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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Walk on and Touch my Heart: Guest Post from Candace Calvert with GIVEAWAY!!

Walk On . . . and Touch My Heart
Giving your minor characters their fifteen minutes of fame
by Candace Calvert


Unless you’re on the list of famous recluses like Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger, Michael Jackson, and the Uni-Bomber, chances are—even if you put up the Do Not Disturb sign when you write—your everyday life brings you into contact with all sorts of people. The major players, of course: family, friends, and close co-workers. But there are the simple acquaintances too, like that grocery clerk who always has a joke, the UPS gal who brings your Amazon boxes, the man with the eager Jack Russell terrier you always seem to pass halfway along your jogging route—that airport employee once, singing like an angel as she cleaned the women’s lavatory. Each, in his own way, becomes a thread in the fabric of your life. You don’t live in a vacuum. Neither should the characters that you write.

Of course, your hero and/or heroine get the spotlight, the big speaking parts. As they should. You’re writing from their point of view. Very likely there are secondary characters in your story too, the aforementioned “major players” in a main character’s life. Absolutely, spend your time on them; make them genuine and loveable (or convincingly despicable). But don’t forget to include a few tertiary—minor-- characters in your story as well. And please don’t fashion them out of cardboard. They need to breathe, too. Do that and bit-players can go a long way toward showing your readers the kind of stuff your main characters are made from.

In my newest release, Rescue Team, two of these minor characters are an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s and her beloved plastic doll, Nancy Rae. Yes, a plastic doll.  In this scene snippet, we see our rugged search and rescue hero Wes Tanner having tea with these two characters.

***

“Yes, ma’am,” Wes told Amelia Braxton, hoping his finger wasn’t permanently stuck in the handle of the dainty flowered cup. “Best tea I’ve ever had.”

The elderly woman’s barely visible brows rose and he hurried to amend his compliment. He turned to Nancy Rae, sitting on the porch swing wearing a cherry-print dress and something that looked like an old Pilgrim hat. Only faint scratches gave evidence to her near-miss with the business end of a shotgun. “Thank you, too, Miss Nancy,” Wes said, fairly sure that Hershey, wriggling beside him in hopes of a cookie, would laugh out loud if he could. “It was very nice of you to invite me to tea.”

Amelia giggled. “She thinks you have beautiful eyes. So do I. And good manners.” She peered at Wes through lenses finely dusted with powdered sugar. “Your mother did a fine job of raising you up. Manners, Sunday school, music lessons. Yes indeed. . . . But we hardly see Lee Ann these days. You must tell her to come by for tea. We miss her.”

“I’ll do that.” Wes promised, wondering if anyone really did—miss his mother.  Twenty-seven years was a long time.
***
For me, Wes Tanner’s willingness to sip tea and make polite conversation with these rather quirky characters says “hero” in a very special way.

But even a brief, non-verbal encounter with a minor character can give readers new insight. Or foreshadow events to come. Like here, where Rescue Team’s heroine nurse Kate Callison reacts strongly to a stranger she sees on her drive home from a rugged hospital shift.
***
. . . She braked, waited for two bearded cyclists—one in tie dye, the other in a faded purple “Keep Austin Weird” T-shirt—to weave through traffic. Then she rounded the next corner, and—
Oh . . . Kate’s heart cramped. The mother. Standing on the busy corner with a long scarf draped over her hair. And that sign with the beautiful baby’s face. Need money for my baby’s funeral. The light from a single candle flickered on the face and downcast eyes of what could have been a likeness of the grieving Madonna.
Kate’s foot found the brake; she reached for her purse and heard the sudden blare of car horns behind her. Then she drove on, all thoughts of dinner extinguished. All she wanted was to get home and close the door, blot everything out: that poor woman on the street corner, the girl in shadows this morning, the tearful triage nurse . . . and a baby born on the bathroom floor.

