How to create leading secondary characters
Writing secondary characters that stand out from the crowd
It’s been lovely chatting to so many of you about the Ultimate Novel Writing Course this past week – thanks to everyone who’s been in touch with questions and comments on the syllabus! In this newsletter, we have a reminder of how you can download the prospectus and apply for this, as well as a special look into secondary characters and their role in storytelling. Enjoy!
COURSE: The Ultimate Novel Writing Course 2021-22 is now open!
No other course gives you this level of feedback and guidance on your manuscript. If you’re serious about writing a publishable book this year, submit your application now for either the UK/Europe or the International course.
DOWNLOAD THE PROSPECTUS (UK/EUROPE)
DOWNLOAD THE PROSPECTUS (US/INTERNATIONAL)
This week at Jericho Writers:
SUMMER FESTIVAL: Events happening this week (Ticket-holders only)
Ticket-holders can enjoy events on ‘How to harness questions to drive plot’ on 29 June; ‘Writing Secondary Characters’ on 1 July and ‘Unlocking Poetry’ on 3 July.
MEMBERSHIP: Starting a new short story with Jacob Ross (Exclusive to members)
This replay expires TOMORROW, so please ensure you join now to watch one of my personal favourite tutors share his extensive knowledge of stories, before it disappears.
Discount on Summer Festival books with Fox Lane
We’ve teamed up with the brilliant indie bookseller Fox Lane Books, who are holding all books featured in the Summer Festival this year. What’s more, the first twenty people to use the code ‘SFOWJUN’ at the checkout get a 15% discount on their entire basket.
How to write secondary characters that stand out from the crowd
Make a list of all your favourite characters. Chances are, more than a few of them won’t take leading roles in the story, but exist to support action and add splashes of colour to the main arc. Here are my tips for creating secondary characters that are protagonists in their own right.
1) Give them a want/need
All good stories feature a protagonist who wants/needs something and must go on a physical or emotional journey to get it (or later decide that it’s not what they wanted/needed after all). Give your secondary characters this same arc – what’s important to them? Why are they acting like this? Make us believe they are the leading character in their own story.
2) Give them a quirk
Maybe they have a knack for nature (Dickon in The Secret Garden) or are part-giant (Hagrid in Harry Potter). Giving your character a physical or personality trait helps build them into memorable characters – especially if they’re only there for a few short paragraphs.
3) Avoid cliche
If your automatic writer brain starts creating a character you’ve seen a million times before – stop it. Check yourself and turn that stereotype on its head. Your reader will notice and if not, you’re helping to make literature as diverse as real life.
Do you have any tips to add to this list? Which secondary characters stay with you the most? Join the Community for free and share here.
Sarah J
Plus, don’t miss:
Book a one-to-one call with a literary agent (10% member discount)
We’re running one-to-one calls with literary agents and book doctors throughout the summer. Anyone can book one of these – just choose your expert and book a time to suit you. Make sure you act fast to get the agent you want – these are in high demand and tend to sell out quickly.
Want to help us improve our manuscript assessment service? If you’ve had an assessment by one of our wonderful editors, we’d love to know what you thought, and how we can make the service even better. Take our quick survey to help out!
Mentoring (10% discount available for members)
Get expert one-to-one help as you write and edit your manuscript with your choice of award-winning mentors.
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