This week JJ and Kelly continue with their characterization series by discussing ANCILLARY CHARACTERS. We love ancillary characters, they're often our favorites!
Show Notes
Secondary Characters by Marie Lu
Tips for Creating an Ensemble Cast of Characters by Julie Eshbaugh
Adding Depth with Secondary Characters by Amie Kaufman
PubCrawl Podcast: Romances and Love Interests
Ancillary characters are important to have in a story because they give context to your protagonist. The way your protagonist interacts with other characters will say a lot about who your protagonist is.
Ancillary characters can also reinforce the themes and subjects you want to cover in your novel. They can also add depth to your world.
Successful ancillary characters often possess traits that your protagonist doesn't have, or complement your protagonist in some way, either in skills or personality traits.
Ancillary characters are often slightly exaggerated or heightened because we're not in their heads; we're viewing them at a slight remove.
Books Discussed/What We're Reading
The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Morning Star by Pierce Brown
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
What We're Working On
JJ is working on NOTHING and it's GLORIOUS. Also, she's cooking. You can check out the #jjskitchen tag on her Tumblr.
Kelly has finished her editing projects and is also doing nothing and it's GREAT.
Off Menu Recommendations
Writing in Real Life podcast
(And JJ still can't remember what else it was she wanted to recommend. Oh well.)
That's all for this week! Next week we have an interview with Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star-Touched Queen! Stay tuned!
27. Characterization: Ancillary Characters