Secondary characters

[arieltachna]

First of all, I have a steampunk icon now. Thank you, Rikki!

But the real purpose of this post is to muse a little on the role of secondary characters and the annoying habit they have, for me anyway, of becoming too important to leave to their fate. Anyone who's read Checkmate by Nicki Bennett and myself will remember Javier, the older man

Comments

[zahra_owens]

Nope. You create a character out of love, whether it's a primary or a secondary character, so you treat it with love as well. I don't get writers who kill off their secondary character every chance they get. Although, possibly, they have the right frame of mind, but then I'm a horder, so I couldn't do that without careful consideration (or: if I created a character just so I could have someone to kill)
You may be a little sentimental, but too nice? There's no such thing...

[arieltachna]

I'm glad you feel that way. I remember being in high school and reading a series of historical novels. Two of the characters were killed in a rock slide. It was very powerful and very believable, and I cried for hours like I'd lost close friends. My dad shook his head, but my mother just held me and told me she did the same thing.

I've killed characters before - not often, but a few - but they aren't usually sympathetic ones. Even the ones like Caroline in Partnership in Blood who end up damaged are still alive. Of course that's the situation Cressida will be in if I don't manage to help her: damaged but alive. I'm just not sure I can live with that ending this time. Fortunately Nicki is a genius and I think she's helped me figure out a way to use Cressida's plight to force action on the political stage in this world. We'll have to see how it plays out when I get there.

[zahra_owens]

Well, we all know Nicki is a genius ;-)

[arieltachna]

I'm not sure I'd have finished my first book, much less all the ones in between, if it weren't for her. And she's definitely invested in seeing this one turn out well. I think her idea will work.

[ext_175638]

No problem, Ariel. Glad you like the icon.