Memorable Characters

Warrick paced across a rush covered floor in the castle's great hall. He waited
for Jonathan, his liege. A leather-bound claymore slung low about his waist and his hand rested upon it. His large frame sported a plaid in the colors of his clan. The tartan fell below rough-hewn body leather and gleaming chain mail armor. Hailing from the Highlands, he bore the scars of numerous battles won and lost. Many called him Warrick the Bold. Jonathan called him his most trusted friend and confidant...

(Warrick, secondary character from Knight of Magic © by Kaye Manro)

There is so much discussion on the subject of characters these days and rightly so. Without good characterization where would our stories be? Though by far the most important aspect of our story is our heroes, heroines and villains. But don't forget those endearing secondary characters, the ones who people our stories and assist our main characters. It’s easy to concentrate on the h/h and forget to make the support cast strong as well.

When I have a story idea, one of my favorite things to do is to people my fictional world with a great supporting cast. However, it is not always easy to make them come to life. True, good character sketches help. And descriptive narrative as I have written about Warrick can go a long way. But how do they become really real? Maybe this is the toughest part for aspiring writers, even seasoned writers. If we don’t create them well, our support people can turn out unrealistic or two dimensional.

Lea Schizas is holding a character building workshop this month. If you are interested here is the link:

Date: February 24

Time: 7pm EST

Place: Chat Lounge 1

At: http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Price: Free

What about you? How do you create the best and most alive supporting cast for your story? And as a reader, what do you like best about secondary characters?

Kaye