How to Create Walk-On Characters Who Are Memorable (But Not Too Memorable)

Today, I’m guest posting over on Wordserve Water Cooler, with the post  “How to Create Walk-On Characters Who Are Memorable (But Not Too Memorable).” Here’s an excerpt:

Jane Eyre: Writer's Digest Annotated ClassicsEvery character is the hero of his own story.

That bit of popular advice is a marvelously evocative reminder to breathe life into even minor characters. However, chances are you’ve also had the sometimes-charming, sometimes-frustrating experience of a minor character who decides he’s not just the hero ofhis own story, but the hero of the story. He tries to take over, usually with mixed results.

So how can you go about hero-izing your walk-on characters into memorable and realistic personalities without letting them derail your story? Charlotte Brontë’s masterful novel Jane Eyre (which I analyze in-depth in my book Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic) offers some excellent examples on how to deftly bring to life any type of character—without letting them run away with you.

Keep reading!

 

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About K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland

K.M. Weiland is the award-winning and internationally-published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs. A native of western Nebraska, she writes historical and fantasy novels and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

Comments

  1. “three precise, pertinent, and enlivening details” Thanks, Katie, for another helpful post.

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