All stories have them.
All stories need them.
If you make them too bland, they don’t read as real people. They’re flat.
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| A flat secondary character. Why bother? |
If you make them too interesting, they get minds of their own and try to take over.
This delicate balance between making them interesting enough but not too interesting that they demand their own story is a thin line to navigate.
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| This secondary character needs a story all her own. |
I wrote a book years ago where the sister of the hero was to have a brief appearance in exactly one scene. ONE! Her whole purpose was to introduce the hero, then I was done with her. However, she wasn’t done with me. Every time I turned around, she was showing up again. She didn’t even live in the same town. She was in college. I kept on trying to get rid of her. “Go back to college.”
When she showed up with her car loaded down with all her earthly possessions, I put my foot down. “Go away! This isn’t your story.”
She folded her arms and said, “Make me.”
“Seriously!”
I bartered, made a deal with her, and sent her off to her parents’. She stayed away for the most part but did reappear for the holidays.
One of my critique partners (Hi, Suzanne!) had a walk-by character. If I remember right, the character didn’t even have any dialogue. Suzanne was careful to make sure the character wasn’t flat and didn’t want to use a typical description for her. Our other critique partner (Hi, Kathy!) said, “That character better be coming back, because I want to know her story.” I wholeheartedly agreed. Suzanne had no plans for further scenes for her. What got us was her haunted expression. We wanted to know why she was haunted. There was a backstory there we longed to hear.
In my current The Quilting Circle series, each book introduces additional secondary characters that further the current story. The trouble is, I want to learn more about them, and they deserve their own stories. One of those secondary characters was Lamar Kesner (the hero of book 5). From book two on, he had mild to serious interest in the heroines of those books, but he never got the girl. My publisher was eager to read his story. I was eager for it too by that time.
So, in book 5, another interesting lady waltzes into his life, but can he capture her heart as she has his and hold on to it?
Among soirees, hot air balloon rides, and a bachelor quilt, their hearts stitch together. Hopefully, the threads are strong enough to keep them together.
THE LADY’S MISSION (Quilting Circle 5)
Will Cordelia abandon her calling for love?
Cordelia
Armstrong wants nothing more than to escape the social norms for her station in
society. Unless she can skillfully maneuver her father into giving up control
of her trust fund, she might have to concede defeat—as well as her freedom—and
marry. Every time Lamar Kesner finds a fascinating lady, her heart belongs to
another. When a vapid socialite is offered up as a prospective bride, he
contemplates flying off in his hot air balloon instead. Is Lamar the one to
finally break the determination of Cordelia’s parents to marry her off? Or will
this charming bachelor fly away with her heart?
Available for pre-order on Amazon. (Releases October 5, 2022)
