Thursday, February 10, 2011

Day Nineteen

Day nineteen: Favorite minor character that decided to shove him or herself into the spotlight and why?

Well in this entry I am going to talk about a few characters that would be considered “minor” and the evolution they have gone through in the stories that I’ve written. I have had several characters that have started as minor, once mentioned characters that have completely pushed their way into the scene and some that have even become so insistent that they are being given the chance to tell their own stories. But let’s go through them.

First, let me reiterate the fact that when I first started writing people in this world it was Selene’s story all the way. Then as I continued to write it there were several characters that have stood out. Some that demanded a lot of me and took the spotlight away from Selene. Which I found unfair because I still wanted to tell Selene’s story and so I turned around and started to write other stories based around these loud characters.

Second, this entry is really going to go through the evolution of some of these characters. Some that were minor and became main and some that were minor and stayed minor but had some big scenes in the stories. This is probably going to be a long one, it seems I like to talk about my characters …

Aislynn – When Aislynn’s character first showed up she was the daughter of Selene and her mate (who at the time was named Alec, then Leo and then Micah, but we’ll get to him later) and when I first realized that Selene was pregnant I had a nagging feeling that her child would be special. Fast forward to when I started writing Aislynn’s character as a toddler and, wow, I was right. She was special. She was clairvoyant and had some major visions of the life they all lived. When she started showing of pushing herself forward in the story I decided that she needed a story of her own. So Aislynn and her life became the focus of my next big story and boy-oh-boy I have definitely been enjoying discovering all that she is becoming as a teenager and adult. I think her evolution from a minor add in character to a main character has been one wild trip. I think her pushiness was what first attracted me to her as a character and she really reminds me a lot about myself and some of my own insecurities.

Noah – This is another minor turned main character. When the original story started with Selene he was mostly a minute detail, not really ever mentioned other then in passing. When Noah’s character really came around it was when I was writing Aislynn’s story. There is a point in the story where some of Aislynn’s powers grow to the point of her being able to commune with ghosts and is one thing that becomes a big part of her story. One of the ghosts that visit her is Noah to impart some pretty important information. When he came to talk to Aislynn it was actually a surprise to me. I had never intended to bring him into the story, but when I was writing he showed up. He basically took the spotlight and said “look at me, I really need to tell Aislynn something important” and so he came on the scene. What ended up happening is that I discovered he had a story that needed to be told, so I decided he would get the chance and started his story. This is a recent development that I am enjoying. I’ve already talked about why I like his character in my protagonist post so I think I’ll stop here for him.

Alec/Leo/Micah – This is Selene’s mate. He is a major spotlight grabber. I had first intended on him being a relationship of Selene’s. Something that was part of the book but something that didn’t take up a large amount of the writing but Alec at the time did not like that idea. He became a big part of Selene’s life and so I started to write him in there more. He became very bossy and told me his name was Leo. Which sounds funny but is true – his name has constantly changed on me, we can’t settle on what he should be called. As Leo he started to take more responsibilities and supported Selene in many ways through her journey. As I continued to write Selene’s story I kept getting a tap on my mental shoulder from Leo and he kept whispering to me “I could do more for Selene, let me help her more.” At this point I had hit a block in Selene’s story – something just wasn’t adding up – and I decided to listen to Leo and his nagging voice. And so Selene’s story got a major overhaul and we learned what the real problems in her life were. With these changes Leo changed to Micah. As Micah he really started to tell his story along side Selene’s, he became a major-minor character and one of the biggest supports to Selene.

Atarah – She is the mate of Noah. She is one character that is involved in all the stories I currently am writing as a minor character. She is sweet and strong and demanding. As a queen she should be. With this she really becomes someone who gets to make some big decisions in the lives of some of my characters. With those decisions she tends to take the spot light from some of my characters.

Silvanius – Sil has gone through a lot of changes from the time I started writing the stories in this world. He was never an intended character and snuck up on me. He is the son of Vanessa and Luke and cousin of Aislynn. When Aislynn’s story came about and I decided I needed a group of character’s to be the ultimate defenders of their race that is when I truly decided I needed him to enter into the story. He was a timid character at first but has become more persistent in the writing. He plays a main bit in the group to defend the race and has some very touching moments.

Haizea – She has always been a part of the story. She was actually the product of a prophecy that Selene had in her story. Haizea was born as a Cat to two human parents and so started the revelation of a long line of prophecies coming to pass. I knew when I started writing her character that she would play an important role. That role changed a few times and she is still part of Selene’s story but her biggest parts take place in Aislynn’s story. She is the most timid of my characters and I like how it balances out with the other characters in the stories.

Douglas – Douglas has had a relatively easy evolution. When I decided that Aislynn would have her own story and part of that story would involve the group of defenders I needed someone to even out the numbers. It would be an even four. I had Aislynn, Haizea and Silvanius. I then decided I needed to add the forth and that forth would be a love interest to Aislynn so I would have two couples. At first when I started writing to him, he was very shy and not very outspoken. And then I started having things happen in Aislynn’s life that he was not happy about and he started to speak. He became protective of her and their love grew. The path it is taking is a bumpy one but its interesting to see how he balance her out and at the same time really butts heads with her.

Conall – Conall has changed a lot from the beginning of my writing. In Aislynn’s story there was going to be only one love interest, one person to be involved in Aislynn’s love life and that was Douglas. Conall began as a messenger from the king of the Dallions. But when I first introduced him to Aislynn he instantly felt he wanted her, and surprisingly Aislynn wanted the same. Their relationship has evolved and developed on a slightly deeper level then Aislynn and Douglas’s relationship which caused me to develop the current love triangle between the two men and her. Conall becomes a wonderful balance to Aislynn on all levels, much like Douglas is, but in different ways. I love the evolution of who Conall is.

Those are really the big spotlight stealers of my stories. Though, in truth, I could probably spend hours talking about my characters. All of the big players, and some of the minors, hold a special place in my heart. I enjoy writing with them and love the places they take me.

Past Entries:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Sixteen
Day Seventeen
Day Eighteen

 


Cara Mia Amore

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