***
Sometimes, if you allow your Muse to take the lead, these colorful minor characters may simply walk into your office and whisper, “Pssst, I’m in this story too.”  This has happened to me many times during the creation of my Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series. I’ve been privileged to meet a rag-tag collection of characters who were nowhere in my synopses and yet served as important catalysts in the unfolding stories. These quirky bit-players have included an elderly goldfish named Elmer Fudd, a wise and loveable former rodeo clown, the owners of seaside bait & bakery shop, a hospital janitor with PTSD, and a one-eyed miniature donkey.  I’m grateful to each and every one.

I will caution you that minor characters have a strong tendency to try and shanghai your story. They love the unexpected limelight. Rein them in gently but firmly. But please do give them a chance at their fifteen minutes of fame. These characters may very well enhance your story, touch your readers’ hearts . . . and even become a friend.

That wise and loveable rodeo clown from Trauma Plan is still hanging around my office.

Thank you for hosting me, Julia. It was a pleasure to meet The Writer’s Alley readers!

Candace
www.candacecalvert.com


Just a note: This is an excellent summer read! It held my attention until the very end and the characters are so likeable.

Thanks so much, Candace!




Questions: Have you made room for walk-on characters in your stories? Were you taken by surprise by their unplanned appearance?

AND A GIVEAWAY:

Answer Candace's question in the comments and include your email address to be entered for a copy of RESCUE TEAM!!!

12 comments:

  1. I have never thought of "walk-on" characters in this way, and I love Candace's insight into how they are used to move the story along and reveal something important about a main character.
    katie.depoppe@gmail.com
    Thank you! :)

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  2. I loved this Candace. The way you filled in your main characters' lives with walk on characters is beautiful. I'll be re-reading this for inspiration.

    In my first book, my heroine was a teacher. I needed a scene to show her interactions with one of her students in a classroom setting. It was BORING the first time through. When I thought about a way to add tension to it, a rough and hurting boy walked into my heart and into hers as he came to life on the page.

    I LOVE it when that happens. :)

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  3. I think a well-developed secondary character can spark some of the most memorable moments in a book. In your examples with Wes and Kate, we both get to see who they actually are when nobody's really watching. It totally reveals their character. Great examples!

    In my book, Saving Gracie, Gracie's over-protective older sister, Gloria, was so memorable that my editor AND my readers asked me to make sure that she had her own book next! She left an impression. :)

    Great blog, Candace! (And GREAT book!)

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  4. KRISTEN, Isn't Candace a master with the secondary characters in this book? Love it! :)

    JEANNE and KRISTEN, Your own examples of your secondary characters adding to the stories really make me want to read them. Great job!

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  5. Enjoyed the blog - thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

    bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  6. Hi everyone! I'm so enjoying your comments and the examples some of you have given regarding your own "walk-on" characters. Sounds like you found just the right one, JEANNE. And KRISTEN: I loved Saving Gracie and am one of those fans who looks forward to Gloria as the heroine in your next book.
    I appreciate y'all stopping by to make me feel welcome. Thanks again, JULIA, for hosting me here. Lots of fun!

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  7. Laura Cynthia ChambersJune 18, 2013 at 1:05 PM

    In the book I'm writing now (which may or may not see daylight) the heroine's younger sister has an unexplained rift with God. I also included a local TV news reporter who's in love with herself - the heroine doesn't like her very much.

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  8. a wonderful posting, Candace...looking forward to reading your latest novel :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  9. I had never thought of these characters as walk ons. I have gotten stuck on some of these characters. I have to learn how to stay on track with them. Loved the post.
    imabrassy1@yahoo.com

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  10. An excellent post, and excellent teaching points here about giving your story more depth! Love utilizing my secondary cast! Oh, and Candace... Bandy was simply unforgettable!!

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  11. Candace, I always love your quirky characters! Beautiful post! Would be delighted to win this one!
    linda[dot]maendel[at]gmail[dot]com

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