to be a witch. Since her witch-powers never materialized, she went onto Plan B and now she creates magic in her books. In her new series, the author of the acclaimed Samantha Shaw Mystery Series (written as Jennifer Apodaca) introduces the Witch Hunters, legendary men who must overcome a curse to team up with witches and fight evil.
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Your method sounds very similar to mine. With my current book, I’ve started a “tracking board” — I just can’t plot far enough ahead to use a true storyboard. (I’ve been writing about “story board plotting for non-plotters” every now and again on my blog).
My most recent ‘addition’ to the board was to post bright-colored little stickies where my secondary characters show up. That way, I can tell if I’ve neglected them, or if they’re starting to demand more page time than they might deserve.
I did discover one character is going to have to be kicked up the ladder a bit as my protagonist (who was also supposed to be a secondary character when I started!) discovers he’s more interested in her than the main female character.
by Terry Odell July 20th, 2009 at 5:52 amTerry, I’mgoing to have to give in one day and do something like a tracking board. Maybe I’ll try a program.
I do plot enough to write a synopsis. This book had a 20 page synopsis and I still ran into roadblocks (ALOT!) I really think it’s just the way my mind works.
Sounds like you found a good tool for you though!
by Jennifer Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 8:14 amNew book, new genre, new tool. Made sense, and I like having it off the computer for variety. Seeing it in a different format works like fresh eyes.
by Terry Odell July 20th, 2009 at 8:22 amTerry, i love that! New everything. You make a good point about working AWAY from the computer. I’m going to think about it. Also going to your blog to read about it when I get a chance today.
by Jennifer Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 8:50 amGreat post, Jen! Layering is a method I use religiously!
by Debra Webb July 20th, 2009 at 8:36 amThanks Deb! I always feel like I’m doing this the hard way
by Jennifer Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 8:50 amIsn’t it amazing how someone can say just the thing you need to hear at just the right moment?
by Cathy Hamilton July 20th, 2009 at 8:38 amI was wrestling with a secondary character this morning, trying to figure out how to punch up her role, when I decided to procrastinate and check a few of my favorite blogs – and boom! secondary characters! emotional hits!
All of a sudden I couldn’t scribble fast enough as I fleshed out a source of conflict that I’d only hinted at before.
Thanks for the reminder about what an important role those “minor” characters play
Cathy
Cathy, that’s so cool! I love hearing that! Keep going!
by Jennifer Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 2:02 pmJen, we missed you!!!
by Karin Tabke July 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pmSeconding (thirding, fourthing) Karin’s comment–we missed you! It was fantastic to see everyone at RWA.
Secondary characters are so much fun to write–they really are the texture to the world. They ground the main characters in such a way as to have repercussions and alter the main character’s direct paths when those paths intersect. But like you, I do end up layering–sometimes I’ll have someone in there and I know instinctively they’ve got to be in there, but I don’t know why–and I’ll get almost to the end and suddenly realize. It’s weird–it’s like eavesdropping on the world and finding out juicy little details that affect how I see the person talking *as well as* the people listening. If that makes sense.
(How many weeks can we use the excuse that we have conference brain? Two? Four? I need a number people.)
by toni mcgee causey July 20th, 2009 at 3:40 pmToni, really wish I’d been there to see you all!
I’m pretty sure that you only get one week recovery
Totally agree about secondary characters.
Hey I LOVED Charmed and Dangerous! (hope I got the title right).
by Jen Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 6:30 pmFour works for me, Toni! Was so cool to meet and hang out with ya’ll! And I ditto really missing Jen. Nashville ’10. She’s promised to be there!
by Silver James July 22nd, 2009 at 1:13 pmMissed you too, Karin! Next year!
by Jen Lyon July 20th, 2009 at 6:28 pmYou better! I’m coming to get you if you don’t!
by Silver James July 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pmIt has been very interesting following author blogs and listening to them describe the way they write. Everyone has their own special way and they are so different. It goes to show you that everyone must do what works best for them and to not try to copy another author. Experiment and see what works best for you.
by Patricia Barraclough July 20th, 2009 at 8:50 pmJen, I’m slowly catching back up on all the blog posts while I was gone. That’s the only bad thing about RWA. I’m SOOO thrilled about this conflict and now I’m doubly-dying to read this book. What interesting depths this will bring to the characters. I love how your mind works.
by Silver James July 22nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm