The Curse of Heatherwell House (Working Title) came from a slightly different place than many of the other stories in this collection. When I decided that I was going to put together a collection of short stories with the theme of Gothic Horror, I quizzed Clemency on what would scare her. She said “zombies”. Not the easiest thing to work with for Gothic Horror – give me a ghost any day. Here are some thoughts about how I went about creating The Curse of Heatherwell House … Once I had spoken to Clem about the things she finds scary – and discovered which of my back catalogue she found the creepiest – I started to get an idea for a story. It involved a vicar (obviously the younger son of a wealthy family, as all these Gothic vicars seem to be) who took over gravedigging responsibilities because the rest of his parish were too sick to do it. I was pleased with the premise – and perhaps it will turn into another story. Watch this space… But there was one major sticking problem: whils...
I'm sorry this blog is later than usual! Truth is, I'm on holiday at the moment and a little tired and sore with all the walking and gardening. Not that I would change a thing - it's been a wonderful few days!
Today, in our Character series, I'll be looking at what makes a good Friend character. The poor Friend never gets a great deal out of the story and I'm afraid this blog is going to be shorter than normal, so I feel like I'm adding to the Friend's misery. Sorry!
What do I mean by a Friend character?
To explain what I mean, it's handy to think in terms of the Oscars. The 'Best Actor/Actress' category would go to the person playing the main character, of course. The 'Best Supporting Actor/Actress' category would go the person playing either the villain or the friend. It's a basic explanation, but it's a start. We've already talked about the villain (here) so let's focus on the Friend.
Dos and Don'ts
Do allow Friend to have their own personality. Don't let them just be a carbon copy of the main character.
Do give Friend their moment in the limelight. Don't let the hero hog all the achievements. (We can learn a lot about the main character by how they react to their Friend at these moments so this tip is more than just feeling sorry for the supporting character.)
Do allow arguments between the main character and Friend. Don't be conned into thinking that your characters' friendships should always be cute and sunny! Again, it's good to see how character react in these situations.
And finally...
Do accept that readers will prefer the Friend to the main character. Don't get upset by the inevitable!
I'm sorry it's a shorter blog than usual, but I wanted to make sure I put something together for Middle Grade Monday! Next week, I'll be writing about Middle Grade Fantasy.
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