I love a bubbly character. My favorite is Simi, a young demon in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Simi has a child-like curiosity for life, tells it like it is, and is deadly when she needs to be. She also thinks everything tastes great with barbecue sauce, including humans. I find characters like this lovable and highly entertaining. They put a smile on my face when they routinely pop up in a story. It doesn't matter to me whose side they're on. Usually, I find them to be scene stealers.
In my current WIP I have a bubbly secondary character that I'm falling in love with. I made the mistake of toning her down at first, and she ended up with as much personality as a dead fish. In the re-write I changed her back to her overly enthusiastic, talking a mile a minute self and she's stealing the show. I'm considering telling her story in another manuscript.
Characters like these are sometimes the secondary characters, but they are as important as the hero and heroine. They create balance and sometimes, comic relief. If I read about a hot headed hero, his laid back best friend helps even him out. But be careful. Sometimes you may find your secondary character out shines the hero/heroine.
What about you? What kind of characters do you like? Do you have a favorite? What makes them special?
In my current WIP I have a bubbly secondary character that I'm falling in love with. I made the mistake of toning her down at first, and she ended up with as much personality as a dead fish. In the re-write I changed her back to her overly enthusiastic, talking a mile a minute self and she's stealing the show. I'm considering telling her story in another manuscript.
Characters like these are sometimes the secondary characters, but they are as important as the hero and heroine. They create balance and sometimes, comic relief. If I read about a hot headed hero, his laid back best friend helps even him out. But be careful. Sometimes you may find your secondary character out shines the hero/heroine.
What about you? What kind of characters do you like? Do you have a favorite? What makes them special?
At the risk of being labled a homophobe (I'm not), I don't like the gay bff that was really popular there for awhile. They are so cookie cutter. I like funny, too, but it's hard not to overshoot your heroine.
ReplyDeleteI love a good secondary character...one you're just hoping gets their own book sometime! Great blog post. :)
ReplyDeleteD'Ann, I happen to agree with you there. The heroine's gay bff has been done to death. And I get really irritated if the heroine starts treating him in a way she wouldn' t even treat her best girlfriend.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I think a kind of goofy secondary character builds a few layers of personality into your hero or heroine. They actually add depth to your main characters. It's kind of like popular t.v. shows that create successful spin-offs from the supporting actors.
ReplyDeleteI love secondary characters because they draw you more deeply into your h/h world. Kind of like how you can tell so much about a person by where they live, you can also tell quite a bit from their friends.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I'm talking about Maeve. I love a good spin off and or series featuring a secondary character. And you're right Christi, secondary characters do tell the reader alot about the h/h.
ReplyDeleteOOOOOO! I love good secondary characters! There have been times when reading a book that I just can't get into it-and I realize the secondary person is either not there or done badly. They may not get the press the leads get, but many a book would be lost without them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I think secondary characters are more fun to write, too, than the main protagonists. Maybe because there's not so much at stake.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Marie!
ReplyDeleteLiz, I have to admit, I had more fun writing the secondary character in my last mss and in this one.
ReplyDeleteI guess my favorite would be Young Ian, from the Outlander series. When he first showed up he was 15 or something. Now he's a grown man (in the series).
ReplyDeleteKaren Marie Moning has said that it was a secondary character in the TV series Witchblade that served as an inspiration for her Jericho Barrons character. (Now That's one secondary character I have to check out!)