I was talking to my sister the other day, and since we always have random conversations, I asked her a question. Now this question came from a book full of (dumb) questions.
My sister answered (see end of post), but what really struck me was: How would my secondary character respond?And I was surprised by the answer. Because this girl has a heart of gold and goes out of her way to help everyone — but this is how she would answer.
1. If by sacrificing your life you could contribute so much to the world that you would be honored in all nations and never forgotten, would you be willing to do so? It depends on what the the situation is. The fame or honor isn’t important. My dad showed me that. But you should be willing to do for something you believe in, or something you value.
2. If so, would you make the same sacrifice knowing that someone you thoroughly disliked would receive the honor while you went unrecognized. No. (SURPRISE TO ME!) I would make the sacrifice no matter the end result, but I STRONGLY believe that people are held accountable for what they do. There is a universal justice that will come to everyone. So even if the fame went to another person, then it doesn’t just end there.
Now I’d thought she was the type that didn’t want to see anyone suffer. The type who wouldn’t mind someone who is her enemy (obviously the ANTAGONIST) is credited for a good deed… but I was wrong. She’s the type who doesn’t want to see someone suffer more than they deserve.
So here’s five tips to enhance your secondary characters
1. Ask them the right kind of questions. Ask the questions beyond hair color, beliefs, and preferences. Ask them situational questions, ask them their thoughts on a certain event in the novel they don’t know about, ask them random questions about their past.
2. Break beyond the stereotypes. When you think of a stereotype, what is the opposite? I’m doing this in one of my drafts right now. The protagonist is a trained warrior (think Bourne Identity), but she’s very fashion conscious. So much so, that sometimes her vanity outweighs the right thing to do in a situation (read: she wears high heals even though she can’t fight in them as well). Emma Watson’s quote above is great: she’s a movie star, but breaks beyond the stereotype of low-cut dresses and string bikinis, saying the above quote in an impressive interview.
3. Give them exceptions. Everyone has exceptions to their own rule. With my character and her focus on justice, she takes the punishment to cover for her sister. So when two of their values clash (seeking justice vs. family loyalty), they have to choose which is more important to them. This defines them as a character.
4. Give them a secret. Everyone has a secret. Everyone. Whether this is a secret crush on your best friend’s boyfriend (and you told her!), a hidden obsession with toes, or the time you tripped over an acorn back in high school, we all have one. (NOT TELLING MINE!) So give each secondary character a secret, whether it comes out in the story or not. I did this in my manuscript, and it added such a level of depth to each character.
5. Give them pet phrases. Everyone has a word or phrase that just rolls off their tongue. Whether the person is from another nationality (with all those colloquial phrases), or she’s a typical blonde who uses “like” way too much, there is a phrase for everyone (warning: try to break beyond the stereotypes here, too). One of my characters in a previous manuscript used the “May or may not” phrase all the time, especially when flirting or teasing. “Yeah, I may or may not be running to the store in an hour.” “I may or may not have lost your cars keys.” “I may or may not have eaten all the chocolate chips.” Using these phrases throughout the book (without overdoing it) gives each characters a voice.
So what problems do you face when writing secondary characters? Any secondary characters out there that you adore more than the protagonist?
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So how did my sister answer the questions: 1. No way! 2. Are you kidding? If he’s my enemy, then obviously he doesn’t deserve that. 3. (added question: What if you did something embarrassing or horrible and your enemy will go down in history as having done it). NO! If he’s my enemy, then he’s bad enough that he’ll do that all on his own.
When I head that Elana was getting a new cover, my first thought was: oh man! I have to go buy a new copy now…
Not that that’s a bad thing.
So here’s your look at the new POSSESSION (book 1) cover, and SURRENDER (book 2) cover by Elana Johnson. [Released June 5, 2012]
And for book two…
The thrilling and seductive sequel to Possession puts love on the line in a dystopian struggle for independent thought. Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control… Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.
All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.
Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….
