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Brainstorming Strategy # 2: Villains

By on May 9, 2012 in Brainstorming Strategies and Tips, Protagonists: The Basics, Secondary Characters

Have you ever known someone who would put you down in any way that they could? Then you have met with a villain. It is easy to think that a villain is just for suspense or thriller type novels, but they are a great source of conflict in all genres. To figure out the best type of villain for your novel, start with figuring out the end of the book goal for your characters. These would be things like love, safety, freedom, security, etc. Then look for the type villain that would make reaching that goal difficult. Also, at this preliminary stage you should consider the competence of the character, or what they are especially good at. You want the villain to oppose this as well. Romantic Suspense: *Sarah is […]

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Ten Common Author Mistakes. #8

By on October 6, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck, Secondary Characters

My Best Friend’s Wedding Neglecting to create dynamic secondary characters. Definition: Secondary characters are the protagonist, and the author’s best friend. A great story telling tool. They widen the stage, round out the story, spotlight the protagonist. They help tell the story. They add depth. They add conflict. They add humor. They reveal truth. It’s so easy to get caught up in creating our protagonist(s) we often forget to layer and deepen other characters. The end up being placeholders or sound bit machines. Secondary characters need to have a goal. A purpose. A hint at a problem. They can be a bit shallower than the main characters, and a bit two-dimensional, a bit more flippant, a bit more of a hyperbole. Use secondary characters to show the heart and depth […]

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I’m Important Too! (the care and feeding of Secondary Characters!)

By on July 22, 2010 in Editing Basics, Protagonists: The Basics, Secondary Characters

The use of Secondary Characters:   I’m important too!!    So, I’m sitting here at my husband’s office, mulling over today’s blog, and the front desk guy (a friend named Jim) asks me, of course, what I’m writing about:    Me:  The Use of Secondary Characters in a book. Him:  Or misuse.  (he’s an avid reader). Me:  (because I haven’t had my coffee yet…) Huh? Him:  Well, think about it, just the name:  Secondary Character.  How would you like to be called a Secondary Character?  They’re important, too!   He’s brilliant!  And right!  See, secondary characters are key to a great story.  Think of Watson, to Sherlock Holmes.  And Danny Glover to Mel Gibson (sorry to bring him up, but again, I’m needing coffee), and how about um…Bert and Ernie?  […]

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Voice of Reason/Passion winners!

By on April 29, 2008 in House Calls, Secondary Characters

Hey all! After five days of internet, uh…let’s call it CHAOS…I am finally able to get back online. Something involving a burned out router, and a settings glitch, and I don’t know…but WOW, did it bring out the VOICE OF PASSION as I stared at my “cannot connect to the internet” windows screen. I wanted to hurl something at the monitor. But a smart, rational girl listening to her Voice of Reason husband, (who calmly reminds her that it’s NOT the new Dell Monitor’s fault) refrains from acting out. Even though the wildly frustrated girl wants to embrace her Voice of Passion and call up her computer guy and threaten bodily harm if he doesn’t show and I mean Right Now to fix it. There you have it, the Voice […]

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