Creating three 'whys' for side characters involves understanding their relation to the protagonist, their individual goals, and their purpose in each scene. The first 'why' explores how the side character interacts with the protagonist, either supporting or hindering them. The second 'why' delves into the side character's personal life and motivations, which have implications on the plot or protagonist. The third 'why' focuses on the specific function of the side character in each scene, whether they bring information, create conflict, support, or question the protagonist.
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Side characters – how do you make them memorable, but not over-take the spotlight? And what purpose do they serve in the story?
This episode, the awesome author and educator, Sacha Black, gives us the scoop on developing incredible side characters that will take your story from blah to bleepin’ amazing. She takes us through three different types of side character and how to create juxtapositions that SELL BOOKS.
Sacha says: “If your book is a body, then your protagonist is the heart, the theme is the soul and your side characters are the arteries feeding your protagonist-heart.
Side characters are the arteries in a protagonist-heart, they are new perspectives and viewpoints, conflict generators, and subplot fulfillers.”
About Sacha Black:
Sacha Black is a best selling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, and professional speaker.
She has five obsessions; words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories, self-improvement, and breaking the rules.
Sacha writes educational nonfiction books for writers and sapphic books for Young Adults. She also writes under a super secret pen name.
When she’s not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, sniffing musty old books, fangirling film and TV soundtracks, or thinking up new ways to break the rules.
She lives in Cambridgeshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son.
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