So here’s my take on the cover:
I am ALL ABOUT FONT. And this font just fits the book so well. LOVE LOVE LOVE! A yes, that makes a big difference for me. I really liked how Elana’s name was in a signature font,but the uniformity of the new books can’t be beaten! And the pictures are so gorgeous and fit amazingly well with the color of the cover itself. Wow! The original cover seemed to fade in on itself with all the white, and adding the color really made the ice cube POP! at the middle.
Now let’s look at the tags:
Control or be controlled
vs.
In a world of control or be controlled, never trust the one you love
Personally, I like the first one. It’s to the point. Which tag do you prefer?
I guess for me, the only disappointing thing is that they won’t release the new POSSESSION cover in hardback! Oh well… I’ll hold out that someday they’ll change their minds on that one.
What do you think of the new covers? Have you seen any new covers you immediately liked or disliked? And who else is excited about SURRENDER???
Hey guys!
Just a quick note to say that Brodi Ashton’s book EVERNEATH is coming out tomorrow (January 24). I was lucky enough to read an ARC, and I’m so excited to say you will not be disappointed.It seriously made my top 10 list, and I’m delighted that others can finally read the book!
Here’s a quick blurb from Amazon:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
So what did I love about this book? Without giving away spoilers, I loved how real the characters felt, and how the protagonist has to face choices and consequences. To be honest, the book was too enthralling for me to put down so I stayed up all night reading it — which got scary, because at one point Nikki looks at a clock and it’s the middle of the night. And when I looked at my clock, it was like 2 minutes away from the same time. And that’s how I know that Brodi secretly wrote that book for me. Isn’t life great?
I also will be attending the book launch tomorrow at The King’s English — hope to see some of you there!
Leave a comment to receive free POSSESSION bookmarks! And one luck commenter will win a copy of Elana’s book, POSSESSION. The winner will be notified via email on Wednesday, so keep an eye on that inbox!
Elana and I met at the LDStorymakers conference last year and hit it off right away. Seriously, this girl rocks! Possession is a dystopian where the main character has a choice: control or be controlled. The book will be released June 7th, and Elana is having her launch party that night in Salt Lake City at The King’s English. The companion book titled FUGATIVE will come out Summer 2012.
What was your road like to become a published writer?
Bumpy and winding and all my own. I think that’s something writers get hung up on. Here’s the short version:
December 2007: started writing.
April 2008: Wrote POSSESSION as my third novel.
May 2008: Started querying for my first novel. Wrote other stuff. Didn’t touch POSSESSION.
December 2008: Started blogging for QueryTracker.net. Called my first novel a failure in the query trenches, shelved it, and wondered what to do next.
January 2009: Chose POSSESSION as the next novel to get ready to query.
April 2009: Began querying POSSESSION.
Summer 2009: Still querying POSSESSION. Doing revisions at the request of an agent.
Fall 2009: Still querying POSSESSION. Doing more revisions at the request of another agent.
November 2009: Accepted representation from a great literary agent, Michelle Andelman.
December 2009 – January 2010: Revising POSSESSION.
February 2010: Submit POSSESSION to editors; POSSESSION sells!
March 2010 – current day: Waiting for POSSESSION to release!
Of course, I do a lot more than sit around on the couch, waiting. I organize WriteOnCon. I blog five days a week. I answer a lot of interview questions. I speak to classes, and attend conferences, and teach elementary school. Somewhere in all that, I sleep too.
How has your critique group helped you on your road to being published?
My critique group is awesome! Not only have they helped me fine-tune my writing, but they’re always there when I need a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or a not-so-gentle reminder about something. They’re great with the red pen, but they’re brilliant at the friendship thing.
What is your advice to any writers who want to be published out there?
My best advice is to allow yourself time to practice. We all have to practice writing. Just like Michael Phelps didn’t become an Olympian the first time he dove into the pool, you might not become Stephenie Meyer, well, ever. (Ha!) But seriously, you need to allow yourself to write badly until you figure out how to write well.
