Sidekicks

I'm kicking around ideas for important secondary characters right now. I've pretty much schmoozed two, but that's mostly because I really liked them in my first draft, and I know them.

Why are sidekicks important? Where would Andy be without Barney? Where would Matt Dillon be without Festus? Holmes without Watson? Snoopy without Charlie Brown, or in this case, Woodstock? Pancakes without syrup? French fries without ketchup? (I need to start dinner.)

Sidekicks, or "heroes helpers", add a bit of sparkle to the story. They have the ability to be interesting without lording their importance—making it unnecessary for my reader to know them as intimately as they know my protags. And sidekicks can shed a little more light on . . . well, just about anything I want them shed it on.

The thing is, this newly morphed book of mine (we've gone from Broken Bones as a working title to Rough Waters) has co-protagonists. A husband and wife. No, this is not a cozy, (wink-wink). I felt the need to make Bond at least as strong as her husband, Chase. So now that she is, she needs her own amazing sidekick. It's a good thing I enjoy developing new characters, isn't it?

This explains my current writer's block (along with an incredibly busy week filled with a lot of "have tos"). Thanks to writing this post today, I have a pretty good idea where I need to spend the next few hours.

You guys are amazing!




Still reading Booked to Die.

And you know what I'll be working on.


It's all better with friends.