Friday, December 3, 2021

Friday Writings #5: A Second(ary) Look

Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! I’m making good progress on the novel I’m working on. The bones are all there and looking pretty strong. I just need to fill out a bit more of the body to get this world to where I want it to be. Currently, I’m focusing on the secondary characters. Well-done secondary characters are like the seasoning in a good meal. They aren’t the focus, but they add so much richness to the final product (and as TV Tropes mentions, sometimes they get some killer songs in musicals).

Shiny!

Who are your favorite secondary characters? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Or if you are looking for a spark to ignite your words, feel free to craft your pieces from the point of view of a secondary character in a story (book, TV show, movie, etc.)

However you choose to shape your words, I’m taking poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction. Please keep your prose pieces to 369 words or fewer.

For Next Week: Rosemary will ask us for up to six micropoems (10 lines max per poem) or up to three short short stories of no more than 100 words each – all in one post, please.


20 comments:

  1. Thanks, Rommy!

    My favourite secondary character in one of my favourite works of fiction is Willow Rosenberg, best friend of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But she is so well expressed in both the writing and the acting that there is nothing I could add. So I am not writing about her, but chose a different character from a different story; one I believe I understand very well.

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    1. I have to add, as a close second favourite, Sarah Jane Smith, intrepid companion to the third and fourth regenerations of Doctor Who. But again, so well realised that I wouldn't presume to try and add more.

      (Yes, LOL, I do read books too – a lot of them, in fact. Nevertheless...)

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    2. Willow is one of my favorite all time characters period!

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  2. Great prompt! All time favourite needs some thinking, but the last book I read was Ocean Vuong's "On earth we are briefly gorgeous" and the character of the grandmother...wow! Told from her point of view, parts of the story would have been so much more heartbreaking, I think. Didn't write to the prompt... but have posted a different poem though. Stay safe, all.

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  3. I never thought of it this way: "Well-done secondary characters are like the seasoning in a good meal." I just accepted it as part of the tapestry of weaving a good story. (added my metaphor to the mix, eh?)

    I have to look at my own writing in a new light, hmmm...

    I have to add Samwise from LOTR as one of the first comes to mind.

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    1. Samwise ABSOLUTELY is one of my favorites. I don't think I can have a proper piece done for him quickly, but I do intend to write something at some point.

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    2. Samwise is absolutely lovely, and definitely an essential seasoning. But I'm a girl; naturally I fell in love with the mysterious, tormented Aragorn.

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    3. I suppose he would have a troubled and heroic story to tell but also, the Ents story needs to be told someday. I suppose it would take a loooooonnnnngggg time to tell it though. ;)

      I'm sorry for not getting to everyone's postings quite yet, I've been working these past two days. I settled down to peruse and got a call from my youngest son needing help. Will return.

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    4. Ha ha, yes the Ents' story would!

      Thanks for checking in. Hope your son's need is soon resolved.

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  4. Good day, Poets & Storytellers!
    I like the analogy of a well-done secondary character in a story to the seasoning in a good meal.
    I can't think of a favourite secondary character at the moment, but i think like in a video game, a memorable NPC is as important as the main playable protagonist. :)

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    1. dsnake 1 I have tried to leave a comment on your poem several times...but no go. I really like your personal poetry ...keep writing it.

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    2. Rosemary,

      a NPC in a game is a non-playable character. they help to tell the narrative in the game, but you cannot control the character. Some are important in the game as you have to interact (read talk) with them in order to advance the game.

      Rall,

      Finally, i received your comments. Sometimes Blogger is like that, takes some time to move, but overall, it's fine. Also, I have comment moderation on (those pesky spams), so it won't appear immediately until i read it.

      Thank you, ladies! :)

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    3. It's been an age since I played a game with an NPC.

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  5. There are many secondary characters I love (in some cases, even more than the main characters). Here are some favorites: Remedios the Beauty from One Hundred Years of Solitude, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, River Song from Doctor Who, Zoë Washburne from Firefly, Amos Burton from The Expanse... I would love to read/watch stories with them as main characters.

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