You wrote the ebook QUERY TO THE CALL and are an all-around expert on querying. What is the most common mistake writers make when querying?
The most common mistake authors make is three-fold: 1) vagueness. It’s not good, people. 2) Omitting the consequence. Why should I care if Joey-the-Janitor can’t overcome his plugged toilets? Does the world fall into chaos? Will he die from the stench? 3) Trying to squeeze in every plot point and subplot and character. Don’t do it. Stick to the MC and what they want and what’s in their way, AND what will happen if they don’t overcome what’s in their way.
How have you managed to juggle your time and write / blog while still participate in all the amazing things you do, such as Write On Con and QueryTracker?
I only work part-time, so that helps. My children (2) are older and can dress themselves, pour their own cereal and/or bathe by themselves. That helps a lot. My husband is the most supportive person on the planet. That helps immensely. And I’ve learned to function without sleep. That’s crucial. Ha!
About POSSESSION:
Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.
But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.
This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.
About Elana:
In between all the smiling, Elana blogs for the League of Extraordinary Writers and helps to organize WriteOnCon. She also teaches, watches reality TV, and drives too fast.
I met Brandon Mull at the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers last year, where he was my writing instructor for the week, and now he has become one of my top writing heroes. Which is kind of funny, because his latest book BEYONDERS, is about a world without heroes. (You can see a book review done by my friend, Karen M. Krueger, here.)
What drew you to writing for middle grade?
My biggest influence in writing middle grade books was the Harry Potter series. I enjoyed those books. So did kids. So did my mom. Those books proved to me that if you write a smart fantasy with young main characters and cool adventures, you could please a really wide range of readers.
The brisk pace and big imagination needed for middle grade fantasy really appeals to me and fits the type of stories I have always daydreamed about. My goal is to write fun adventures that a whole family can read and enjoy together, adults and kids alike.
Your characters are definitely feel their age. What’s your secret to writing believable middle-grade characters?
I believe the key to writing any character is knowing them. If you understand who the character is and how they think, it becomes much easier to anticipate how they will react and what they will say. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about my stories before I write them, sometimes for many years (an example would be my new Beyonders series). I try to use that time to get to know my characters so that I can bring them to life as authentically as possible.
When I write young characters, it helps that my inner ten-year-old remains alive and well.
How did becoming a New York Times best-selling author change your life?
It provided an extra line for my tombstone.
Also, the popularity of Fablehaven meant that I could write full time, which had been my dream for years. And now that I get to live my dream, I’m happy to say that I still love what I do.
What is the craziest thing that happened while you were touring schools?
Once in the middle of a busy week of touring I completely lost my voice. So I was going from school to school doing large assemblies, whispering hoarsely into a microphone. I felt ridiculous. I managed to get by, but just barely. The kids were pretty understanding. Because of my condition, they were extra quiet. They treated me with the courtesy owed to a diseased person.
How do you handle meeting writing deadlines?
First off, I take my deadlines seriously. I figure that if I take my deadlines seriously, it might help my publishers take me seriously.
I try to start early enough to get each project done on time. Almost inevitably I spend the last couple of weeks prior to a deadline working extra long hours, sometimes from 9 a.m. till after midnight. If I’m going to be a little late turning something in, I give my publisher advance notice so they can plan for it. I’ve never let myself be more than a little bit late.
Deadlines can be the most stressful part of my job, but they also help motivate me to keep writing and to get more done faster.
More about Beyonders:
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank into a strange, imperiled world. Lyrian holds dangers and challenges unlike anyplace Jason has ever known. The people all live in fear of their malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. The brave resistors who once opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.
More about Brandon:
Brandon Mull resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. He spent two years living in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned Spanish and juggling. He once won a pudding eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house, earning a gold medal. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven series and The Candy Shop War. You can find out more about Brandon at his website: http://brandonmull.com
