Abgayle graces the cover of The Throne
Let’s face it. Half the fun of writing fiction is coming up with characters. But where do those characters come from?
Some of them, I dream of. I dreamed of Gurun and put her in The Last Banquet. Other characters come in because there’s a job in the plot that must be filled.
But however you come by them, write your characters as if they were real persons–not just stage props to make your protagonist look good. Using “minor” characters as props for the hero is as good a way as I know to write a book that sucks.
Look at it this way: are you a minor character?
I sometimes feel like a minor character, but my family and friends do not seem to agree. Somehow, I just fit in. Some of the characters in favorite
books all seem significant to me.
Naw, just a character, with her own ups and downs. Anyway, I imagine how much satisfaction there is for the writer in creating alternate realities that make sense and the fun for those being entertained by them.
All of the characters in my writing have distinct personalities and backstories – whether they are minor or major (or even remotely musical). If I took the time to name them, then I figure they should have their own personal history, too.
Hi Lee
Just for curiosity, is that Abgayle on the cover? Why is she wearing a small crown (if it is a crown)?
In the beginning I thought it was Gurun, but while reading the book I’ve learned it was Abgayle who left the flowers on the throne…
Ps: the story is fabulous, I’m very excited about the new one that is coming and even more ecstatic that soon we are going to have them in Portuguese!