Romance Writers & Readers discussion
Writing Romance
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How do you create side characters worthy of a book of their own?
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I find that if the side character has a mini conflict going on it makes them real and memorable. It can also help you explore your main character's personality as well. Secondly go back and look at scenes with your side character. Is he/she showing the exact same emotion/reaction in every single scene? Time to switch things up a bit and take your character from side-kick to sensational!
Yay, I'm the first! *jumps up and down**calms down a bit*
So, for me, I'm not a planner. I sit down and I just start writing. The words sorta flow and take a mind of their own. My characters lead the story and sometimes I'm completely surprised the things they do, but hey, who am I to argue with them? *chuckles*
I have a series (although, not published yet, but it was on Wattpad) and it had three best friends. There's my main heroine, Zoe, then another one who's completely outspoken, Dee, and the third, Rina, who is the shy, quiet type. My hero, Zeke, is a detective and he does tease his partner, Ben, that he likes Rina. It just sorta happened throughout the story, but he denies liking her throughout the entire story.
I did have this story on Wattpad (wait, I think I said that already...haha) and I had quite a few people say "oh, are you writing a story about Ben and Rina?" And really, really wanting me to do that:)
So, I guess when I was writing it, I threw out little subtle things, like the teasing, or the way he looked at her. And got the readers thinking....well, is Ben ever going to ask her out, admit to liking her?
Does any of that makes sense? lol.
I think if you make memorable characters, quirky, unique, etc...it'll be somewhat easy to do.
My other series, A McCord Family Novel, it has two brothers. I didn't realize I would write another book for the second brother, but then I decided he deserved one. So I gave it a series title. But I only created two brothers. Not much of a series. Haha. So in the second book, I magically made some hunky cousins appear. Now I have more delicious McCord men to write about:)
Oh, I took too long to write. Tara beat me! Well done, Tara.*hands out a cookie*
I would like to say something about drafts, Abigail. It's so true. On your first one, just write, get the story down. Don't worry about perfection. You're going to do a lot of drafts, believe me. But you'll find that each time you come back and rewrite, the story gets better and better, and the more it comes alive until it's to the point that there's nothing else to add, change, or correct. Another advice I found to be helpful. After each draft, walk away for a week, two weeks, or maybe a month. It clears your mind, and that makes it easier to tackle the next one.
I wish you all the best on your first book--here's to many more:)
I just like to say this about series and then I'll hush.I only write stand-alones for now. If one of my books, or by the mercy of God, all of them, hit the NY Bestseller's list (I can dream), then there could be sequels. Series make me sad. Especially, the ones where we're on to the next generation. So either my favorite characters from the first and second series are very old, or dead. My favorite series was the Caulder Range ones by Janet Dailey--I couldn't read anymore after that.
*munches cookie while enjoying comments*
Are you going to share? 'cause now you've made me hungry:)
*hands out an entire plate of cookies*Can't have anyone going hungry....enjoy, Groovy! *smiles*
I should clarify, while my books are series, they all can be considered standalones. You don't have to read book one to go to book two.
**that entire plate is for me. Not sharing:)** Thanks, Annie.Series that could be standalones. I like that better.
That is EXACTLY how it happened for me, Abigail.I never intended to write about characters other than Hollie and Fayth, but there's 8 characters in my series which demand my attention on a regular basis. When I started the rewrite of book 1, I realised that one of the couples would be better off in a standalone book. Then I realised I had an interesting concept for a novel based on the villain of book 1. Then I found a way to incorporate another idea into the series too. So that's at least 4 books about Hollie and Fayth (plus 3 short stories), two spin-offs about one couple, one spin-off about another couple, and one-spin off about a villain XD
NONE of these were intentional. But I'm looking forward to writing about most of them.
For me I think it's because you put less pressure on yourself when writing about the side characters. That in turn makes them more fun to write about, and the more fun they are to write about, the more you want to write about them and the more ideas you have for them.
That's my logic, anyway.
I'll still be writing about these characters when I'm 80. That list is just ideas in the last year (if not just 2016)...
Congratulations, Abigail! I say you're off to a great start. I'm also working on my first work to be published. It's a 3-book series. I've intentionally set it up so that book 1 focuses on a main character who has a best friend. I've provided a detailed personality, backstory, and enough scenes in book 1 for her to be the focus of book 2. Hope this helps.
I usually know in advance if I intend to do another series with a secondary character and let them be the "lead", so I usually set up some small conflict or drama around them that is not at all pertinent to the current storyline. I'm currently doing a trilogy about three sisters, each sister gets their own story but appear in the other books too. I try not to give away too much about each one until their book but set it up so that there is (hopefully!) interest in getting to know them via the other books!On the series thing . . . I only write series, and they are real series in that although the "crime" aspect of each book is usually resolved by the end of the book, the character development and romance parts continues over each book in the series.
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@Miss Abigail: I really dig this question! Thank you!!!
Personally, I don't plan my characters. Like, I never try to make them compelling. They just are whatever they are haha! However, IF readers show interest and ask for more of a side character, I'm all ears (cuz my readers own my butt haha!)
But, yeah, people kept emailing me about the ex-fiancé in my book so I totally caved and promised to write a spin-off. Whenever I get to it LMAO!!
Sorry that's not more helpful!! You have some great insight/advice here!
Big hugs,
Ann
Thank you all for the insight! We'll see if other people find this side character of mine as interesting as I do, but, in the meantime, I'll just enjoy the process of fleshing out her story more in the midst of the larger narrative.
When I wrote my first book, I considered it a stand-alone. Then readers and reviewers said they hoped there would be a sequel and so I wrote one and then the same thing happened and now I have a three-book series, any of which can be read as a stand-alone. This was all unplanned, since I'm a "pantser." I continued the main characters from book one, but also dropped some secondaries and introduced new ones in the next books to keep things interesting (for me)!
My newest book is another stand-alone, but now I'm being asked again about a sequel. I'm not sure if the minor characters can carry a whole book, so I'm waiting for inspiration.
The most successful series authors (Bella Andre, Marie Force, etc) create either large families or groups of friends and focus on one at a time in future books. That formula's worked very well for them, so you might try that.
I think people like to read about people they are already partially familiar with. I HATE a series where you have to read the first book or risk missing stuff in the second, but my Perth Girls books are a series, but made to be standalone - you could read three then one then two, or two then one then three or three then two then one or... well, you get my drift :-)It's going to be even more messy when I've finished number four... and there are ideas for five six and seven as well... sigh!
I think if you write a minor character that has enough depth, their story speaks to you naturally. Sometimes they might not have enough, or you might not have enough time to develop them in the original novel fully, so they deserve a shot on their own. If not a full-length novel then a novella or vignette. My Civil War trilogy is very complex with tons of side characters that I hope to develop separately at a later date. I'm not too much of a planner so I just let it develop.
I've been working on my first book (and by first, I mean first book that I haven't wanted to destroy after writing a few chapters because I didn't care about the characters enough), and I've run into a bit of a puzzle.
For those of you who have written a series, how intentional were you when it came to setting up interesting side characters that people would care about enough to want to read about in another book? I've started a list with my possible next stories as they pop into my brain (normally as I'm trying to fall asleep, of course), but would love any insight. I think my current storyline would lend itself well to a series, but I want to do it the right way!
Edited to clarify:
I actually hadn't started my book with the thought of it going on into a series, but I have a side character who keeps insisting on being far stronger and more interesting than I had planned. I just wasn't sure if that was how it "typically" happened for people, especially as a series goes on. I can only hope to keep writing so many characters with as strong a will and mind of their own in the future.