We all know that not all creative ideas spring forth from our own minds. While I don’t do it often, sometimes I find a fellow author’s blog that resonates with me and I feel the need to share. I’m a bit late in discovering this gem about the likeability of secondary characters (Victoria Grefer posted it almost a year ago), but I think it’s better to share it late than to never share it at all.
Allure of Secondary Actors
I’ve experienced similar feelings in many books I’ve read. For example, I prefer Silk to Garion in the Belgariad. I even feel it in my own writing. The Warders began as a vehicle to explore Toran’s struggles with his mixed ancestry, but it changed as I wrote it. The strength (and my liking) of the secondary characters turned it into more of an ensemble cast (like the TV show Friends). Perhaps it’s the supporting character effect rather than my ambling skills as a writer. That said, here’s Victoria’s original post. I hope you enjoy it
Update in 2016. I was correcting missing links in old blogs and noticed this one. Unfortunately Victoria’s post is no longer available. Here’s an alternative link to a writersdigest.com article on secondary character development.
As always, thanks for reading.
Armen
Interesting thoughts. Thanks for re-posting.