Tedious Tasks

Hello everyone!

What is that one thing that your protagonist dreads doing because it is mind-numbingly boring or gag-inducingly disgusting?  This task can reveal a lot about your character and/or your world.  It is also a good way to make your protagonist relatable, because, let’s face it, we all have something we dread doing for one of those reasons.Your writing prompt for the next two weeks is to write two scenes in which your protagonist is required to do a distasteful task.

• The first scene is where your protagonist is faced with this task for the first time in the book. This is your base line.  Establish the character’s feelings about the task (through showing, not telling) and/or dialogue.  Remember, your character does not have to succeed at the task.  Low baselines leave more room for growth.
• The second scene is when your protagonist is faced with the task again after something big has happened. The character’s view of or appreciation for the task might have changed.  Or maybe this time there are consequences if the character fails to do the task (quickly, correctly, calmly, etc.).

*Remember to have some sort of believable tension in at least one of the scenes.  If the second scene is a wrap-up for the book or character arc, nostalgia or growth are acceptable emotions to aim for in place of tension; however, wrap-up scenes needs to be short.

Happy writing!

Katie

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Supporting Characters

Hello everyone!

When writing a book, it is easy to focus on the protagonist.  After all, he/she is the person the audience should know, and hopefully relate to, the best.  But what about the other characters?  How prevalent, knowable, and relatable should they be?

For my novel “The Four Crystals,” I divided my book’s cast into four groups: protagonist, antagonist, supporting character, and minor character.

My Group Definitions:

• protagonist: main character or the character whose viewpoint I am using to tell the story
• antagonist: villain
• supporting character: a character whose removal from the book would alter the storyline and/or the plot’s outcome
• minor character: a character whose removal from the book would not alter the storyline and/or the plot’s outcome because another character could fulfill that function in the story

Since my background is in theater, I subdivided my minor characters into two groups:

• extras: human background/scenery
• featured extras: they stand out from the  rest of the extras by having one or more lines, being named, and/or appearing more than once

I believe it is important to develop a supporting character as much as I do my protagonist.  My featured extras (messenger, loudmouth in a crowd, etc.) should be recognizable, but if they do not need a backstory to complete their task, they don’t get one.  My extras (villagers, soldiers, etc.) are scenery; they’re lucky if they get noticed by the protagonist.

The following articles offer advice on how to create memorable supporting characters.  I hope they help you to create a memorable supporting cast!

“How to Write Effective Supporting Characters” by Hallie Ephron – She uses the mystery genre to explain how each supporting character needs to have a defined role or purpose in the protagonist’s life as well as a distinct personality.  The article also touches on the difference between supporting and minor characters.

“10 Secrets to Creating Unforgettable Supporting Characters” by Charlie Jane Anders – He gives some tips that apply to developing supporting characters, some that are geared towards designing minor characters, and some that work for creating both supporting and minor characters.

Happy writing!

Katie

 

Celebrations, Legends, Superstitions, and Wives’ Tales

Hello everyone!

Six more weeks of winter…at least according to Punxsutawney Phil. This year, I became curious as to how Groundhog’s Day began. Looking it up online again made me realize how much the past affects modern culture.

Your writing challenge for the next two weeks is to create a culture. Come up with a history for a social group, town, country, etc. What outside influences and historical events have shaped its current practices and beliefs? Are the people from the culture immigrants or have their ancestors lived there since time began? Have there been any natural disasters; and, if so, how were those disasters viewed and what impact did they have on the society? How do outsiders view members of this population and vice versa?

Happy writing!

Katie